Informationsmarktverzerrung durch Fundamentalismus am Beispiel der USA

Kapitel 5: Information und Zensur

2. "Weh dem Menschen, durch welchen Ärgernis kommt!" (Mt 18, 7)

von Margarete Payer

mailto: payer@payer.de

Zitierweise / cite as:

Payer, Margarete <1942 - >: Informationsmarktverzerrung durch Fundamentalismus am Beispiel der USA. -- Kapitel 5: Information und Zensur. -- 2. "Weh dem Menschen, durch welchen Ärgernis kommt!" (Mt 18, 7). -- Fassung vom 2005-04-12. -- URL: http://www.payer.de/fundamentalismus/fundamentalismus052.htm

Erstmals publiziert: 2005-03-23

Überarbeitungen: 2005-04-12 [Ergänzungen]; 2005-04-07 [Ergänzungen]; 2005-04-01 [Ergänzungen]

Anlass: Lehrveranstaltung an der Hochschule der Medien Stuttgart, Sommersemester 2005

Copyright: Dieser Text steht der Allgemeinheit zur Verfügung. Eine Verwertung in Publikationen, die über übliche Zitate hinausgeht, bedarf der ausdrücklichen Genehmigung des Verfassers.

Diese Inhalt ist unter einer Creative Commons-Lizenz lizenziert.

Dieser Text ist Teil der Abteilung  Länder und Kulturen von Tüpfli's Global Village Library

0. Übersicht

• 1. Statt eines Motto
• 2. Matthäusevangelium 18 — Zensur ist humaner als ein Mühlstein
• 3. Was ist Ärgernis für die Geringsten, die an Jesus glauben?
• 4. Angriffe auf Büchereien
  • 4.1. Die fundamentalistische Alternative: Lügenmärchen
• 5. Anti-Ärgernis-Organisationen
  • 5.1. New England Watch and Ward Society, 1878 - 1967
  • 5.2. World's Christian Fundamentals Association
  • 5.3. Educational Research Analysts — Mel und Norma Gabler
  • 5.4. American Decency Association (ADA)
  • 5.5. Donald Wildmon, Gründer der American Family Association

1. Statt eines Motto

Abb.: Obszön: Die Zurschaustellung nackter weiblicher Brustwarzen gilt in Amerika als Ärgernis für die "unschuldigen" Kleinen: Niklaus Manuel Deutsch (1484 - 1530): Lukretia, Brustbild

2. Matthäusevangelium 18 — Zensur ist humaner als ein Mühlstein

Schon immer dienten folgende Worte des Herrn Jesus als Rechtfertigung für Zensur. Schließlich ist Zensur ja sogar humaner als die "bösen" Verführer der ach so unschuldigen Kleinen mit einem Mühlstein am Hals zu ersäufen! So ist es nicht verwunderlich, dass sich Fundamentalisten und andere Christen zu Hütern der öffentlichen Moral berufen fühlen.

Matthäus 18 1Zu derselben Stunde traten die Jünger zu Jesu und sprachen: Wer ist doch der Größte im Himmelreich? 2Jesus rief ein Kind zu sich und stellte das mitten unter sie 3und sprach: Wahrlich ich sage euch: Es sei denn, dass ihr umkehret und werdet wie die Kinder, so werdet ihr nicht ins Himmelreich kommen. 4Wer nun sich selbst erniedrigt wie dies Kind, der ist der Größte im Himmelreich. 5Und wer ein solches Kind aufnimmt in meinem Namen, der nimmt mich auf. Abb.: Mühlstein, zugegeben nicht aus der Zeit Jesu [Bildquelle: http://www.wien.gv.at/hernals/content/sehens.htm. -- Zugriff am 2005-03-21] 6Wer aber ärgert dieser Geringsten einen, die an mich glauben, dem wäre es besser, dass ein Mühlstein an seinen Hals gehängt und er ersäuft werde im Meer, da es am tiefsten ist. Abb. : "Wer aber ärgert dieser Geringsten einen, die an mich glauben ... " (©IMSI) 7Weh der Welt der Ärgernisse halben! Es muss ja Ärgernis kommen; doch weh dem Menschen, durch welchen Ärgernis kommt! 8So aber deine Hand oder dein Fuß dich ärgert, so haue ihn ab und wirf ihn von dir. Es ist besser, dass du zum Leben lahm oder als Krüppel eingehst, denn dass du zwei Hände oder zwei Füße hast und wirst in das höllische Feuer geworfen. 9Und so dich dein Auge ärgert, reiß es aus und wirf's von dir. Es ist dir besser, dass du einäugig zum Leben eingehest, denn dass du zwei Augen habest und wirst in das höllische Feuer geworfen. 10Sehet zu, dass ihr nicht jemand von diesen Kleinen verachtet. Denn ich sage euch: Ihre Engel im Himmel sehen allezeit in das Angesicht meines Vaters im Himmel. 11Denn des Menschen Sohn ist gekommen, selig zu machen, das verloren ist. [Luther-Bibel 1912]

Deswegen fühlt man sich auch verpflichtet, vor allem dahin zu wirken, dass die Schulen frei von Ärgernis für die kleinen Gläubigen sind. Das bedeutet in der Praxis:

• Besetzung der School Boards, die durch Wahl besetzt werden, mit den rechten Leuten
• Kontrolle und Selektion der Lehrkräfte
• Zensur der Schulbücher
• Zensur der Schulbüchereien

Selbstverständlich hat man auch ein waches Auge auf das Fernsehen. Man achtet genau darauf, wer z.B. in Sendungen, die Homosexualität "propagieren" Reklame schaltet. Die Bewertung der American Family Association z.B. geht nach folgenden Gesichtspunkten:

"AFA TV CODES AC - Anti-Christian H - Promotes homosexual agenda P - Profanity; the number following the "p" is the number of times profanity is used in the program. PC- Politically correct in dealing with an issue identified in the review S - Objectionable sexual content (may include partial nudity) SA - Substance abuse (drugs or alcohol) V - Violence + - Positive theme with no objectionable elements (A good story told with profane language earns no commendation.) TV - TV network ratings are indicated in black " Tricon Global tops sleazy advertisers Tricon Global restaurants win this month's dirty advertiser crown hands down. Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and/or KFC showed up on the majority of the sleaziest shows AFA reviewed. Ally McBeal P3 S TV14-DS Fox, 5/29--In this repeat of last season's opener, series star Ally has anonymous sex with a carwash attendant while her car goes through the automatic carwash. The sex scene is played back in numerous flashbacks throughout the hour. Advertiser: General Motors ER H P7 S TVPG NBC, 6/8--A major story line focuses on Curt and Michael, a homosexual couple. The doctor suspects Curt is abusing Michael, but in the concluding scene, Michael "accidentally" backs their car over Curt in the hospital parking lot. Advertisers: General Motors, Tricon Global Law & Order: Special Victims Unit H P3 PC TV14 NBC, 5/12--A piano teacher is convicted of sexual abuse of his students over a 20-year period. One of his victims, now 21, wonders if he's homosexual. Det. Stabler reassures him, "Maybe you don't know yet. It's not something you choose." Advertiser: General Motors NYPD Blue H P6 S TV14-DLS ABC, 5/9--Partial nudity occurs when Det. Jones accepts a reporter's offer for casual sex as a thank you for the detective's giving her inside information. Nicole, the reporter, tells Jones, "Somebody does me a favor, I'm not comfortable unless I go to bed with them." Advertisers: General Motors, Tricon Global Third Watch H P17 PC V S TV14 NBC, 6/26--In the teaser, a cop shoots down a man who has fired at cops, then lets the man bleed to death in the street. The main story line has cops tracking down a man who is shooting homosexuals. When a black cop expresses resentment that homosexuals try to equate their lifestyle to being black, his Hispanic partner says homosexuals can't help it ? "It's what they are!" Advertisers: General Motors, Tricon Global Dharma & Greg AC P2 S TVPG-D ABC, 5/30--Dharma thinks it is "so sad" that Doris, an elderly lady in their apartment building, died a virgin. However, Dharma is happy to discover that Doris' spirit possessed Dharma's own body and had sex with Greg, Dharma's husband. There are numerous vulgar comments about sex. At the funeral, Dharma ridicules the words of the minister and the Bible. Advertisers: Disney, Tricon Global Family Guy H P24 S SA V TV14-DSLV Fox, 5/30--There are several quips about Brian the dog's alcohol abuse. Sex jokes focus on porn magazines and videos, incest and virginity. Stewie, the family's two-year-old, has a homosexual teddy bear. Twelve of the 24 profanities come from this "cute" toddler. When Brian and Stewie miss their flight at the airport, they steal a car to drive home. Advertiser: Tricon Global Just Shoot Me P11 S TVPG NBC, 6/22--Nina has begun going to Sex-Aholics meetings because her boyfriend is a therapist. Naturally, they have been having "constant sex," Nina says. There are jokes about oral sex, genitals, sexual positions and group sex. Advertisers: Disney, Tricon Global M.Y.O.B. H P2 S TVPG NBC, 6/6--This debut episode introduces Riley, a 16-year-old looking for her birth mother. Riley goes to a motel with a man, because she needs a good meal; her pick-up turns out to be the superintendent of schools in the town where she thinks she'll find Mom. Instead, she finds and moves in with Aunt Opal, the high school principal. She tells Aunt Opal that a friend (whom she paid with sex) helped her find her family. Advertisers: Disney, Tricon Global " [Quelle: http://www.afajournal.org/cover/tv_&_entertainment_1.asp. -- Zugriff am 2005-04-01]

Nebenher bemerkt:

"Samstag 19. März 2005, 17:27 Uhr Argentinien will von Papst entsandten Militärbischof absetzen Rom (AP) Zwischen Argentinien und dem Vatikan bahnt sich ein Eklat um einen vom Papst entsandten Militärbischof an. Nachdem Monsignore Antonio Baseotto Gesundheitsminister Gines Gonzales aufgefordert hatte, sich wegen seiner liberalen Haltung zu Abtreibung und Verhütung im Meer zu ertränken, kündigte die Regierung in Buenos Aires am Freitag an, sie werde den Bischof von seiner Aufgabe entbinden. Der Heilige Stuhl reagierte darauf am Samstag empört. Papst-Sprecher Joaquin Navarro-Valls sagte, wenn Bischof Baseotto an der Ausübung seiner Tätigkeit gehindert werden sollte, würde dies gegen die Religionsfreiheit und gegen Abkommen zwischen Vatikan und Argentinien verstoßen. Der Streit begann vor mehreren Monaten, als Gesundheitsminister Gonzales Abtreibungen verteidigte und eine Kampagne unterstützte, die Jugendliche zur Verwendung von Verhütungsmitteln aufrief. Gonzales setzte sich dafür ein, kostenlos Kondome zu verteilen. Bischof Baseotto sagte daraufhin, wer Kinder zu Schandtaten animiere, solle sich einen Mühlstein um den Hals hängen und ins Meer springen. Seine Worte sorgten in Argentinien auch deswegen für Empörung, weil das frühere Militärregime oft Gegner von Hubschraubern aus ins Meer werfen lies." [Quelle: http://de.news.yahoo.com/050319/12/4gpdi.html. -- Zuriff am 2005-03-22]

3. Was ist Ärgernis für die Geringsten, die an Jesus glauben?

Abb.: Fundamentalistisches Video "The religion of secular humanism — clergy in the classroom" [mit clergy sind die säkularistischen Lehrer an öffentlichen Schulen gemeint]

(Tot)schlagworte der Ärgernisnehmer sind heute — neben den in Abschnitt 1 dieses Kapitels genannten — :

• Secular Humanism
• New Age

The Assemblies of God bringen ihr Verständnis und ihre Bedenken auf den Punkt:

