Television Review: America's Funniest Home Videos
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that some home videos show people
getting hurt. Many of the clips are practical jokes that are
degrading and some cross the line when it comes to the ethical
treatment of animals. Videos also poke fun at normal kid
behavior.
Families can talk about when a joke is funny and when it
becomes inapporpriate, unethical, or causes humilation. Do we
need to make fun of people to be funny?
For 15 years, the producers of AMERICA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS have been searching for hilarious videos made by everyday people. Viewers tune in to see home improvement projects turned into slapstick comedy, men doing flips onto and breaking pool tables, the dresses of women flapping in the breeze to reveal their scanty underwear, and every possible way a man can get hit in the groin. It's taped with a studio audience that is frequently shown in the throes of belly laughs, and who then vote on that episode's funniest video. Emmy Award-winning host Tom Bergeron gives annoying one-liners as he introduces the genre of videos coming up, such as pets, home repairs, holiday antics, challenges at the altar, etc.
Adolescents will no doubt find many of these videos to be humorous, but do you want your kid watching a blindfolded groom tricked into inappropriately touching a grandmotherly guest at his wedding or an overweight woman stuck in a pit with no one helping her to get out? Often the humor is at the expense of children and their innocent, developmentally normal behavior that has yet to be tainted by self-consciousness. This show teaches kids to laugh at others instead of finding their own creative ways to be funny.
Bottom line: Some families may find the show funny, and some won't -- you may want to tune in before you share with your kids.
Dancing with the Stars
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
