Close ‘The Club’ on NBC

Many groups, including Morality in Media, The Pink Cross Foundation and the Coalition for the War on Illegal Pornography, are working hard to fight a new show that is supposed to begin airing on NBC in the fall.  “The Playboy Club” will glamorize and celebritize pornography – this is not a good thing.  Many people are in denial, or more perfectly stated, are simply ignorant, to the facts of the dangers of pornography.  Study after study show the negative effects, and the law is already in place (ALL hardcore pornography is illegal) but little-to-nothing is done about it.  Please support these groups and get Attorney General Eric Holder and the rest of the Department of Justice involved and prosecuting illegal pornography!  Our obscenity and decency laws must be enforced.

Here is an article written on just part of the battle.  (From Fox News.)

NBC’s new series “The Playboy Club” hasn’t even aired its first episode, and some people already want it off the air.

First, NBC’s Salt Lake City, UT affiliate, KSL-TV, refused to air the show, saying that their station is “completely inconsistent with the Playboy brand.”

Now an anti-porn foundation is determined to shut down the show completely

“What’s shown in ‘The Playboy Club’ is not real—Playboy definitely damages people. It’s pornography, it’s sex trafficking and it exploits women,” the founder of Pink Cross, ex porn actress Shelley Lubben, tells FOX411.com. “The series looks like it’s all cute, taking place back in the old days—it seems harmless, but then they show a quick clip of three people going at it in the bathroom. NBC is breaking the law with this show—they’re not meeting FCC standards.”

The nonprofit group Morality in Media agrees.

“We’re launching a big effort with our web site, closetheclubonnbc.com,” Dawn Hawkins, executive director, Morality In Media, tells FOX411.com. “We’re asking supporters to sign the pledge to and to contact their local NBC affiliates and ask them not to air the show. And as soon as we discover who is sponsoring the show, we’ll ask our supporters to contact them as well.”

Hawkins charges that “The Playboy Club” glamorizes pornography. “We know now, years later, that pornography is very harmful to society. It leads to addiction in children and adults, increased sex trafficking violence against women—and ‘Playboy’ is really the root of all of this. We just don’t want to see it glamorized any further, which it will be if it’s aired on NBC.”

With NBC in fourth place among broadcast networks, new president Steve Burke is under intense pressure to increase ratings. “When he was appointed, Burke said he was going to push the envelope,” Hawkins explains. “They want to get their ratings up, and they know that controversy surrounding this show might help.”

While “The Playboy Club” might help NBC’s sagging ratings, it could also run afoul of federal law.

“We don’t know the specific content of ‘The Playboy Club’ yet, but reports are that it will include simulated sex and nudity,” attorney and president and CEO of Morality in Media Patrick A. Truman tells FOX411.com. “Simulated sex can be prosecuted by Department of Justice as obscene and nudity, so long as it is not obscene, can be prosecuted by the FCC. The U. S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit struck down FCC’s indecency regulations, but that ruling has application only in that circuit. The U.S. Supreme Court today agreed to hear an appeal of that ruling. We will file an amicus brief.”

In addition to Morality in Media’s filing, Truman is issuing a warning to the network—and to Playboy.

“Every advertiser on The Playboy Club will be boycotted, every local affiliate of NBC will be bombarded by a very large segment of society that is sick and tired of those making money off the sexual exploitation of women,” he said. “The NBC brand, as well as Playboy will suffer great cost.”

NBC did not responded to FOX411.com’s request for comment.

More Embarrassing Than Anything Else?

This story has been in the news a significant amount over the past 11 months or so, but I thought it good to discuss it here on, apparently, the last stage of the case.  Lawrence Taylor, former NFL Linebacker for the NY Giants, was indicted on several counts of sexual misconduct, prostitution, having sex with an underage female, etc. etc. in May of 2010.  (For the entire case file and details, google or youtube videos for more specifics.)  Yesterday, Taylor was in court for his sex offender hearing.

There are lots of details to this case, but I want to focus on his response on this FOX News show.  Watch it then read below.