"This A/G Perspective reflects commonly held beliefs based on scripture which have been endorsed by the church's Commission on Doctrinal Purity and the Executive Presbytery. Secular Humanism & New Age What does the Bible say about the beliefs of secular humanism and the New Age movement? Secular humanism is a subtle yet extremely injurious cancer eating away at the moral health of society. It is subtle in that it exalts human beings as capable of solving any problem and charting humankind’s destiny. On the surface the philosophy sounds good as a means of building one’s self esteem. But the exaltation of human abilities means the elimination of a Creator who is higher and sets standards for human behavior. This cancer eats away at the principles of Christianity, traditional public education, and general morality. It provides the foundation for a variety of popular anti-biblical philosophies. At the center of this fatal evolutionary belief is the teaching that there is no God or personal Creator (atheism), and that humans are the apex of all reality. Its subtly appeals to many by saying that all humans are innately good (ignoring the Fall of the human race) and have unlimited potential to evolve into perfect creatures. Humanism teaches total self-sufficiency, completely denying any need for Deity. The New Age movement has kindred elements with secular humanism. The movement maintains that humankind stands at the threshold of a "new age" toward which individuals now must evolve mentally and spiritually. New Age evangelists proclaim that the good within all people is actually the dormant god existing in each person. The New Age goal is to awaken the god who sleeps deep within each human. In order to realize this false spiritual state, a new consciousness is needed to usher in a worldwide transformation of individuals and society, as people come to realize that they themselves are gods and therefore divine. Interestingly, what is called "new" in the western world has influences from ancient eastern philosophy. Another falsehood of New Age is the monistic belief, taken from the Hindu religion, that all matter, including human beings, are of the same origin. Thus "all is one." This pantheistic belief maintains that "all is god." New Agers also believe that through enlightenment and gaining a higher consciousness of one’s inner deity, one is able to save both himself and the world from destruction. New Agers have also borrowed from the Hindu concept of reincarnation. By being born again over and over in cyclic births, New Age followers believe they are able to purge themselves of sin and bad karma. They also believe that since they share a divine oneness with all things, they can create whatever is visualized through the power of the mind. An announced purpose of the New Age Movement is prevention of the extinction of the human race, expected to occur either by nuclear holocaust or through depletion of the world’s natural resources. Thus protecting the environment is a top priority for the New Age movement. New Agers support the establishment of a New World Order that will police the globe and bring the East and West together in harmony. Sadly, New Age thinking has permeated nearly every aspect of modern life. Large corporations send their decision-making managers to seminars on mind enhancement. Therapists employ techniques based on inner reflection and exploration of consciousness. Marketing experts emphasize human potential for its motivation power. Entertainers turn inward to discover an inner power that will catapult them to popularity. What was once an insignificant subculture of devotees has now moved into the mainstream of American life. The church must resist every expression of this perversion of the truth. Scripture exposes the deception of this subtle dishonesty. "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one" (Rom. 3:10-12). Unlike New Age, the Bible declares that truth is found, not by looking inward to self, but by looking upward, not by looking to men, but by looking to God (Jer. 17:5,9). Paul’s rhetorical question says it best: "Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?" (1 Cor. 1:20). Indeed, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). On the basis of God’s inspired Word, the Assemblies of God rejects the lies of secular humanism and New Age heresy as contrary to the Truth. CONCERNS: The church today must be vigilant, always alert to the godless philosophies that are seeking to creep into control everywhere around us. Sweet sounding statements spoken by secular humanists and New Agers can lull unsuspecting Christians into allowing a takeover of public schools, colleges, universities, political structures, and the whole fabric of society. But the total philosophy behind the innocent sounding ideas of individual rights and freedoms must be understood. We are not called to make everyone believe just the way we believe, but God expects us to stand for truth and resist Satan’s efforts to seduce and draw unsuspecting innocents away from God’s plan for every human being. It is good to protect the environment, but voting for a New Ager because he calls on us to protect the environment could be catastrophic. It is good to encourage personal creativity and initiative, but to vote for a secular humanist who doesn’t believe there is a God to which human creativity and initiative are responsible could bring disaster. Informed, praying Christians can make their mark on society. The above statement is based upon our common understanding of scriptural teaching. All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV) unless otherwise specified." [Quelle: http://www.ag.org/top/beliefs/christian_character/charctr_17_new_age.cfm. -- Zugriff am 2005-03-14]

Secular humanism ist aber nicht nur für Jesusgläubige ein Ärgernis, sondern auch für manche Juden.  So nennt Rabbi Daniel Lapin, Gründer von "Toward Tradition" [Webpräsenz: http://www.towardtradition.org/. -- Zugriff am 2005-03-14],  die negativen Kräfte in der Gesellschaft "secular fundamentalism" und "anti-religion bigotry", gegen die "America's real war" zu kämpfen sei (a.a.O.).

4. Angriffe auf Büchereien

"School and library campaigns are ideally suited to the Christian Right's grassroots style of organizing. There is enough work to keep anyone who wants to run their own organization occupied. Karen Jo Gounaud was an ordinary housewife living in Springfield, Virginia. In 1993, she began complaining to her local library because it served as a distribution site for a free gay newspaper, the Washington Blade. Gounaud was appalled that children could easily pick up copies of the Blade. She attended a Christian Coalition organizing seminar and began talking about the library at her church. She joined a group of several hundred Fairfax County activists who mailed out thousands of leaflets to local residents. They eventually pressured the county board of supervisors to vote to restrict free distribution of the Blade.50 Next, in 1994, Gounaud pressured the library board to remove from shelves a history book on the gay and lesbian movement. She then persuaded library officials to order more than one hundred copies of books with antigay themes.51 For her efforts, Gounaud became well known in Christian Right circles, and was a frequent guest on Christian radio stations. In 1995, Gounaud joined forces with Ohio antigay activist Phil Burress. They gathered fifty people from eleven states for a meeting in Cincinnati to start a new organization called Family Friendly Libraries (FFL) [Webpräsenz: http://www.fflibraries.org/. -- Zugriff am 2005-04-07] . Their goal is to challenge the fifty-seven-thousand-member American Library Association (ALA), which frequently intervenes when libraries are targeted by censorship groups. In a Focus on the Family Citizen article that praised Gounaud and her project, she said the goal of FFL is to "empower people at the local level... to determine what is done with their tax money and how their children are influenced by the materials that [libraries] purchase." Specifically, Gounaud recommends electing local Christian activists to library boards; getting libraries to sever their ties with the ALA; and reversing library policies that prevent parents from knowing what books their children check out. Fighting the availability of progay literature continues to be a central focus for Karen Jo Gounaud. In one paranoid-sounding summary of her group's efforts against the ALA, Gounaud claimed that progay activists are "using libraries to target child and teenage readers with new books that celebrate homosexuality while belitttling or erasing images of traditional marriage and of a committed mother and father as a standard for families." Now, several years after she founded FFL, Gounaud says that her group is small and her achievements modest, and she claims that she spends most of her time mailing information to people about "sexually inappropriate material" in schools and libraries. In one of her occasional newsletters, Gounaud discusses FFL's drive to ensure that libraries offering Internet access prevent minors from viewing pornography on-line. Under the rubric of protecting children, Gounaud next plans to lobby state legislatures for laws giving parents access to their children's public library borrowing records. Thus far, FFL has won such parental access in Michigan and in one Maryland county. In Gounaud's world, children, including teenagers, do not have a right to privacy. For Gounaud and others in the Christian Right, libraries, like public schools, are tangible symbols of "immorality" backed by taxpayer money—and therefore amenable to public pressure. Libraries are close to home. They belong to neighborhoods, and it seems that they should reflect the values of local residents. But Gounaud and others like her have their work cut out for them, as libraries are also widely seen by the public as First Amendment safe havens. They ought to be above the fray of any group's narrow agenda. This makes libraries difficult but perpetually challenging targets for the would-be arbiters of public morality." [Diamond, Sara: Not by politics alone : the enduring influence of the Christian Right. -- New York : Guilford Press, ©1998.  -- xiv, 280 S. ; 23 cm.  -- ISBN 1572303859. -- S. 188f. -- {Wenn Sie HIER klicken, können Sie dieses Buch bei amazon.de bestellen}]

Die American Library Association bringt jährlich eine Liste der am häufigsten angegriffenen Bücher. Die Angriffe kommen keineswegs immer nur von christlichen Fundamentalisten, sondern z.B. auch von Seiten der Political-Correctness-Verfechter (Feministinnen, Antirassissten, Anti-Eurozentrikern usw.).

"The Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2004 The following books were the most frequently challenged in 2004: The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom received a total of 547 challenges last year.  A challenge is defined as a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness.  According to Judith F. Krug, director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom, the number of challenges reflects only incidents reported, and for each reported, four or five remain unreported.   "With several news reports just in the past week of books like "Bless Me, Ultima," by Rudolfo Anaya being removed from schools, we must remain vigilant," said ALA President Carol Brey-Casiano.   "Not every book is right for every person, but providing a wide range of reading choices is vital for learning, exploration and imagination. The abilities to read, speak, think and express ourselves freely are core American values."   Anaya's award-winning book was banned from the curriculum in Norwood High School, Colo., for offensive language. Young adult novelist Chris Crutcher's books also have come under fire in Kansas, Alabama and Michigan this year. Three of the 10 books on the "Ten Most Challenged Books of 2004" were cited for homosexual themes - which is the highest number in a decade. Sexual content and offensive language remain the most frequent reasons for seeking removal of books from schools and public libraries.  The books, in order of most frequently challenged, are: "The Chocolate War" for sexual content, offensive language, religious viewpoint, being unsuited to age group and violence Abb.: Einbandtitel {Wenn Sie HIER klicken, können Sie dieses Buch bei amazon.de bestellen}   "Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers, for racism, offensive language and violence Abb.: Einbandtitel {Wenn Sie HIER klicken, können Sie dieses Buch bei amazon.de bestellen}   "Arming America: The Origins of a National Gun Culture" by Michael A. Bellesiles, for inaccuracy and political viewpoint Abb.: Einbandtitel {Wenn Sie HIER klicken, können Sie dieses Buch bei amazon.de bestellen}   Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey, for offensive language and modeling bad behavior Abb.: Einbandtitel eines Buches aus dieser Serie {Wenn Sie HIER klicken, können Sie dieses Buch bei amazon.de bestellen}   "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky, for homosexuality, sexual content and offensive language Abb.: Einbandtitel {Wenn Sie HIER klicken, können Sie dieses Buch bei amazon.de bestellen}   "What My Mother Doesn't Know" by Sonya Sones, for sexual content and offensive language Abb.: Einbandtitel {Wenn Sie HIER klicken, können Sie dieses Buch bei amazon.de bestellen}   "In the Night Kitchen" by Maurice Sendak, for nudity and offensive language Abb.: Einbandtitel {Wenn Sie HIER klicken, können Sie dieses Buch bei amazon.de bestellen}   "King & King" by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland, for homosexuality Abb.: Einbandtitel {Wenn Sie HIER klicken, können Sie dieses Buch bei amazon.de bestellen}   "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou, for racism, homosexuality, sexual content, offensive language and unsuited to age group Abb.: Einbandtitel {Wenn Sie HIER klicken, können Sie dieses Buch bei amazon.de bestellen}   "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck, for racism, offensive language and violence Abb.: Einbandtitel der Reclam-Ausgabe {Wenn Sie HIER klicken, können Sie dieses Buch bei amazon.de bestellen} Off the list this year, but on the list for several years past, are the Alice series of books by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Abb.: Einbandtitel eines Buches aus dieser Serie {Wenn Sie HIER klicken, können Sie dieses Buch bei amazon.de bestellen}  "Go Ask Alice" by Anonymous, Abb.: Einbandtitel {Wenn Sie HIER klicken, können Sie dieses Buch bei amazon.de bestellen}   "It's Perfectly Normal" by Robie Harris and Abb.: Einbandtitel {Wenn Sie HIER klicken, können Sie dieses Buch bei amazon.de bestellen}   "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain. Abb.: Eine der unzähligen Ausgaben dieses Klassikers der Weltliteratur   Background Information: 1990–2000 1990–2000 Between 1990 and 2000, of the 6,364 challenges reported to or recorded by the Office for Intellectual Freedom (see The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books: http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bbwlinks/100mostfrequently.htm. -- Zugriff am 2005-03-15 ): 1,607 were challenges to “sexually explicit” material (up 161 since 1999); 1,427 to material considered to use “offensive language”; (up 165 since 1999) 1,256 to material considered “unsuited to age group”; (up 89 since 1999) 842 to material with an “occult theme or promoting the occult or Satanism,”; (up 69 since 1999) 737 to material considered to be “violent”; (up 107 since 1999) 515 to material with a homosexual theme or “promoting homosexuality,” (up 18 since 1999)and 419 to material “promoting a religious viewpoint.” (up 22 since 1999) Other reasons for challenges included “nudity” (317 challenges, up 20 since 1999), “racism” (267 challenges, up 22 since 1999), “sex education” (224 challenges, up 7 since 1999), and “anti-family” (202 challenges, up 9 since 1999). Please note that the number of challenges and the number of reasons for those challenges do not match, because works are often challenged on more than one ground. Seventy-one percent of the challenges were to material in schools or school libraries. Another twenty-four percent were to material in public libraries (down two percent since 1999). Sixty percent of the challenges were brought by parents, fifteen percent by patrons, and nine percent by administrators, both down one percent since 1999). The Most Frequently Challenged Authors of 2004 2004 Most Challenged Authors Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, author of the Alice series Robert Cormier, author of The Chocolate War and We All Fall Down Judy Blume, author of Blubber, Forever, and Deenie Toni Morrison, author of The Bluest Eye, Beloved and Song of Solomon Chris Lynch, author of Extreme Elvin and Iceman Barbara Park, author of the Junie P. Jones series Gary Paulsen, author of Nightjohn and The Beet Fields: Memories of a Sixteenth Summer Dav Pilkey, author of The Captain Underpants series Maurice Sendak, author of In the Night Kitchen Sonya Sones, author of What My Mother Doesn’t Know The most frequently challenged authors in 2003 were Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, J. K. Rowling, Robert Cormier, Judy Blume, Katherine Paterson, John Steinbeck, Walter Dean Myers, Robie Harris, Stephen King, and Louise Rennison. Abb.: 2003 am häufigsten angegriffen: J. K. Rowling wegen der Harry Potter Bücher The most frequently challenged authors in 2002 were J.K. Rowling, Judy Blume, Robert Cormier, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Stephen King, Lois Duncan, S.E. Hinton, Alvin Schwartz, Maya Angelou, Roald Dahl, and Toni Morrison. The most frequently challenged authors in 2001 were J. K. Rowling, Robert Cormier, John Steinbeck, Judy Blume, Maya Angelou, Robie Harris, Gary Paulsen, Walter Dean Myers, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, and Bette Greene. The most frequently challenged authors in 2000 were J.K. Rowling, Robert Cormier, Lois Duncan, Piers Anthony, Walter Dean Myers, Phylis Reynolds Naylor, John Steinbeck, Maya Angelou, Christopher Pike, Caroline Cooney, Alvin Schwartz, Lois Lowry, Harry Allard, Paul Zindel, and Judy Blume. Please note that the most frequently challenged authors may not appear in the list of most frequently challenged books. For example, if every one of Judy Blume’s books was challenged–but only once–not one of her books would make the top 10 list, but she herself would make the most challenged author list. Five of Judy Blume’s books are on the list of The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books: Forever (8), Blubber (32), Deenie (46), Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret (62), and Tiger Eyes (78). Top Ten Challenged Authors 1990 to Present Alvin Schwartz Robert Cormier Judy Blume J.K. Rowling Micheal Willhoite Katherine Paterson Stephen King Maya Angelou R.L. Stine Phyllis Reynolds Naylor [Quelle: http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/challengedbanned/challengedbanned.htm#mfcb. -- Zugriff am 2005-03-15]

