Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2006 > September > 23 > Entry
This has to be a tall tale
(Larry the Cucumber and Bob the Tomato)
I like Veggie Tales. It’s a clever cartoon in which silly animated vegetables act out Bible stories. These videos are religious programming, for sure. The show’s religious message is prominent, if not especially in-your-face, as the stories all are moral lessons from a Christian perspective.
The story Saturday’s New York Times that NBC has bought the rights to broadcast Veggie Tales left me puzzled. The deal specifies that all references to God and the Bible be edited out before the show is broadcast on the network.
To which I can only say — huh?
A few questions you might have:
—Why would NBC want Veggie Tales at all if they find its religious nature offensive?
The stories retold in the Veggie Tales videos are BIBLE stories. Doesn’t the idea of telling Bible stories without mentioning God or the Bible seem a bizarre?
NBC says the show has “universally accepted religious values” but that its company standards prohibit the promotion of “any particular religion or a particular denomination.” Editing out references to God and the Bible, the network says, allows the show to meet their standards for broadcast.
—Why would the makers of Veggie Tales agree to such a deal?
One of the creators of the show told the Times he was shocked by the cuts that were required and never anticipated how extensive the editing would be. But he has not quit the effort as a “favor” to the media company that owns the show. That company said getting an edited version on the air is, in its view, better than nothing at all.
Veggie Tales is plenty popular and well known without NBC. I’m surprised the show didn’t try to find a different network or stick with the wildly successful video market.
What do you think? Would the unedited Veggie Tales really spark protests against NBC? Is an edited version of the show a good compromise?
UPDATE: I actually watched Veggie Tales on NBC Sunday morning and found the word “God” was not blepped or removed. The only noticeable difference was that the network appeared to cut the wrap up “moral lesson” at the end in which the characters generally talk about what happened and discuss what God and the Bible say about it. I wonder if the Times was in error when it said nearly all references to God would be edited out, or if the network made changes after the Times story appeared?
(Image credit: www.oklahoma.net)
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Schools and Politics
Comments
By Mary
September 25, 2006 7:31 AM | Link to this
Even great capitalists see a problem when greed consumes the market and morality issues suffer. However, I thought it interesting what former Senator Danforth had to say on “Meet the Press” yesterday about the role of religion in politics in our country. He is normally associated with the devout, but sees danger signs of the Republican party being held hostage by religious fanaticism. I forget the name of his new book he was pushing (capitalism), but I agree with him. I would be offended if a certain religion, not values in general, was pushed in a network cartoon.By Oldprof
September 25, 2006 12:37 AM | Link to this
Is this now the religion blog? OK, one principle to embrace: if someone is generating millions from marketing a product, it’s capitalism, NOT religion. Some mass media artists are honest about it (Rice & Webber, Hirson & Schwartz) or if they maintain a veneer of religiosity (LaHaye, Chopra). The Veggie Tales people evidently have decided that their primary goal is money—just like Dayton Daily News’ main goal is money—and I see no great harm in that attitude.