If you watched closely, you may have seen some of the glaring problems that I saw.  For instance, LT tried to justify his actions.  He seemed to shrug off the gravity of his actions.  He attempted to answer several of the questions, but as he proceeded, he seemingly realized that his honest answer would “get him in trouble” at home with his wife and he backed off.  As he stumbled through his answers, you could tell from both his body language and his stuttering that he was trying to give the political answer instead of owning up to what he did.  (From the start, LT’s story changed.  Originally, he said he never had sex with the prostitute, a 16 year old girl.  Then he admitted to pieces of the story, then eventually, he admitted – after taking a plea deal – to all of the charges.)  LT, you should have been honest from the start.  Better yet, you shouldn’t have been looking to a pimp to find you a woman to fornicate with.

And, what’s the deal with “then it’s all clean”???  Prostitution isn’t clean.  It does mess with emotions, with the chemical makeup, with relationships.  It’s not clean at all.

And another thing… yes, some of us are trying to shut down the sex trafficking industry!  One by one, 10 by 10, whatever it takes.

And no, Mr. Taylor, not everyone goes to prostitutes.  In fact, most of us don’t.  Please don’t speak for the rest of us.

Beyond the first interview, (in part 2) LT talks about his 5 year old son.  He appears to believe that his son will be a better man because of what he (LT) has gone through.  Let me tell you something… it doesn’t work like that.  Little boys act like their daddies, whether good bad or indifferent.  For the bad daddies, unless someone, hopefully their daddy himself, intervenes and sets a better example, the little boy is prone to bad behavior.  That’s painting the picture with broad strokes, but it’s the statistics.

In the end, I’m not saying there’s no hope for this guy.  I’m not saying that he won’t make it through.  I’m not saying that he’s going to use prostitutes again, or that his son is hopeless, or that a conversion to our Lord isn’t possible.  What I’m saying, similar to what I said about Tiger Woods, is that men like this, who have loads of influence and power, are detrimental to manliness because of their lack of knowledge and implementation of virtue.

TrueMan up!

A Review: Cultural Manliness

I haven’t written about cultural manliness in a while, so I thought I’d review it.  Cultural manliness, for those unfamiliar with the term (which I coined a few years ago) is the idea that “the more power, money, sex and stuff a male has, the more manly he is.”  This idea is propagated in our culture virtually non-stop, whether on the television, on the internet, in movies, throughout magazines and newspapers, on billboards, in songs, in advertising and just about anywhere those areas don’t cover.  The idea is propagated for a few reasons: 1. men buy into this lie.  2. women buy into this lie.  3. children buy into this lie.  4. people make money off of this lie.  5. the devil wins souls through this lie.

Cultural manliness – being in pursuit of the things of this world – will kill a man.  Power, money, sex and stuff doesn’t win our salvation, but it certainly can keep us from it.  Cultural manliness easily gets in the way of a relationship with Christ.  Why does this matter?  Because Christ is the true example of manliness!  He is THE TrueMan.  He is the reason this site exists.  He is the reason why the site is called what it is called.  “Blessed be Jesus Christ, True God and TrueMan.”  Anything other than pursuing Christ is futile and unmanly.

The world wants to tell a man that he will be ‘happy’ if he has more power, more sex, more money and more stuff.  This things, in and of themselves are not bad, but they don’t bring happiness.  They may bring emotional counterfeits that men believe to be happiness, but they aren’t happiness.

What then makes a man, if it’s not power, money, sex and stuff?  Virtue!  Prudence, Justice, Fortitude and Temperance – Faith, Hope and Love.  Learn them, live them, be a TrueMan!  (Read the “TrueManhood Guide to Virtue” here.)

If you’d like to read more on the topic, do a search (in the white box on the upper right portion of each page of this site) for “cultural manliness”.  You’ll have plenty of reading material.  Or, go to the blog page and click the “cultural manliness” tab.  I’d like to know your thoughts on this topic – leave a comment.

TrueMan up!