Auch Bücherverbrennungen kommen vor:

Abb.: Satirisches Plakat zur Bücherverbrennung
[Bildquelle: http://evans-experientialism.freewebspace.com/cartooncontents.htm. -- Zugriff am 2005-03-15] 

"Harry Potter Books Burn as Library Showcases Rowling Titles A display of Harry Potter books at the Alamogordo (N. Mex.) Public Library was a marked contrast to a December 30 book burning of works written by J. K. Rowling and others that took place outside the city’s Christ Community Church. Held on church property after a half-hour prayer service, the event drew several hundred congregants and as many as 800 counterprotesters. After Pastor Jack Brock sermonized about fire as a cleansing instrument, some worshippers placed into the bonfire personal copies of the Potter series as well as such items as J. R. R. Tolkien novels, issues of Cosmopolitan and Young Miss magazines, AC/DC recordings, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, and ouija boards. Brock, who organized the demonstration, characterized the Potter series as “a masterpiece of satanic deception.” People also reacted with “generous cash donations” to the city library, Director Jim Preston told American Libraries. “With this money we are purchasing additional copies of Harry Potter, Tolkien, and Shakespeare.” The library has extended the Harry Potter display, which was originally mounted in conjunction with the Sorcerer’s Stone November 2001 movie premiere, to reassure children who’ve worried aloud that “Harry Potter may not be safe at the library,” Preston added. Posted January 7, 2002." [Quelle: http://www.ala.org/al_onlineTemplate.cfm?Section=january2002&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=7634. -- Zugriff am 2005-03-15]

4.1. Die fundamentalistische Alternative: Lügenmärchen

Welcher Art die Literatur ist, die man in Schulen möchte, zeigen folgende Zitate aus fundamentalistischen Lehrbüchern für den Geschichtsunterricht:

"Before the Europeans began exploring America, each Indian tribe took care of all its own needs. They had not yet learned to trade with other tribes and because of this, they were often very poor. The Indians were isolated from the gospel and had never seen the Scriptures. Each tribe made its own religion. Some worshiped idols. Some worshiped the sun and moon. When the white men began to explore and settle America, the Indians' way of life slowly changed. They began to trade furs and food for strong iron pots and shiny copper kettles. .. . As the white men built more homes and killed more game animals, there was less meat for the Indians to eat. Indians were forced to farm more by planting crops to grow food. This improved their way of life. . . . The biggest change of all came when the Indians heard about the one true God. The Indians had been locked into a system of false religion. They had no Bible to read, and they often offered prayers and sacrifices to the "god of the sky," the "god of the forest," the "god of the river," and many other false gods." The history of our United States "Because the world wanted these two crops, the Southern planters happily grew them. The Southern planters bought more land as their crops sold more. The purpose of buying more land was to plant more cotton and tobacco. But who could take care of such large fields? The Southern planter could never hire enough people to get his work done, and so he turned to buying slaves. Slaves easily learned how to pick cotton and tobacco. The Southern weather was warm and the slaves stayed healthy. There was no need of factories in the South, for cotton and tobacco made the South rich." The history of our United States "Indians have a long heritage that goes all the way back to our first parents, Adam and Eve. Like all people everywhere, the Indians were made in the image of God and after Adam's fall inherited fallen human natures. All are in need of Christ as their Savior. The best friends of the Indians have been missionaries, including Christian Indians who have taken the gospel message to their own people. . . . Rather than worshiping the God who made the mountains, plains, valleys, rivers, oceans, people, animals, and all else, the Indians worshiped imaginary spirits that they said lived in the mountains, the trees, the water, the animals, and the plants around them. This false spirit worship caused the Indians to live in fear of nature rather than to conquer nature, as God told man to do (see Gen. 1:29). Their false religion kept them from working together to build up the wonderful land in which they lived." New world history and geography in Christian perspective

[Alle Zitate in: Diamond, Sara: Not by politics alone : the enduring influence of the Christian Right. -- New York : Guilford Press, ©1998.  -- xiv, 280 S. ; 23 cm.  -- ISBN 1572303859. -- S. 177f. -- {Wenn Sie HIER klicken, können Sie dieses Buch bei amazon.de bestellen}]

Wie heißt es im Johannesevangelium (8, 32): "und die Wahrheit wird euch frei machen."

5. Anti-Ärgernis-Organisationen

Selbstverständlich erhebt die Auswahl der Organisationen keinen Anspruch auf Vollständigkeit. Die behandelten Organisationen sind wegen ihrer überragenden Bedeutung oder als typische Beispiele gewählt.

5.1. New England Watch and Ward Society, 1878 - 1967

Die (New England) Watch and Ward Society wurde im Mai 1878 in Boston von wohlhabenden Protestanten gegründet, die die Überschwemmung New Yorks durch die Unterwelt Bostons mit Pornographie bekämpfen wollten. Vorbild war die New Yorker Society for the Suppression of Vice, die Anthony Comstock im gleichen Jahr gegründet hatte. Die Watch und Ward Society verbündete sich mit der Boston Booksellers Company, um belletristische Neuerscheinungen zu lesen, zu bewerten und die Wertung auf die Bücher zu stempeln. "Unbedenkliche" Bücher bekamen den Stempel clean. Buchhändler, die als dirty oder sinful bewertete Bücher verkauften, wurden nach dem Massachusetts Obscenity Statute strafrechtlich verfolgt. Später bildete man eine wirksame Allianz mit den irischstämmigen Katholiken Bostons. Bis 1928 hatte man schon über 100 Bücher gebannt. "Banned in Boston" wurde zum verkaufsfördernden Argument, sodass viele Verleger darauf erpicht waren, dass ihre Verlagsprodukte von dieser Muckergesellschaft gebannt wurden.

Die Gesellschaft wirkte bis 1967, seit 1950 unter dem Namen New England Citizens Crime Commission. Der letzte Direktor dieser Sittenwächter starb am 3. Januar 2005 im Alter von 98 Jahren.

5.2. World's Christian Fundamentals Association

Die 1919 gegründete World's Christian Fundamentals Association führte einen erbitterten Kampf, um Amerikas Schulen von liberalen und säkularistischen Gedanken zu befreien.

5.3. Educational Research Analysts — Mel und Norma Gabler

Webpräsenz: http://www.textbookreviews.org/. -- Zugriff am 2005-03-14

Mel Gabler (1915 - 2004) und seine Frau Norma Gabler waren jahrzehntelang die wichtigste fundamentalistische Zensurbehörde für Schulbücher.

"We are a conservative Christian organization that reviews public school textbooks submitted for adoption in Texas. Our reviews have national relevance because Texas state-adopts textbooks and buys so many that publishers write them to Texas standards and sell them across the country. Our unique 45 years' experience gives us expertise equal to or beyond that of the education establishment itself in all phases of the public school textbook adoption process, and in that our standard review criteria spell out what public school textbooks often censor on certain topics. Publishers market textbooks -- and many teachers select them -- based on convenience of their teaching aids. Unlike them, we review textbooks for academic content only. Parents, teachers, and school board members can all profitably use our materials. Subject areas of concern include: Scientific flaws in arguments for evolution Phonics-based reading instruction Principles and benefits of free enterprise Original intent of the U.S. Constitution Respect for Judeo-Christian morals Emphasis on abstinence in sex education Politically-correct degradation of academics [Quelle: http://www.textbookreviews.org/. -- Zugriff am 2005-03-14]

 Am 7. Mai 1999 beschäftigte sich das State Board of Education des Staates Texas mit einer Motion, in der gfordert wird, Mel und Norma Gabler wegen ihres 38 Jahre dauernden Einsatzes für die Beurteilung von Schulbüchern in Texas zu ehren. Das offizielle Protokoll des State Board berichtet übdr die Diskussion:

"Mel and Norma Gabler Mr. Bradley read the resolution recognizing Mel and Norma Gabler’s service relating to the textbook review and adoption process. MOTION:  It was moved by Mr. Bradley and seconded by Dr. Neill that the board adopt the resolution honoring and commending Mel and Norma Gabler, of Longview, Texas, for 38 years of sacrificial service, both in textbook review and in the textbook adoption process in Texas, the United States, and the world; and for their unwavering faithfulness to a cause which ultimately benefits all the children we strive to educate. Mrs. Berlanga cited numerous specific instances whereby the Gablers, throughout the years, failed to recognize cultural and/or historical events or give due credit to the different cultures for their contributions in history and pointed out some examples of derogatory statements made by the Gablers against minorities over the years. She commented that, perhaps, we should celebrate the end of an era when people are outcast because of their heritage. Mrs. Berlanga said that maybe those who were born in the United States could now be considered Americans and that perhaps our ancestors’ contributions would finally be recognized. She indicated that her recommendation had been to honor all of those who had made presentations before the board over the years. She reminded the board that a vote to recognize the Gablers was a vote for censorship of textbook content. Dr. Allen thanked Mrs. Berlanga for that account and for the research that she had conducted. She recalled the hardships of growing up and of her ancestors, who suffered and gave 310 years to the progress of America and were denied credit for their contributions to the history of the United States. She noted that some children have been miseducated because their textbooks did not reflect an accurate account of their history. Dr. Allen commented that she could not, in good faith, support the resolution. Mr. Bradley stated that his intent was to honor Texas’ patriots who have volunteered unselfishly for 38 years. He noted that the first one-third of the resolution came from the Texas Education Code. Mr. Bradley read the WHEREAS clause in the resolution that states that the State Board of Education continues to invite citizens with diverse views to make positive suggestions for specific improvements in education, and he stated that he would welcome comments, criticisms, and continued input. Mr. Watson noted that there is a book called Textbooks on Trial that gives the history on how Mel and Norma Gabler became involved in reviewing textbooks and what some of their real motivations were. He mentioned that the Gablers have been featured on all three major television networks and numerous television programs and have been the subject of articles in major magazines and newspapers. Mr. Watson identified some of the honors the Gablers have received and noted that their services are provided without charge. He noted that they began working out of their home 38 years ago with meager material resources, but with a determination to learn the process, how to impact the process, and to do what is right; and, as a result, innumerable boys and girls, in Texas and across this nation, have benefited. Dr. Neill commented that if there were that overtone of racism by the Gablers, Neal Frey, who works for the Gablers as their senior textbook analyst and whose primary emphasis is on history and social studies, would have reflected that. He also cited the thanks that Amador Silva, who was Mrs. Berlanga's appointee to the Social Studies Review Committee in 1996 during the TEKS writing process, had sent to Mr. Frey for his work on the Social Studies Review Committee. Dr. Offutt indicated that in November of last year when the board was considering adopting the social studies textbooks, he had made a motion to delete the Prentice-Hall text from the adopted list because of factual errors. He noted that one of the errors, indicated that the first university in North America was Harvard University, established in the 1600s; when, in fact, the first university in North America had been established in Mexico City, founded in the 1500s. He commented that Mel and Norma Gabler identified that error. Dr. Offutt stated his belief that all the board members feel very strongly that there should be severe penalties for textbook publishers who have errors in their textbooks, and he assured the board that the reason textbook errors are at the forefront is because of the lifelong work of Mel and Norma Gabler. Mrs. Shore indicated that Mel and Norma Gabler are from her hometown and that she has known them for a long time. Mrs. Shore commented that they have gained the respect of the people there so much that a Mel and Norma Gabler Day was held in Longview. She said that, over time, the Gablers have also gained her respect, that she knows them personally, and that she could not think of them as doing anything but wanting balance and the best textbooks for the children of Texas. Mr. Davis stated that he has served on the board intermittently since 1983 and that, during that period of time, he has known Mel and Norma Gabler professionally. He said he met them and has been in their presence only in the context of the State Board of Education and textbook review. Mr. Davis reiterated Mrs. Berlanga’s statement that there have been hundreds of citizens who have come before the Board who have critiqued, commented, and made very significant contributions to improving textbooks that are delivered into the public schools of this state. Mr. Davis acknowledged that, at the same time, he did not think there is anyone more significant to that contribution than Mel and Norma Gabler to improving the quality of textbooks in Texas and probably around the United States. Noting the remarks that Mrs. Berlanga read into the record, Mr. Davis expressed his respect for her, Mr. Nuñez, and Dr. Bernal and the Hispanic culture and he commended her courage in making the statements that she presented. Mr. Davis stated that a resolution adopted by the State Board of Education is an expression of what the collective body believes in endorsing and commending people. He said that some of the Gablers’ statements through the years, though they may have made them, may not have been reflective of what they actually felt in their hearts and souls and may have been misunderstood. Mr. Davis stated that he was having a difficult time finding it in his heart to vote for or against this resolution. Dr. Bernal commended Mrs. Berlanga for her stance and for all the research that she had conducted. He said that he could not vote for anyone who said unkind things about Cesar Chavez, given all the things that he did on behalf of other people. He commented that for someone who does not understand Cinco de Mayo and the connection that Texas has with Mexico, there is something missing. Dr. Bernal said that he did not want to lose sight of the fact that the board members are committed to error-free textbooks, but that is not the issue. He commended the Gablers for the job that they have done in locating factual errors, but said that they have done a disservice to this state in becoming philosophical and thinking that certain groups deserve more space in the books than others. He stated that he cannot help but vote against this resolution. Mr. Nuñez noted that board members are volunteers, do not receive any pay, and were here because they all care about the children of Texas. He thanked Mrs. Berlanga for her work and research, explaining that it took a lot of time to go back to the records so that the facts could be noted. He indicated that the information presented by Mrs. Berlanga was not her personal opinion, but were facts on record. Mr. Nuñez commented that a lot of time was taken to get this information, but that it was taken because Mrs. Berlanga cares about the work that she does on this board and those she represents. He commended her and said that he is very proud to serve with her to improve education for all children in Texas. Mrs. Berlanga stated her belief that it is important to move forward, but not because of the negative remarks that have been said over the years. She said that she had recommended that all of those who have made presentations before the State Board of Education be honored, because if the board were going to recognize individuals for their contributions, it should recognize all of those people who have worked so hard over the years. VOTE:  A vote was taken on the motion that the board adopt the resolution honoring and commending Mel and Norma Gabler, of Longview, Texas, for 38 years of sacrificial service, both in textbook review and in the textbook adoption process in Texas, the United States, and the world; and for their unwavering faithfulness to a cause which ultimately benefits all the children we strive to educate. The motion carried, with 9 members voting Aye, 5 voting No, and 1 abstaining, as follows: Aye: Mr. Bradley Dr. McLeroy Mrs. Miller Dr. Neill Dr. Offutt Mrs. Shore Mrs. Strickland Mr. Untermeyer Mr. Watson No: Dr. Allen Mrs. Berlanga Dr. Bernal Mr. Nuñez Dr. Sorrells Abstain: Mr. Davis   Mr. Untermeyer presented the resolution to Mel and Norma Gabler, along with a senate resolution, sponsored by Senator Jane Nelson.

Am 31. Mai 1999 ehrte das Texas House of Representatives diese fundamentalistischen Zensoren:

"RESOLUTION WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives is proud to acknowledge the many years of volunteer service that Mel and Norma Gabler have given to promoting excellence in education for young Texans; and WHEREAS, Extensive parental involvement in our public education system demonstrates that families and other community members desire the finest education available today for all children in the Lone Star State, and this is the essence of Mel and Norma Gabler's crusade to improve textbooks in Texas public 10 schools; and WHEREAS, A quality education for young people is vital to a productive and prosperous future for Texas; an exemplary education should develop discerning, thoughtful young minds and instill patriotic ideals and respect for democracy in students, as well as teach them the valuable skills needed to ensure economic well-being in today's free-market economy; these criteria are educational qualities Mr. and Mrs. Gabler strive to achieve in our schools; and WHEREAS, For 38 years the Gablers have read and critiqued textbooks for primary and secondary schools; a dedicated couple, their contributions have alerted the state to numerous errors, omissions, and contradictions in textbooks, and they have further worked to ensure that the information contained in our children's textbooks will reflect the values held sacred by our communities; and  WHEREAS, Their service to Texas is vital to the judicious procurement of educational texts for children across the nation as well; because Texas is one of the largest textbook buyers for high school and lower-level texts, the state's choice of curriculum and textbooks sets a precedent for other states' book purchases, and this has a profound effect on the intellectual development of young minds both in our state and across the nation; and WHEREAS, The state is truly fortunate to have Mel and Norma Gabler among its citizens, for their efforts to promote educational excellence help to ensure a brighter future for countless young people; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 76th Texas Legislature hereby commend Mel and Norma Gabler for their devoted service to public education in the State of Texas; and, be it  further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for Mr. and Mrs. Gabler as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. Merritt Speaker of the House  I certify that H.R. No. 1225 was adopted by the House on May 31, 1999, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House"   [Quelle: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlo/76R/billtext/HR01225F.HTM. -- Zugriff am 2005-03-14]

5.4. American Decency Association (ADA)

Webpräsenz: http://www.americandecency.org/. -- Zugriff am 2005-03-10

"The American Decency Association is an overtly Christian organization directed by a biblical worldview. We believe that God's desire for His people is that they be not conformed to this world, rather, transformed by the renewing of their minds unto Christ. Being a light in a darkened world does not imply a selfish retreat from that world, but an activism within it proceeding from love for God and our neighbor." "Bill Johnson is a nationally noted pro-decency activist. He has been interviewed on radio and television programs including CNN's Newsstand, Fox News' Neil Cavuto Show, MSNBC's Buchanan and Press and many others. In 2000, he received the prestigious Salt and Light Award from Dr. D. James Kennedy and the Center for Reclaiming America for the ADA's efforts against radio indecency. Prior to his career in ministry, Bill taught the second, third, and fourth grades for 18 years. In 1985, while still a teacher, he felt a special calling of the Lord to help lead a local organization, Citizens Against Pornography. Bill left teaching in 1988 to become the American Family Association's first named state director, a position he held until founding the ADA in 1999. Bill is devoted to uplifting the message of personal holiness, God's desire for His people. He has been married for 34 years to Janna and is the father of four children ages 29, 27, 24, and 15 years old. " [Quelle:  http://www.americandecency.org/about.htm. -- Zugriff am 2005-03-10]

"Mission Statement The mission of the American Decency Association is to educate its members and the general public on matters of decency; to initiate, promote, encourage and coordinate activity designed to safeguard and advance public morality consistent with biblical Christianity. Vision Statement The vision of the American Decency Associaton is that believers will recognize Christ's call to "be holy for I am holy," and to be a "city on a hill" shining forth His light unashamedly for all the world to see. As Christians, we need to be increasingly discerning regarding our choices of media entertainment, recognizing that our bodies are the temple of the Lord, and we should not expose ourselves to that which will degrade and dishonor. Similarly, recognizing that as consumers in the marketplace, we are paying for the destructive influence that much of entertainment media is having on our families and our nation, we also need to be increasingly discerning regarding the companies we support, aligning our disposable incomes with our moral convictions." [Quelle: http://www.americandecency.org/mission.htm. -- Zugriff am 2005-03-10]

5.5. Donald Wildmon, Gründer der American Family Association

Abb.: Congressman Chip Pickering [Mitte] with Rev. and Mrs. Don Wildmon of the Mississippi-based American Family Association (AFA).
[Bildquelle: http://www.house.gov/pickering/photo_album.htm. -- Zugriff am 2005-04-12]

Zur American Family Association siehe:

Payer, Margarete <1942 - >: Informationsmarktverzerrung durch Fundamentalismus am Beispiel der USA. -- Kapitel 1: Einführung. -- 5. Christlich-fundamentalistische Organisationen und Pressure Groups. -- URL: http://www.payer.de/fundamentalismus/fundamentalismus015.htm

"About Don Wildmon Donald E. Wildmon is founder and executive director of American Family Association based in Tupelo, Mississippi. He is also a United Methodist Minister who served as a pastor in Mississippi for 12 years. He and his wife Lynda have four children and six grandchildren. He is the author of 22 books with more than 1,000,000 copies in print. Education: 1960 - Bachelor of Arts, Millsaps College, Jackson, Mississippi 1965 - Master of Divinity, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 1990 - Doctor of Law honorary degree, Asbury College, Wilmore, Kentucky 1994 - Doctor of Divinity honorary degree, Wesley Biblical Seminary If you are not familiar with his name, you likely are aware and probably have participated in some of his successful boycott campaigns. What about the successful boycott of 7-Eleven to drop Playboy... or the successful boycott of K-mart to remove the porn from their subsidiary Waldenbooks... One of the first activities of the new CEO of K-mart after getting rid of the porn was to contact Don Wildmon and pledge to lead K-mart in a family-friendly direction. Donahue also credited Don Wildmon and the AFA for destroying his program. Abb.: K-mart Logo® He's also been the driving force in the current Disney boycott. He has appeared on Meet the Press, McNeil-Lehrer Report, Good Morning America, The Tomorrow Show, The Today Show, Nightline, the 700 Club, and other television programs. He has also been featured in several publications including Time, Newsweek, People, TV Guide, Christianity Today, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal. A few quotes from his enemies: Wildmon leads "a band of moral zealots...busy inventing a national problem." James Duffy, Pres., ABC Television "We look upon Wildmon's efforts as the greatest frontal assault on intellectual freedom this country has ever faced." - Gene Mater, Senior Vice Pres., CBS Television Wildmon's boycott campaign is "the first step toward a police state." - Brandon Tarktikoff, Pres., NBC Entertainment A TV Columnist from The Chicago Tribune, Ron Alridge, wrote "What Wildmon's opponents fail to grasp is that he is surviving, thriving and gaining influence because he is (a) sincere, (b) smart, (c) more than a little bit right!" Here are a few lines from an article titled "The Tupelo Tornado" by Good News Magazine editor Steve Beard. "Whoever said that perception is reality, has never met Don Wildmon of the American Family Association. The caricature of Wildmon is that of an ignorant and reckless culture grouch. Reality, however, paints a very different picture. Wildmon is vastly more intelligent than his detractors would ever admit. He discusses cutting-edge radio technology with the ease of an electrical engineer. His forays into the culture war are marked with the strategic sophistication of a military operation. Wildmon is endowed with what the experts call savvy "sweet smarts." Although he has a keen sense of right and wrong, he lacks the smugness of moral superiority. Not one moment in his busy day is wasted. With the speed of a tornado, Wildmon darts around his headquarters, rummaging through stacks of mail and dropping into offices unannounced to discuss his latest crusades. For an easygoing southern community like Tupelo, Mississippi - birthplace of Elvis Presley - Don Wildmon runs on a higher level of adrenaline than most folks. Wildmon is one of America's original culture warriors, the most formidable pain-in-the-neck for television network executives to ever walk the planet. He surfaced on the cultural radar back in 1977 as a concerned United Methodist minister who encouraged his congregation to protest Hollywood's portrayal of sex, profanity, and violence by shutting off their television sets for a week. "Turn – The - TV - Off Week" gained national media attention and catapulted Don into the spotlight. From those humble beginnings, Wildmon has built one of the most effective grassroots organizations in America. Bottom line, he's not out to impress anybody. In his words, "I'm not profound, I'm a fighter." Frankly, this is why his staff and supporters love and trust him. And, it also explains why his enemies hate him like they do." Beard sums him up best in these lines, "In some ways, Don Wildmon is an unlikely national celebrity. He is not a charismatic leader, per se. He does not turn heads when you walk with him into a restaurant. He does not wear Armani suits, and his shirts do not have stitched monograms, let alone duff links. He does not turn up the charm when he talks to the press. Wildmon is thoroughly unpretentious. He would much rather be making life miserable for some television executive (or Michael Eisner, ACLU or People for the American Way rep.) than singing his own praises. He is too busy to toot his own horn. Besides, there is a culture war going on. He seems to be saying, 'Don't you see it? Can you hear it?'" [Quelle: http://www.afa.net/carpentersbench/aboutdw.asp. -- Zugriff am 2005-04-12]