Cultural Manliness Takes Its Toll

I made a point tonight to watch the Jesse James interview on ABC’s Nightline.  Jesse was going to be speaking about his marriage-gone-bad and his acts of infidelity and I thought it would be some decent fodder for the site.  Jesse has been in the spotlight, limelight and tab-light ever since the news of his infidelity hit the wires.  Jesse is married to “America’s Sweetheart”, Sandra Bullock.  The divorce papers have been filed.

During the interview, Jesse appeared embarrassed, ashamed and scared.  He seemed to mix his ‘bad boy’ persona with, what I believe to be his real persona, honesty.  I don’t believe that this interview will ‘reinstate’ him, but I believe that there are a few points worth mentioning.

1. Jesse appeared honest.  He didn’t attempt to sugarcoat what he had done, he took responsibility and ownership of his horrible choices and knows that he has to deal with those consequences.
2. Jesse appeared to understand the pain and tragedy that he has caused both Sandra and, more devastating than that, his children.  I believe that he showed that his children are important to him and that he knows he messed up royally.  At the time of his acts of indiscretion, he was unconcerned with the effects of his actions.  Now, however, it appears that he realizes just how much his actions effect those around him.  I don’t think the choked-up tears were a show.
3. Jesse is missing something huge in his life.  [I hate to make this assumption, but it was pretty clear to me, after watching the interview that…]  Jesse is missing God in his life.  There’s a huge gap, a gap that can only be filled by the Father’s love.  If Jesse has a relationship with God, it wasn’t apparent in any of his actions or words.
4. Jesse is a walking testament that Cultural Manliness takes its toll on a man.  Going after power, money, sex and stuff will only leave you empty.  The allure of Cultural Manliness is that it appears so enjoyable, so laid-back, so tempting.  Jesse spoke about how perfect his life was, yet he gave into the temptation of what the world tells us is manly.  It left him wanting more.  Jesse admitted that he had many extra-marital affairs, and that “it could have been a million women.”  His point was that even one act of infidelity was too much.  He, obviously, is correct in his thinking.  By giving into the temptations of Cultural Manliness, Jesse found himself nearly at the end of his rope.
5. Jesse spoke about being physically and emotionally abused as a child.  Although I sympathize with abused persons, it does not justify poor, or even abusive, behavior.  Jesse cannot hide behind his past experiences of abuse.  He must continue to own his actions and encourage other victims of abuse to do the same.

In closing, I partially feel bad for Jesse James and I also am disgusted by him.  Cultural Manliness left the guy empty and alone.  He made some mistakes and although it’s unlikely, he could change.  He could come to know Christ and become a faithful Catholic.  On the other hand, he knew what was right and wrong the entire time and decide to throw it all away for some sex.  He had (and still has) a great deal of influence on our world and I believe he took that for granted.

TrueMan up!

The Female Version of Cultural Manliness

Have you seen the trailer for the upcoming [atrocity] “Sex and the City 2”?  I’ve unfortunately seen the trailer 3 or 4 times now andhave been more and more disgusted by it every time.  I can proudly say that I haven’t seen the first movie (although I know it did really well at the box office) and I never intend to watch it.  The trailer, as well as the name of the movie/show, tells me plenty.  What it tells me is that the characters in the movie are out for, what I’m going to refer to as, “Cultural Femininity”.  For those who may not know, I use a term coined “Cultural Manliness” to describe the world’s view of manliness… that the more power, money, sex and stuff a male has, the more manly he is.  On all levels, I tear this idea down, showing that it is riddled with emptiness, loneliness, despair and sorrow.  The same goes for “Cultural Femininity”.

The trailer depicts the characters in the movie gallivanting around the world, searching for meaningless sex, pleasure and anything else that seems ‘fun’.  The trailer attempts to glorify promiscuity, drunkenness, infidelity, homosexuality and the glamor and allure of money.  A tag line used in the trailer says “Discover how much fun forbidden can be.”  The trailer tells me that many people (women and men) will have their view of marriage ‘shaken up’ a bit… which is most definitely not needed in our culture.  The four women in the movie are female versions of “cultural manliness”.  In the same way that “cultural manliness” ends in emptiness, loneliness, despair and sorrow, so too does “cultural femininity.”

Movies like this make this behavior seem ‘normal’, as if ‘everyone is doing it’, and in fact, many people live like this.  Movies like this degrade women, encourage all the poor behavior mentioned above and highly encourage men to be “culturally manly”.  It really is a shame.

TrueMan up!

What We’re Up Against

Have you seen this one?  It ranks up there with the Carl’s Jr commercials, if you ask me.

This Bud Light commercial paints a picture of the “cultural man”… and the rest of us have to fight this stereotype in order to function as gentleman in society.  Don’t get me wrong… I enjoy playing sports, spending time with my buddies, letting my wife have some time with her girlfriends and so on… but how insulting to be depicted by these guys.  What am I talking about?  Well, take a look, then continue reading on so I can explain what I mean.

• First, a TrueMan doesn’t leave his wife (or girlfriend) by being a wink-and-shooter-guy.  He properly respects her, tells her he loves her and gives an affectionate sign of that love, being sure not to embarrass her in front of her guests.  He doesn’t perform offensive PDA, but shows that he’s secure enough to kiss his woman in a public setting.
• Secondly, why can’t this neanderthal match his clothing?  Are men so inept that they can’t figure out what shorts go with what shirt?  Granted, he’s going out to play a game, but I think Bud Light purposely showed that this guy is fashion-illiterate.  They wanted to paint the whole picture.
• Next we dive right into the heart of the commercial… the beer.  “Ugh, me like beer.”
• Then, as if men aren’t smart enough to hold an intellectual conversation without talking about sex, sexual connotations and sexual innuendo.  Another classic case of “cultural manliness” – which states – “If you want to be a “real man”, you have to like lesbians and want to see them thrusting on each other, even when there’s no lesbians around and thrusting is used not as a verb but as an adjective in the sentence where thrusting was used.”  How ridiculous.
• And, a TrueMan never hits on other women! Regardless of whether his wife/gf is sitting right next to him!
• Obviously, you must have beer to have a good time! (Sarcasm.)  “It’s a sure sign of a good time.”  (Don’t get me wrong, I like an ice cold beer, but what a stupid sentence!)
• Then, to cap it all off… as the young lady wastes her time talking to this unkempt, itchy, poorly groomed sap, he demonstrates the typical “cultural man’s” outlook on life… “If it moves, I’ll do it.”  Again, not smart enough to understand what she’s saying.

The thing that frustrates me about these sorts of depictions of men is that people begin to believe that they’re true.  Now, some men are quite neanderthal.  Some men aren’t capable of having an intellectual conversation.  Some men don’t know how to treat women.  Why glorify that?  Why do women settle for these men?  Instead, why don’t we (all of us) hold men to a higher standard of behavior?

Man up!

Cultural Manliness Catches Up With You

In this video, Tiger Woods issues a public apology for his actions.  Tiger was living a life of cultural manliness, living for money, power, sex and stuff.  It caught up with him, as it does every man who lives it.  His words ring true… he must show his remorse and his changed way of life not by speaking, but by his actions.  It appears to me, an untrained eye, that he is sincere.  He appears nervous and timid, and obviously, when you read a speech from paper, your demeanor is different than when you speak from the heart.  I don’t know that he’ll back up what he says, but I think that his tenacity and determination to be the best, which has made him so successful in golf and business, will aid him in succeeding in this journey towards being a leader, a role model, a good husband and an engaged, active and loving father.

Note: Tiger speaks about Buddhism towards the end of this clip.  Buddhism doesn’t hold the answers to life, however, Tiger is grasping for truth and something to guide him in life.  If I had the chance to speak with Tiger, I would challenge him to live a life for Christ, a life filled with joy, happiness and fulfillment.  If you can’t view the clip, click HERE.

Wood’s words are merely words, yet, he’s right.  He needs to live a life of integrity.  He let people down, and must make amends.  He led people, especially children, astray.  He knows that he needs help, and seems intent to continue to seek guidance and counseling.

I wish Tiger all the best.  “To whom much is given, much is expected.”

Man up!

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