The Rev. Donald E. Wildmon’s Crusade for Censorship, 1977-1992 / by Christopher M. Finan and Anne F. Castro The Rev. Donald E. Wildmon has always claimed to be an "average guy." When he first came to the attention of the public, he was the leader of a boycott against advertisers who sponsored "sex, violence and profanity" on television. Wildmon insisted that he was not a censor but an outraged private citizen who was exercising his constitutional right to protest. But Wildmon is not an average citizen. His ambition is to remake American society. Nor is he content with the instruments of change provided by democratic institutions: he advocates the censorship of television, movies, books, magazines and recordings. During his 15-year campaign for censorship, he has tried to suppress:  Television dramas like Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove, Maya Angelou’s Sister, Sister, Absolute Strangers, The Alison Gertz Story, and Portrait of a Rebel: Margaret Sanger Movies like The Last Temptation of Christ and Ghost Magazines like Playboy, Penthouse, and Sassy. Recordings like Madonna’s Like a Prayer. Abb.: Cover von Madonna: Like a Prayer {Wenn Sie HIER klicken, können Sie diese CD bei amazon.de bestellen} Wildmon’s campaign began one night in December 1976. At the time, he was an obscure, 38-year-old United Methodist pastor, serving a church in Southaven, Mississippi. But he had always been ambitious. "Back in my younger days I reached the conclusion that the worst thing that could happen would be to come to the time of death and realize that my life had made no difference," Wildmon said. That night in 1976 as he sat watching television with his family, he found the vehicle for his ambitions. He later claimed that as he switched channels he was unable to find a single show that didn’t feature sex, violence, or profanity. Wildmon interpreted this as a calling from God to take up the fight for purer television. He resigned his ministry in June 1977 and moved to Tupelo, Mississippi, 50 miles outside of Memphis to establish the National Federation for Decency. The NFD struggled in the beginning. According to his son, Wildmon was able to pay himself only $1,800 in the first seven months of the organization’s existence; his wife began working to help the venture survive. Wildmon found it difficult to establish an identity for the NFD. The first effort to attract national attention was a campaign called, "Turn the Television Off Week," which targeted mostly southern cities in July 1977. Wildmon claimed that his survey of television programming revealed that 54 per cent of all shows had sexual content. Wildmon said such a high proportion of sexual programming distorted real life. He was also upset that "90 percent" of the sex was adulterous. "The strategy of so much network programming is to appeal to the prurient interest of man and not to spend money for quality programming," Wildmon said. While Wildmon received some press attention, his television boycott did not have any effect. Wildmon’s problem was how to exert power over the networks with an organization that claimed only 1,400 members. Clearly, boycotts of television programs would not work: the number of people who would turn off their sets at any one time would never be large enough to register in the ratings. But a boycott of advertisers had proven effective the year before in a campaign against the satire "Soap." In the spring of 1978, Wildmon announced his first boycott of advertisers. He told Sears that his supporters would boycott its stores until it withdrew sponsorship of three shows at the top of his hit list -- "Three’s Company," "Charlie’s Angels," and "All in the Family." Although his following was miniscule, Wildmon used it to maximum effect by staging demonstrations outside Sears stores in several parts of the country and in downtown Chicago in front of the Sears building itself. The boycott worked. While denying it was acting under pressure, Sears canceled its ads on "Three’s Company" and "Charlie’s Angels." Abb.: Charlie's Angels During 1979, Wildmon continued to make his voice heard. He attacked "Flesh and Blood," a television movie based on a novel by Pete Hamill, because it dealt with the subject of incest. He also attacked, "Portrait of a Rebel: Margaret Sanger," a movie about the leader of the movement for birth control. He struck out at CBS, accusing it of complicity in the murder of a little girl in Wichita Falls, Texas. The four-year-old was murdered by her mother, who had seen a similar crime committed when CBS broadcast "Exorcist II." "CBS must accept partial blame for her death," Wildmon insisted. "They were an accessory to the murder." An NFD picket outside CBS headquarters in New York carried a sign that insisted: "CBS Controlled by Satan." Yet the NFD was making little progress. It was firmly anchored on the lunatic fringe of the hundreds of groups trying to change television to suit their tastes. Wildmon had a new weapon in the advertiser boycott, but he had been unable to secure the backing from larger, more established groups that he would need to launch a national campaign. He began to think that his future might lie in another direction. He ran for a seat in the Mississippi House of Representatives in 1980 but finished a distant third, garnering only 921 votes or 15 per cent of the total cast. A month after his defeat in the Mississippi House race, Wildmon made another effort to win backing for his advertiser boycott. He met with the Reverend Jerry Falwell in Lynchburg, Virginia. Falwell, the leader of The Moral Majority, was then at the peak of his career as a spokesman for the movement of conservative church groups known as the "Religious Right." As Wildmon later told the story, he held up before Falwell a dollar bill. "The networks don’t care about your moral values, but they do care about this," Wildmon said. According to Wildmon, Falwell didn’t require much persuading. "Great," he said. "Let’s go with it." Wildmon said later that he believed he had reached a turning point. As he sat in his motel room that night, he was sure of victory. "Now I have the numbers," he recalled thinking. "Now I have the clout. After three years of wandering in the wilderness, I’ve found a road to the Promised Land." Two months later, in February 1981, Wildmon announced the organization of the Coalition for Better Television (CBTV), the group that would bring him national recognition. His alliance with Falwell enabled Wildmon to claim that CBTV represented 200 organizations with a combined membership of over three million. These three million people were prepared to back a boycott of the three advertisers who sponsored the worst programming on television, he announced. The targets of the boycott were to be selected following three months of monitoring by 4,000 members of the coalition. The monitors would rate the offending shows on the basis of "sex incidents per hour," scenes of violence and uses of profanity. Few people outside of employees of the television networks and, to a lesser extent, the advertising industry, attempted to answer Wildmon. One of them was Peggy Charren, president of Action for Children’s Television and a strong critic of the networks. Charren accused Wildmon of wanting to censor television. Sex, violence, and profanity were only the beginning, she warned: What will be the next target of the CBTV’s censorship crusade. A production of "A Streetcar Named Desire?" A documentary on teenage pregnancy? The news? For the most part, however, the networks were forced to defend themselves. The networks struck back in the final weeks of the CBTV rating period by releasing the results of opinion polls that showed the public opposed the boycott. A poll commissioned by ABC showed that 64 per cent believed that the popularity of a program should be the sole factor in determining what was on television. Only 1.3 per cent said that they would consider backing a boycott. The poll also showed that Falwell and Wildmon had little support even among evangelical Christians. It revealed that 55 per cent of those identifying themselves as members of the Moral Majority opposed efforts to force their opinions on others. CBS News reported that one third of the organizations listed as sponsors of CBTV disavowed any connection with the group. Nevertheless, CBTV was beginning to harvest the fruit of its campaign. Advertisers had begun to crack under the threat of the impending boycott. The first important convert to the cause of CBTV-approved television was Owen B. Butler, the chairman of Procter and Gamble, the company that spent more on television annually than any other--nearly $500 million. In a speech to the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences on June 16, Butler announced that his company had withdrawn advertising from 50 television shows over the past year. Butler denied the company had been responding to pressure from Wildmon, but he left little doubt that Procter and Gamble would take his advice in the future: We think the coalition is expressing very important and broadly held views about gratuitous sex, violence and profanity. I can assure you that we are listening very carefully to what they say, and I urge you to do the same. Abb.: Eines der Procter und Gamble Produkte Television and advertising industry officials were shocked by Butler’s admission. Charren had been expecting it. "Based on what TV advertisers did during the red scares of the 50’s, this is exactly what I expected," she said. Wildmon knew that he had Butler’s ear. In remarks to reporters later, he revealed that Procter and Gamble had been speaking with CBTV for some time. "We’ve had dialogues with P&G over a period of many months," Wildmon said. Nor was Procter and Gamble alone in seeking an accommodation with Wildmon. On June 26, the New York Times reported that several television advertisers had been invited to a meeting with CBTV officials. Wildmon confirmed that discussions were under way to reach a compromise that would prevent a boycott. Wildmon told the Associated Press that the boycott threat was having a decided effect. "I’ve talked with six advertisers in the last week who have pulled 150 commercials off the air in the last four months," he said. On June 29, at a CBTV press conference that had been scheduled to announce the start of the boycott, Wildmon announced its cancellation. With Falwell and Phyllis Schlafly of the Eagle Forum looking on, Wildmon told the press that the boycott was no longer necessary because in their meetings with CBTV officials, advertisers had promised to help "clean up" television. Wildmon refused to identify the advertisers who had made these pledges. While he professed himself satisfied, Wildmon warned that CBTV might institute a boycott in the fall if the shows premiering then were objectionable. Falwell said his organization was "raising funds for a war chest to buy and assist others in buying full-page ads across the nation naming public enemy No. 1 or 2 or whoever they are and listing their products." Skeptics raised questions about the decision to cancel the boycott. They suggested that the networks’ opinion polls had trumped Wildmon. They said he was afraid of losing. "Let me tell you something," Wildmon said, replying to his critics. "I was raised to know that it was not a disgrace to fight and get whipped." But Wildmon had at least won a moral victory. The chairman of one of the nation’s biggest corporations had promoted his views as important for the nation. Even those who opposed his tactics endorsed his claim that television needed better programming. But "better programming" is a subjective judgement. Wildmon insisted that his opposition to shows was based solely on objectively-measured levels of sex, violence and profanity. When Wildmon objected to a show because of its sexual content, however, it was not always because it was prurient but often because it presented sex in ways he disliked--outside marriage, between teenagers or partners of the same sex. He also opposed the mention of birth control, abortion and, later, AIDS. His criticism of profanity often had more to do with offensiveness of the subject of discussion than the use of vulgar words. Wildmon’s condemnation did not stop at shows like "Vegas" and "The Dukes of Hazzard," but extended to programs dealing with adult themes like "All in the Family," "Taxi," and "WKRP in Cincinnati." (See Addendum for a full list of the television programs attacked by Wildmon.) Wildmon’s extremism clearly guided his attacks on programming during the balance of 1981. He was particularly unhappy about NBC’s decision to develop a series based on a movie about an aging homosexual who permits a young woman and her daughter to move in with him. Wildmon, who saw the show as an attack on the institution of the family, said it was "utterly stupid" for NBC to undertake the series at the very moment when concern about television was at its peak. Tony Randall, the star of the proposed series, "Love Sidney," defended his show. "It’s about compassion. It’s about love. It’s about the need people have for family. And they’re saying it’s anti-family," Randall said. As the preemptive strike on Randall’s show indicated, Wildmon was not waiting for shows to be aired before attacking them. Wildmon condemned a fictionalized treatment of a series of murders of black children in Atlanta before the producer had decided to go ahead with the project. Wildmon’s pose as a moderate was undermined later in the year when some of his followers pushed his views about sex on television to their logical extreme. He was forced to apologize to Phil Donahue, the talk show host, for a release issued by one of the chapters of his National Federation for Decency that described Donahue, whose show had won nine Emmy awards, as a "sex activist broadcaster." The release said many of Donahue’s "sex shows" promoted abnormal sex and threatened a boycott of Donahue’s sponsors. In an appearance on "Donahue," Wildmon apologized for the release. He admitted that a program on breast-feeding should not have been characterized as a "sex program." But Wildmon soon resumed the offensive, insisting that his monitoring showed that almost half of Donahue’s shows dealt with sex. He charged that some urged acceptance of sex practices contrary to traditional Christian morality. Wildmon’s appearance on "Donahue" showed how far he had come from Southaven, Mississippi. The threat of a boycott had given him national exposure. Now he was anxious to see what an actual boycott would achieve. In late 1981, Wildmon decided that the networks had not met his demands and that a boycott would be necessary after all. But just as Wildmon was preparing to realize his dream, Jerry Falwell withdrew his support for the tactic of boycotting advertisers. The division between Wildmon and Falwell had first become apparent in a television documentary, "Eye of the Beholder," broadcast in late 1981. It was this documentary that first reported Wildmon’s determination to proceed with the boycott. It also revealed that Falwell was having second thoughts. He appeared to take to heart the survey results released in June that showed his own followers rejecting efforts to force the Moral Majority’s views on others. Falwell told the interviewer that the Moral Majority had raised $2 million for the boycott but then suggested that his group would not back coercive efforts to change programming. The Moral Majority’s resignation from the boycott was confirmed by a spokesman for the group in late January 1982. "Our feeling is that the networks are headed in the right direction," he said. In the absence of the Moral Majority, Wildmon changed his plans. Falwell had promised $2 million for publicity for the boycott before he backed out, and publicity was critical because the boycott depended upon the consumer’s ability to recognize the target’s products in the market place. Lacking funds, Wildmon abandoned the proposed boycott of advertisers. At a news conference in February 1982, he announced a boycott against RCA, the owner of NBC. Wildmon also revealed new demands. "Our concerns have been too narrow and will be expanded," he explained. "Our concerns about sex, violence and profanity in programs is valid, but there will be more. We’re going to surprise some people." He demanded changes in the way NBC handled 11 subjects. Besides sex, violence and profanity, he wanted fewer depictions of drug abuse and "racial and religious stereotyping." The network would have to make an effort to portray life as it was lived by Christians, Wildmon said. "RCA-NBC has excluded Christian characters, Christian values and Christian culture from their programming," he charged. Wildmon also wanted to see an improvement in the portrayal of American business. Wildmon claimed that business executives had been painted as "crooks and con men." During his news conference, Wildmon had demonstrated again that he was not reluctant to criticize a popular show by singling out for attack NBC’s award-winning dramatic series, "Hill Street Blues," which he said was full of sexual innuendo. Several months later, he showed that he was not afraid to attack a show with serious artistic intentions either. NBC was preparing to broadcast a movie that had been written by the poet Maya Angelou. "Sister, Sister," was the story of how three black sisters in North Carolina resolved the differences that separated them. Wildmon had not seen the movie. Apparently reacting to a part of the story in which a minister committed adultery and stole the church receipts, Wildmon claimed that "negative stereotyping of people identified as Christian in the film is an example of a continuing trend by RCA-NBC and an example of anti- Christian, anti-religious network programming." The advertisers responded to his complaints: 12 of the 28 sponsors asked to see the program again, and one sponsor, Kodak, withdrew its ads after determining that the film was not sufficiently "family-oriented." Author Jessica Mitford rejected Wildmon’s criticisms in a letter to the New York Times. She pointed out that "Sister, Sister" was the type of program that Wildmon had said he approved: Psychological drama of the highest order, "Sister, Sister," achieves a stunning breakthrough as a sensitive portrait of a three-dimensional, non- stereotypical black family. No wild car chases, no prostitution, no drugs, no teen-age crime--in short, no sex or violence (sorry about that Mr. Wildmon). Wildmon had revealed himself for what he was: a Christian minister who believed that television should reflect his own world view, including his high opinion of Christian ministers. He had also shown himself as a man with an insatiable appetite for change, one change making him hungry for the next. As a result, he lost the support of many who had formerly sympathized with him. A day of reckoning was fast approaching. Judgement day fell at the close of the third quarter of 1982. RCA reported earnings that demonstrated Wildmon’s boycott had not had an effect. Third quarter earnings were $47.6 million, an increase of $152.4 million over the third quarter of 1981 when the company had shown a loss. Wildmon replied by pointing to RCA’s weak consumer products division, insisting that this was the part of the corporation most likely to be hurt by the boycott. But the boycott was clearly a failure. By early 1983, "Love, Sidney," the series starring Tony Randall that Wildmon had attacked before its premiere, had become a success and was inching closer to acknowledgment of Sidney’s homosexuality. Before it became the target of Wildmon’s boycott, NBC had prevented Randall from striking back at Wildmon. Now, Randall dismissed Wildmon as "that ignorant, cynical, Bible-thumping ass in Mississippi." There was no lightning. For his part, Wildmon had dropped any pretense of being a reformer. He no longer accused the networks of using sex, violence and profanity to gain ratings. The problem with the networks was that they were dominated by a "humanist" view of society. The "humanist point of view is that man came from nowhere, is going nowhere and has no responsibility to others," Wildmon said. Wildmon professed himself an apostle of the Christian view. The "Christian view is that man was created by God and that there’s somewhere to go--heaven or hell--and some moral absolutes and moral guidelines to follow," he said. The conflict between the two was irreconcilable. "You have a clash of two distinct value systems," Wildmon said. The networks were trying to remake society in line with humanist values. Wildmon acknowledged that they were winning. "I don’t think we have more than five or six years left to stem the tide," he said. "Television is the most destructive force in our society." It was clear that if Wildmon were in charge, television would be dominated by Christian values. After the failure of the RCA boycott, the Coalition for Better Television lapsed. Wildmon had fallen from the limelight, but he had not abandoned his ambition to strike a devastating blow at the "humanist" media. He travelled tirelessly in an effort to make his National Federation for Decency a grass-roots organization. He also promoted his Journal, the major publication of his organization. The Journal, which has changed little since then, carries detailed criticism of individual television shows and lists the names and addresses of their sponsors. Its columns explain the demise of American society as the result of the increase of divorce, the growing presence of women in the work force and other factors that are weakening the traditional family. It frequently attacks birth control and abortion. The tone of the magazine is set by its description of the many crimes that can allegedly be attributed to pornography, television or movie violence and rock and roll music. The April 1989 Journal carried a story in which a mother blamed the rock band the Grateful Dead for the drug abuse problem that led her son to take hostages and be killed by the police. Abb.: Playboy, Mai 1984 Wildmon knew that organizing local chapters of the NFD would occur more quickly if the organizing occurred within the context of a larger campaign. In 1984, the NFD began a fight to ban Playboy and Penthouse magazines. As always, Wildmon’s tactic was not to attack the producers directly. He tried to strangle the magazines’ circulation through boycotts aimed at chain stores, including drug and convenience stores, where they were sold from "blindered" racks behind the counter. He returned to the picketing tactic that he had used against Sears, sending demonstrators to 7-Eleven and other stores. While Wildmon experienced some success against the smaller chains, the Southland Corporation, which owned 7- Eleven, and most major chains held firm. Wildmon campaigned for two years with meager results. Wildmon’s return to national prominence was largely the result of actions taken by the national administration in Washington. Wildmon and other "anti-pornography" activists had strongly supported the candidacy of Ronald Reagan because, among other things, they believed that he would take strong measures to curb sexually explicit material. They were disappointed when Reagan took little action on the conservatives’ "social agenda" during his first term. Wildmon and other advocates of stricter censorship visited Reagan following his reelection to urge him to act. The result was the appointment of the Attorney General’s Commission on Pornography in 1985. The partisans of the new Commission were eager to see it rebut a previous commission’s conclusion that sexually explicit material was not harmful to adults. The 1970 report by the President’s Commission on Obscenity and Pornography recommended the abolition of obscenity laws. With the appointment of what became known as the Meese Commission in 1985, the anti-pornography activists acquired an important vehicle for their views, and Wildmon found another national forum. The Commission was chaired by a former prosecutor who had made his reputation by prosecuting adult bookstores and movie houses. Wildmon did not waste his opportunity. At a public hearing in Los Angeles in October 1985, he told the Meese Commission that it must attack not only organized crime, reputed to be the major producer of hard-core obscenity, but also major corporations that were involved in the sale of non-obscene, First Amendment-protected material with sexual content. "The general public usually associates pornography with sleazy porno bookstores and theaters," Wildmon said. "However, many of the major players in the game of pornography are household names." Wildmon then proceeded to name them. Of course, the Southland Corporation was at the top of his list. But Wildmon alleged that 22 other corporations were involved in "pornography distribution," including CBS, Time, Ramada Inns, RCA, and Coca-Cola. The list also included three national distributors of magazines, 11 chain stores, including Rite Aid and Dart Drug Stores, and a chain of video stores, National Video. Wildmon’s testimony before the Meese Commission became national news when, without being identified as coming from Wildmon, it was incorporated into a letter that the Commission sent to the corporations on Wildmon’s list. The Commission informed the corporations that Wildmon’s characterization of them as "distributors" of "pornography" would be included in the Commission’s final report. They were invited to reply to the charge of their anonymous accuser. Instead, several lawsuits were filed to force the Commission to withdraw its letter. Among the plaintiffs filing suits were the American Booksellers Association, the Council for Periodical Distributors Associations, and the Magazine Publishers of America as well as Playboy and Penthouse. They accused the Commission of establishing a blacklist to coerce the corporations receiving the letter into withdrawing First Amendment-protected material. A federal judge ordered the Commission to retract the letter and barred it from issuing any lists of retailers. But the Meese Commission’s letter had set in motion a chain of events that no judge’s order could arrest. Wildmon’s boycott campaign against the chain stores, like the campaign against the television advertisers, had made them extremely sensitive to adverse publicity. The Commission’s letter was the straw that broke their backs. On April 10, 1986, the Southland Corporation announced that it was pulling Playboy and Penthouse from its 4,500 stores and recommending to 3,600 other 7- Elevens that were owned by franchisees that they get rid of them as well. The statement by Southland announcing the decision suggested that the chain was responding to evidence adduced by the Meese Commission that showed a link between "adult magazines and crime, violence, and child abuse." But Wildmon questioned Southland’s altruism. He claimed that Southland had bent under the boycott. "It is a good example of what can happen when the Christian community stands together with selective buying," Wildmon said. "It took us approximately two years, but our voice was heard." By the time the Meese Commission was ordered to withdraw its letter in July, six of the chains targeted by the Commission had pulled Playboy and Penthouse and 34 smaller chains who didn’t receive the letter had followed Southland’s lead. More than 10,000 stores had stopped carrying the magazines. By August, the number had grown to 17,000. Abb.: Penthouse, Mai 1985 The removal of Playboy, Penthouse and other men’s "sophisticate" magazines from stores across the country had a domino effect, causing the removal of other magazines that were controversial for one reason or another. Magazines about rock and roll music, several teen magazines, the swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated, and issues of American Photographer and Cosmopolitan were removed from sale in some parts of the country in the panic set off by the Meese Commission letter. Abb.: Sports Illustrated, swimsuit issue, Februar 1987 Wildmon kept his name in the headlines in 1987 by attacking a controversial disc jockey and a mainstream hotel corporation. Wildmon’s complaint against "shock radio" personality Howard Stern may have been a factor in the decision by the Federal Communications Commission to expand its ban on "offensive" programming. At the same time, Wildmon was directing a boycott against the Holiday Inn hotel chain in an effort to stop it from making "R"-rated films available to guests in their rooms. However, demonstrations scheduled at 100 Holiday Inns across the country on April 18 failed to materialize. Only 13 hotels were picketed; the average demonstration numbered between five and 10 protesters, and demonstrations lasted for only a few hours. Erläuterung: R-rated bezieht sich auf das Filmbewertungssystem der Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA): Rated G – GENERAL AUDIENCES: All ages admitted. Rated PG – PARENTAL GUIDANCE SUGGESTED: Some material may not be suitable for children. Rated PG-13 – PARENTS STRONGLY CAUTIONED: Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. Rated R – RESTRICTED: Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. (Some jurisdictions or theatre companies may have a higher age) Rated NC-17 – No one 17 and under admitted. (Some jurisdictions or theater companies may have a higher age) In the spring of 1987, Wildmon prepared to resume his attack on television. He had never abandoned it entirely. The pages of the NFD Journal were full of condemnation for the current crop of programs and the people who sponsored them. In April 1987, Wildmon criticized the networks for dropping their ban on permitting bras to be modelled by live models. He predicted that the next step would be live underwear ads. The first sign of a new campaign came with the organization of Christian Leaders for Responsible Television as a successor to the Coalition for Better Television. In June, CLeaR-TV announced its first boycott, targeting Mazda Motors and Noxell for their sponsorship of television programs featuring sex, violence and profanity. Four months later, CLeaR-TV announced that Noxell and Mazda had agreed to reduce the amount of sex and violence it allegedly helped promote on network TV. Ironically, just as Wildmon seemed to recapture some of the prestige he had lost after the RCA boycott, the NFD encountered financial problems. The scandal over evangelist Jim Bakker’s sexual encounter with a Long Island church secretary hurt all organizations that depended for funds on evangelical Christians. Contribution to the NFD dropped sharply following Bakker’s disgrace. The problem became so critical that Wildmon quietly folded the NFD at the end of the year. As he closed the 10-year-old NFD, Wildmon opened the American Family Association. Two controversies in 1988 helped Wildmon rebound from this setback. Abb.: DVD-Cover The first was the protest over Martin Scorcese’s film, "Last Temptation of Christ." The film was opposed by many religious leaders because it portrayed Christ as a messiah struggling with human weaknesses, including sexual desire. While many Christian leaders condemned the film, Wildmon tried to suppress it. Wildmon asked his supporters to petition their local theaters in an effort to prevent the exhibition of the Universal Pictures film and announced a boycott against companies owned by Universal’s parent corporation, MCA. He also urged his followers to vote against the Democratic Party in the upcoming election because Lew Wasserman, the MCA chairman, was a major fundraiser for the Democrats. Among the demonstrations against the release of the film, two held in Los Angeles in July were widely interpreted as anti-Semitic. Wildmon acknowledged the incidents as "very unfortunate." However, he contributed to the controversy by demanding to know how many Christians served in top positions at MCA and Universal. The protests over the film culminated in demonstrations in seven cities on August 12, the day of the film’s release. The largest demonstration, involving 500 people, occurred outside a theater in New York. Despite the fact that several theater chains refused to show the film, "Last Temptation of Christ" set a box office record during its first week. During the battle over "The Last Temptation of Christ," Wildmon claimed victory in another controversy when the creator of the "Mighty Mouse" cartoon agreed to cut 3 1/2 seconds of an episode that Wildmon had protested. The creator, Ralph Bakshi, had fallen under suspicion because of his role in making an X-rated animated feature, "Fritz the Cat." However, Bakshi had also won an award for "Mighty Mouse" from Action for Children’s Television. In the disputed episode, Wildmon charged Bakshi with portraying Mighty Mouse as experiencing drug-induced exhilaration after inhaling the petals of a flower. Mighty Mouse had sniffed cocaine, Wildmon contended. Bakshi defended his cartoon, insisting that Wildmon had interpreted the scene out of context. However, Bakshi said he was removing the scene because of his concern that the controversy might lead children to believe that what Wildmon was saying was true. Wildmon interpreted the cut differently. "This is a de facto admission that indeed Mighty Mouse was snorting cocaine," Wildmon said. "We have been vindicated." Wildmon had survived another serious crisis. By the end of 1988, he had established AFA on a firmer footing than the National Federation for Decency had ever enjoyed. AFA’s first tax return, filed for 1988, revealed an income of $5,228,505. All of the funds came from contributions and gifts. Wildmon was ready at last to take on his favorite target--the networks. In December, the representatives of CLeaR-TV, Wildmon’s television group, announced that they would boycott the worst advertiser at the conclusion of the sweeps period in May. The announcement of the boycott threat in January 1989 had the same chilling effect on advertisers that it had in 1981. Kimberly-Clark and Tambrands announced they would not advertise on the show "Married...with Children." An Advertising Age story noted that a growing number of companies were reviewing the programs they sponsored more carefully. Less than two weeks after Kimberly-Clark and Tambrands withdrew from "Married...with Children," two advertisers who had been pressured by Wildmon pulled their ads from "Saturday Night Live." Ralston-Purina Company canceled $1 million in ads because one of the shows "crossed over the line of good taste." General Mills withdrew an undisclosed number of commercials. A month later, Domino’s Pizza also pulled out, citing the efforts of the American Family Association as a factor in its decision. At about the same time, Wildmon scored another triumph when Pepsi bowed to his demand that it sever its connection with the singer Madonna because one of her music videos, "Like a Virgin," used religious imagery in a way that offended him. Advertiser fear had grown to such an extent by May that ABC was unable to find sponsors for sequels to two crime shows that had received respectable ratings. Wildmon’s blast at a movie dramatization of the Roe v. Wade case, which the critics praised for its even-handed treatment of the abortion controversy, cost NBC as much as $1 million in lost advertising revenue. Wildmon was now familiar to the networks, television advertisers, movie producers, video retailers, magazine publishers, booksellers and other retailers whom he had targeted, but he remained largely unknown outside business circles. In 1989, he found a new audience--Congress. Abb.: Andre Serrano: Piss Christ In early 1989, Wildmon learned that the National Endowment for the Arts had provided funding for an exhibit that included a photograph entitled "Piss Christ." The photograph by Andre Serrano depicted a crucifix submerged in a jar filled with the artist’s urine. Wildmon immediately launched a campaign against the NEA claiming that the tax dollars of the American people were being spent to support "pornographic, anti-Christian ’works of art’." He sent a reproduction of the Serrano photograph to every member of Congress. Many were horrified. New York Senator Alfonse D’Amato tore up the photograph on the Senate floor. He denounced the NEA for funding "shocking, abhorrent art" and demanded the agency deny funds to artists like Serrano. NEA Endowment Chairman John Frohnmayer defended his agency. He charged that Wildmon was misrepresenting the Endowment by focusing on a handful of controversial works. One of the works that Wildmon attacked was part of an exhibit, "Tongues of Flame," by artist David Wojnarowicz. Discovering two small sexually explicit photographs in a collage-like painting entitled "Water," Wildmon had them enlarged and distributed to Congress, the media and the clergy, claiming "your tax dollars helped pay for these ’works of art’." Wojnarowicz sued Wildmon for libel and copyright infringement. By using the two photographs to characterize the piece, Wildmon had turned his work into "banal pornography," Wojnarowicz charged. While the artist’s damage claims were dismissed, a Federal judge issued an injunction barring Wildmon’s further use of "Tongues of Flame." Wildmon’s attack on the NEA was a smashing success. Congress barred the NEA from giving grants to artists whose work "might be deemed obscene." Although the obscenity ban was repealed in October 1990, Congress continued to require the Endowment to uphold "general standards of decency" when awarding grants. In recognition of his prominent role in the NEA controversy, the New York Times Magazine made Wildmon the subject of a cover story in September. (Wildmon refused to talk to the Times reporter. After what he described as years of media "misrepresentation," Wildmon had decided not to talk to a reporter unless he or she were willing to sign a contract giving him the right to make changes in the article.) Wildmon lost little time in using his new celebrity status to further the campaign for censorship. In September, he accused Burger King of being the "leading sponsor of sex, violence, and profanity" on television, and threatened to lead a boycott against it. The corporation immediately came to terms. It agreed to publish newspaper ads throughout the country affirming support for "moral" programming: Burger King supports traditional American family values, especially the importance of family... We pledge to support such programs with our advertising dollars. What Burger King didn’t know was that Wildmon was incapable of carrying out his threat of economic reprisals. His following was simply too small. In October 1990, Americans for Constitutional Freedom, an anti- censorship group, demonstrated the thinness of Wildmon’s support by publishing the results of a poll by Peter D. Hart surveying 504 adults in Seattle, Topeka, Abilene, Charlotte, N.C., and Boston. Only 20 per cent of those surveyed had heard of Wildmon or the AFA; and only two per cent "actively supported" them. The poll demonstrated that only 18 percent of those surveyed had ever participated in a boycott of any kind and that the overwhelming percentage of those who had were protesting corporate policies concerning labor or the environment. Less than two per cent reported participating in boycotts of controversial magazines like Playboy or television advertisers. To test Wildmon’s effectiveness directly, the Hart poll asked whether the respondent had participated in the boycott of Clorox that Wildmon declared in March 1989. Only one percent said they had. This finding is supported by Clorox itself, which reported undiminished profits in late 1989. Indeed, no boycott by Wildmon has succeeded by inflicting economic losses on its target. By the end of 1992, Holiday Inn had been on the AFA’s list for almost five years for offering X-rated films to their adult customers. Early in the boycott, the company reported that the boycott had actually helped rather than hurt its business. S.C. Johnson & Sons, the target of an AFA boycott since 1990, also reported increases in earnings. K-mart/Waldenbooks, Dairy Mart and Stop N’Go have all successfully resisted Wildmon’s threats. It is not the boycott itself but the threat of a boycott with its potential for bad publicity that has worked for Wildmon. Experience shows that if the targeted company stands firm in the face of Wildmon’s threats, it need not fear economic damage. Abb.: Charles Keating mit Mutter Theresa, der er über eine Million US$  geschenkt hat Nevertheless, by the end of 1990, Wildmon had succeeded in establishing himself as the nation’s leading censor. This was only partly the result of his celebrity. It also stemmed from changes in the anti-pornography movement. Through most of its existence, the National Federation for Decency/American Family Association had competed with other censorship groups, including Citizens for Deceny through Law, the National Coalition Against Pornography, Morality in Media and Focus on the Family. The oldest and best established of these groups was the Citizens for Decency through Law, which had been founded as the Citizens for Decent Literature by lawyer Charles Keating, Jr., in Cincinnati in 1957. Keating, who once warned that bermuda shorts were a threat to morals, moved his group to Phoenix and grew very rich as a property developer during the 1980’s. His success was capped by the purchase of the Lincoln Savings and Loan of California. Keating shared his wealth with CDL, contributing directly as well as through Lincoln Savings and its holding company. Salaries grew fabulously for a non-profit group. In 1986, Executive Director William Swindell received a salary of $175,000. General Counsel Benjamin Bull made $150,000. But in April 1989, Lincoln Savings was seized by Federal regulators, and Keating was charged with fraud. Without Keating, CDL soon folded. Wildmon took steps to position the AFA as the successor to CDL. He hired Swindell to manage relations with AFA’s state chapters. He also hired Bull to head a new AFA Legal Center, a five-lawyer operation that was designed to fulfill some of the functions formerly undertaken by the CDL. Like CDL, the Legal Center would attempt to boost enforcement of the obscenity laws by providing training to law enforcement officials. With the help of Swindell and Bull, the AFA exerted itself with renewed vigor in 1991. In 1990, Wildmon had begun a campaign to pressure K-mart to stop selling Playboy and Penthouse through its subsidiary, Waldenbooks. Now, he increased the pressure by accusing K-mart of selling "kiddie porn." AFA also threatened a boycott against Blockbuster Video, the nation’s largest video rental and retail chain, unless it agreed not to carry videos with the new NC-17 rating. Blockbuster, which already had a policy against carrying X-rated videos, soon announced its intention not to carry videos with the new rating. As the Legal Center began to flex its muscles early in 1991, it became clear that it meant to do more than suppress obscenity. It promised to bring cases involving "anything affecting the traditional American family." In February, the AFA filed a Federal suit to block the Woodland Joint Unified School District in California from using a language arts and reading curriculum that included stories about witches and goblins. AFA alleged that the "Impressions" series taught the "religion" of witchcraft and, therefore, violated the constitutional right of students to be protected from the establishment of a religion. In April, the Legal Center filed an amicus brief urging the Kentucky Supreme Court to reverse a decision that held the state’s sodomy law unconstitutional. In December 1991, the Legal Center became involved in another major case. Delores Stanley, a manager of a Dairy Mart store in Toronto, Ohio, defied company policy by refusing to sell Playboy, Penthouse, and other adult magazines in her store. Dairy Mart offered her a position in a store that didn’t carry magazines. When she refused, she was suspended. With the Legal Center acting on her behalf, Stanley sued Dairy Mart, claiming that to force a woman to sell adult magazines constituted sexual discrimination and harassment. If the AFA prevails in the Stanley case, thousands of stores throughout the country would be forced to discontinue the sale of books, magazines, videos and recordings that are protected by the First Amendment out of a fear that a female employee may sue them. Stanley’s case against the chain was pending at the end of 1992. After four years of victories, Wildmon encountered several setbacks in 1992. He was unsuccessful in his attempt to bar the U.S. exhibition of a British documentary, "Damned in the U.S.A." Wildmon had been interviewed for the film after the filmmakers signed a contract that he believed gave him the right to determine whether it could be shown in the United States. When they tried to exhibit the film at the American Museum of Natural History’s Margaret Mead Film Festival without his permission, Wildmon sued them for breach of contract. The filmmakers and a coalition of groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Human Rights Watch and People for the American Way, filed a suit to determine whether they could show the film without fear of legal action. In September, a Federal court ruled that Wildmon could not block the exhibition of the film and "Damned in the U.S.A." was released theatrically. Wildmon received more bad publicity in the fall of 1992 when TV Guide published an unflattering profile. Having refused to speak to reporter Claudia Dreifus while the story was being prepared, Wildmon issued a press release condemning it upon its publication. He was particularly unhappy with the report that he had received a salary of $101,159 and a $14,400 tax-free housing allowance in 1990. (Wildmon said his actual salary was $72,500; the other $28,659 had been a bonus, the first he had ever received.) Dreifus also quoted criticism of Wildmon offered by religious television critics who oppose censorship. She reported that a motion to commend Wildmon at the Methodist General Conference in May had failed by a vote of 54 to 1. Wildmon did not respond to his religious critics or to Dreifus’ revelation of AFA’s connection to Charles Keating’s organization, CDL. Another damaging story was published in November by the magazine Mother Jones. The article challenged the AFA claim of 640 chapters nationwide. It also raised questions about a purported "membership" of 450,000, which was based on the circulation of its Journal. Reporter Bill Dedman demonstrated that many of the local chapters were inactive or consisted of only a few members. By paying a fee of $25 to AFA, Dedman established his own chapter of the AFA so he could attend a conference for chapter leaders at the AFA headquarters in Tupelo. The conference attracted representatives from fewer than 40 chapters, Dedman reported. AFA membership claims are also exaggerated, he said. AFA’s list of "active" contributors, meaning those who had contributed money in the past two year, consisted of 275,193 names. AFA itself acknowledges that many "subscribers" to the Journal are ministers who receive the magazine free. Perhaps most ominous of all for Wildmon was the report in late 1992 that television advertisers were growing less skittish about explicit programming. The ability to pressure television advertisers had been Wildmon’s major weapon since the beginning of his crusade. But the television networks struck back by commissioning research on the effectiveness of Wildmon’s boycotts. In the fall of 1991, the Journal of Media Planning published a study by NBC researcher Horst Stipp that used survey data to demonstrate that Wildmon’s followers were not representative of viewers as a whole. Stipp supported his conclusion by citing a study by Daniel Linz and others showing that the viewing audience overwhelmingly supported a controversial NBC movie on date rape, "She Said No." December 1992, 179. These studies, together with the high ratings garnered by shows like "Roseanne," "Seinfeld" and "Civil Wars," appeared to convince television advertisers that there was no risk in sponsoring explicit programming so long as the shows were in good taste, the New York Times reported. Although all organizations suffer setbacks, there were reasons for believing at the end of 1992 that Wildmon’s influence had begun to decline. Inevitably, his attacks had prompted new organizational efforts by his opponents. In 1990, Americans for Constitutional Freedom brought together Michigan booksellers, video retailers, magazine wholesalers, theater owners, librarians and others to fight a package of AFA backed pro-censorship legislation in the Michigan legislature. A petition drive gathered over 40,000 names and was a major force in defeating the bills. Artists responded to Wildmon’s attacks by founding the National Campaign for Free Expression to oppose content restrictions on NEA grants. Both commercial and non- commercial anti-censorship groups worked together in 1991 and 1992 to defeat the Pornography Victims’ Compensation Act (S. 1521) in Congress. Wildmon had endorsed the principle of the bill, which was that producers and distributors of works should be held liable for their alleged effects. Wildmon said he would hold the producers of the movie Deerhunter responsible for the deaths that occurred when people imitated the characters in the movie by playing Russian roulette. It is clear that Donald Wildmon’s AFA will remain one of the country’s leading censorship groups for many years to come. With a budget of $7 million in 1992, the AFA is still a formidable adversary. Moreover, with the addition of advisers like the CDL’s Swindell and Bull, Wildmon’s organization is more sophisticated than most of its competitors. But Wildmon appears to be losing credibility with his intended targets. Once individuals and companies begin ignoring his threats, it will be only a matter of time before the country discovers that Donald Wildmon is the leader of a very small army. Television Series Attacked by the Rev. Donald E. Wildmon A Team A Man Called Hawk A Different World Alf Abb.: ALF, Verspottung von Allem, was Amerikanern heilig ist All in the Family Almost Grown Amen Anything but Love Benson Beverly Hills 90210 Blossom Bronx Zoo Cagney and Lacey Captain Planet and the Planeteers CBS Schoolbreak Special Channel 99 Charlie’s Angels Cheers Crime Story Dads Dallas Dear John Designing Women Different World Doctor, Doctor Doogie Howser, M.D. Dukes of Hazzard Dynasty Empty Nest Equalizer Evening Shade Facts of Life Family Ties First Impressions Flamingo Road 48 Hours Full House Gimme a Break Golden Girls Abb.: Golden Girls -- Unmoral im Oma-Alter {Wenn Sie HIER klicken, können Sie diese DVD bei amazon.de bestellen}   Good and Evil Grand Growing Pains Head of the Class Heart of the City Heartbeat Highway to Heaven Hill Street Blues Hogan Family Hooperman Hotel Houston Knights In Living Color In the Heat of the Night Jack & Mike Jake and the Fat Man Johnny Carson Kate & Allie Knight Rider Knots Landing LA Law Laverne & Shirley Law and Order Let’s Make a Deal Life Goes On Live-In Love, Sidney Love Boat MacGyver Magnum P.I. Married With Children Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman Matlock Matt Houston Maude Miami Vice Midnight Caller Mike Hammer Moonlighting Mr. T Mr. Belvedere Murder, She Wrote Murphy Brown My Two Dads Nancy Walker Show Newlywed Game Night Court Nightingales Northern Exposure Outlaws PrimeTime Live Remmington Steel Riptide Roseanne Sara Saturday Night Live Scarecrow and Mrs. King Scooby Doo Seinfeld Shadow Chasers Simon & Simon Simpsons Slap Maxwell Sledge Hammer Smothers Brothers Soap Sonny Spoon Spenser for Hire St. Elsewhere Stingray Sunday Dinner Sweet Surrender T.J. Hooker Tattinger’s Taxi Thorns The Cavanaughs Thirtysomething Three’s Company Three’s a Crowd Tour of Duty Trapper John, M.D. TV 101 20/20 227 Under One Roof Valerie Webster West 57th Street Who’s the Boss Wiseguy WKRP in Cincinnati Wonder Years World of Disney Year in the Life Corporations Criticized by the Rev. Donald E. Wildmon for Sponsoring Programs or Selling Material He Has Opposed A.H. Robins Abbot Labs Ace Hardware Airwick Corporation Alberto-Culver American Express American Home Products American Airlines American Motors American Cynamid Anheuser Busch Apple Computer Armstrong Industries ATT Avon Products Beatrice Foods Beecham Corporation Bristol-Meyers Burroughs Wellcome Cadbury-Schweppes Campbell’s Soups Carter-Wallace CBS Chanel Cheseborough-Pond Chrysler Circle K. Corporation Citibank Clorox Coca-Cola Colgate Palmolive Combe, Inc. Corning Glassworks Cosmair CPC International Cumberland Farms Dairy Mart Denny’s Inc. Domino’s Pizza Dow Chemical Dr. Pepper/7-UP du Pont Dunkin’ Donuts Duracell Eastman Kodak Farly Industries Ford Motor Co. Fuji Film Gallo Wines General Mills General Motors General Foods General Electric Georgia Pacific Gillette Corp. Grand Met Consumer Products Gulf and Western H.I.S. Clothing Hallmark Cards Heinz Abb.: Aber, aber John Kerry: John Kerry, Präsidentschaftskandidat 2004, ist mit der Eigentümerin von Heinz verheiratet. Helene Curtis Hershey Products Hilton Hotels Holiday Corporation Honda Hormel Hyatt Corporation Hyundai ITT Corporation J.C. Penney Johnson & Johnson Johnson Wax Co. K-mart Keebler Kellogg’s Kimberly Clark Lever Brothers Levi Strauss Marriott Corp. Mars Candy Mastercard International Mazda Motors of America McDonald’s MCI Mennen Metropolitan Life Miles Lab Mitsubishi Monsanto Nestle Nike Nissan USA North American Phillips Noxell Corp. Parker Bros. Penney’s Pepsico Pfizer Phillip Morris Pillsbury Playtex Procter and Gamble Prudential Insurance Quaker Oats Quality Inn Ralston Purina Ramada Inn Rayovac RCA Revlon Richardson Vicks RJR Nabisco Ryder Trucks Sandoz Sara Lee Corp. Schering-Plough Searle Sears-Roebuck Sharp SmithKline Beckman Sony Corporation Sterling Drug Subaru Tambrands Time, Inc. Topps Chewing Gum Toyota Tru-Value Hardware Tyson Foods U.S. Sprint Union Carbide Upjohn Visa USA Warner Communications Warner-Lambert Wendy’s Wrigley’s Yamaha Motor Corp. Zenith [Quelle: http://www.mediacoalition.org/reports/wildmon.html. -- Zugriff am 2005-04-12]

"Donald Wildmon: Watching Too Much TV? / By Rob Boston Operating from deep in the heart of Mississippi, a fundamentalist minister named Donald E. Wildmon strikes terror into the hearts of corporation executives everywhere by organizing wildly successful boycotts of firms that advertise on television shows Wildmon considers "indecent" or does he? Wildmon and his Tupelo-based American Family Association (originally called the National Federation for Decency) first came to prominence in the late 1970s when he promised to clean up television. He vowed to organize boycotts against companies that placed ads on shows that he believed contained too much sexual content. Wildmon, a 63-year-old United Methodist minister, often takes the credit when companies pull ads from certain programs, but his effectiveness has been hotly debated. Journalist Fred Clarkson reported in his 1997 book Eternal Hostility that companies such as Johnson & Johnson and Holiday Inn stood up to Wildmon's boycott threats and suffered no ill effects. Over the years, Wildmon's AFA has become a profitable family enterprise. In 1999, the last year for which figures are available, the group's budget was just under $10 million, and total assets were valued at $17.5 million. In 1991, Wildmon built WAFR, a radio station in Tupelo that broadcasts via satellite to 156 stations, reaching people in 27 states with a mix of gospel music and news. Wildmon's son, Tim, now serves as vice president of the AFA and is apparently preparing to assume the mantle of leadership when his father, who has had heart trouble, steps down. As the group grew, it took on other issues. The AFA website contains the standard Religious Right mix of attacks on public schools, public libraries, reproductive rights and gay people. There is also an entire section, labeled the "National Clearinghouse on Marilyn Manson Info," chronicling the activities of the flamboyant shock rocker. Abb.: Pokemon Cards: "Pokemon cards are cards with make believe animals/monsters that have special attacks that do a certain amount of damage. there are 150 different monsters. they are also energies that help the monsters use certain attacks. They use these cards to have battles. They were first invented in Japan." [Quelle: http://www.sd61.bc.ca/tc2000/fh1/COLLECT/COLLECT.HTM. -- Zugriff am 2005-04-12]  (Some of the AFA's recommended links are interesting, to say the least. Kjos Ministries, http://www.crossroad.to [Zugriff am 2005-04-12] , is "heartily recommended" by Wildmon for its pages attacking the popular "Harry Potter" books and Pokemon cards, both of which are accused of promoting witchcraft. The Kjos site also asserts that PBS's popular "Teletubbies" program for toddlers is part of a United Nations-led plot to impose a "global agenda for lifelong learning" on the United States.) Abb.: Teletubbies But Wildmon's bread and butter remains blasting television sitcoms for their sexual content. He and his supporters apparently have a lot of time on their hands, as they sit and doggedly record every mention of sex in sitcoms. These are summarized in the AFA's monthly magazine, the American Family Association Journal. It may be easy to dismiss such tactics as just a tad compulsive, but Wildmon watchers assert that he is more than just a noisy crank obsessed with sex talk on TV. They note that in 1991 the AFA's law center filed a lawsuit against a California public school district over the use of a series of readers called "Impressions." Wildmon asserted that the books promoted humanism and witchcraft. The courts found the AFA's claims without merit, and the suit was unsuccessful. But the fuss spooked publisher Holt, Rinehart and Winston, which stopped producing the series, despite the praise it had earned from many educators. Wildmon has also been accused of dallying with anti-Semitism. During a 1985 speech before the National Religious Broadcasters, Wildmon cited a survey of top media executives conducted by two researchers, claiming that the results "indicated that 59 percent of the people who are responsible for network programming were raised in Jewish homes. If the people who control the networks in Hollywood were 59 percent Christian and if they were only 1 percent as anti-Semitic as the networks are currently anti-Christian, there would [be] a massive public outcry from the national liberal secular media." The researchers who did the study did not support Wildmon's conclusions, and one of them later wrote to Wildmon and advised him to stop distorting its findings. Nevertheless, Wildmon continued to cite the study for the next four years. He also ignored letters on the topic from the Anti-Defamation League. The ADL has also noted that the AFA Journal has reprinted articles critical of Israel from The Spotlight, a far-right, virulently anti-Semitic newspaper published by Willis Carto, a Holocaust "revisionist." Wildmon claims nearly half a million members and hundreds of local chapters, but critics are skeptical of those figures. With his crusade to post "In God We Trust" posters in public schools, Wildmon may be trying to make the leap from monitor of naughty TV to major player in the Religious Right. Only time will tell how successful he will be." [Quelle: http://www.au.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5702&abbr=cs_. -- Zuriff am 2005-04-12]

6. Zum Beispiel: Boycott Disney!

Abb.: Ist vielleicht gar Mickey Mouse schwul? -- Video der AFA [Bildquelle: http://www.barf.org/videos/00001/. -- Zugriff am 2005-04-12]

Die American Family Association ruft zum Boycott des Disney-Konzerns auf:

"Disney Boycott Profits from family entertainment products and theme parks are subsidizing Disney's promotion of the homosexual agenda. A boycott - including even their good products - is the only way to impact the company. “Baseball, hotdogs, apple pie. . .and Disney.” A few years ago that statement would have rung true. No longer. For decades Disney was a name families could trust. The name Disney meant wholesomeness, laughter, quality family entertainment without pornography, violence and profanity. More than anything the name Disney meant children. Sadly, this is no longer true. Disney has gone from trusted friend to hostile foe of those who hold the same values and ideals that this - the world’s most popular entertainment giant - once represented. Disney’s attack on America’s families has become so blatant, so intentional, so obvious, that American Family Association has called for a boycott of all Disney products until such time as this activity ceases. This section of the AFA website connects you with valuable information that will help you to make your own decision about whether you or your family should continue to support the Walt Disney company. The place to start would be to download and print out Why American Families Should Boycott Disney. (You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it. Normally, most computers come with it already loaded.) Next, read some startling facts about the Disney company. Find out what companies are owned by Disney. If you are convinced that a boycott of the Disney corporation is the right thing to do, read How to Boycott the Walt Disney Company. The most insidious thing about today’s Disney is that they are living off the reputation of the past. Disney continues to make millions off their family fare and then sink it into movies, television shows, and printed material that assail the very values the company once espoused; the values most of us still hold dear. Disney is hoping you won’t make the connection. AFA continues to hope and pray you will!" [Quelle: http://www.afa.net/disney/. -- Zugriff am 2005-04-12]

"Facts About Disney ABC’s™ Relativity has shown what is perhaps the most passionate lesbian sexual encounter so far on network TV. Danzig, an occultic rock band, was signed to a Disney record label. Their music is laced with satanic themes. Disney helped underwrite the 1993 Hollywood benefit for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. Disney signed Martin Scorsese, director of The Last Temptation of Christ, Casino, Taxi Driver and many other hard-edged films to a 4-year-contract. Disney hired a convicted child molester, to direct its movie Powder. Mark Gill, the president of Miramax Films, a wholly-owned Disney subsidiary, admitted that his company thrives on racy, often violent promotion for its movies. Priest (Miramax) is a pro-homosexual movie which depicts five Catholic priests as dysfunctionals and blames their problems on Church teachings. One priest is a homosexual; a second an adulterer; a third an alcoholic; a fourth demented; and the fifth just plain mean and vicious. The film is blatantly anti-Christian. Other objectionable films from Disney subsidiaries included Dogma (homosexuality), Chasing Amy (lesbianism), Pulp Fiction (sex & violence), Color of Night (sex), Clerks (graphic language), Chicks in White Satan (lesbianism), Lie Down with Dogs (homosexuality), The House of Yes (incest). Disney/Miramax originally purchased and intended to distribute Kids, the pornographic movie about early teen sex and drug abuse. Miramax later formed an independent company to distribute the film. It was rated NC-17 (formerly X) by the MPAA. " [Quelle: http://www.afa.net/disney/facts.asp. -- Zugif am 2005-04-12]

How to Boycott Disney Seven ways you can make your voice heard at the Magic Kingdom. Use these suggestions as a check list during the coming months. Write the Walt Disney Company to express your concerns about company policies and products. Let Chairman Michael Eisner know what action you are planning to take. Address your letter to: Chairman Michael Eisner, 500 S. Buena Vista Street, Burbank, CA 91521. Phone: 818-560-1000. Identify and avoid movies and videos from Disney-owned film companies such as Touchstone, Hollywood Pictures, Caravan and Miramax Films. Inform your church and pastor about Disney and encourage him to address the boycott from the pulpit. Also, encourage your denomination to join the Southern Baptist Convention, Presbyterian Church in America, Assemblies of God, Free Will Baptists and others in making a strong stand against the direction of the Disney Company. (Model resolutions are available from AFA.) Choose vacation theme parks other than Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Let Chairman Michael Eisner know your intention. Avoid watching ABC. Let your local ABC affiliate know why. Find alternatives to Disney animated movies and videos. Contact local video stores or Christian bookstores for other family-friendly titles. Cancel the Disney Channel. Let your cable company know why. [Quelle: http://www.afa.net/disney/howto.asp. -- Zugriff am 2005-04-12]

"Identifying Disney Companies This is a partial list of holdings and brand names of the Walt Disney Company. In addition Disney owns scores of radio and television stations, newspapers, trade publications and magazines. Theme Parks Walt Disney World - Orlando, Florida Disneyland - Anaheim, California Movies, TV, and Music Walt Disney brands (movies, educational products, music, travel) Buena Vista brands (home video, movies, distribution, television) Capital Cities/ABC brands (television, entertainment, news, sports) Touchstone Pictures Hollywood Pictures Caravan Pictures Miramax Films The Disney Channel Hollywood Records ESPN A&E Television Network Lifetime Television Network Publishing Disney Publishing Hyperion Press Chilton Publications Other Anaheim Mighty Ducks hockey team [Quelle: http://www.afa.net/disney/companies.asp. -- Zugriff am 2005-04-12]

Zu Kapitel 5.3.: Patriotische Fundamentalisten:  "Patriot Act" — ein willkommener Anlass zur Abschaffung der Bürgerrechte