Issues@Hand
AFA initiatives, Christian activism, news briefs
June 2002 – With a boycott already under way due to the company’s sponsorship of objectionable television programming, Volkswagen further incensed concerned parents by calling them “meaningless.”
Onemillionmoms.com(OMM) and Onemilliondads.com (OMD) contacted Volkswagen in early April about the company’s ads sponsoring the show Boston Public (Fox). That controversial drama, which takes place in a fictional Boston high school, continues to be one of the worst on television in terms of explicit sexual content.
The company responded to E-mails from OMM and OMD members with a statement that said: “We, as a company, do have certain sensibilities when considering this valid concern [about Boston Public’s content]. For the moment, therefore, Volkswagen does not plan to have any specific advertising activity on this show for the rest of the television season. Volkswagen also plans to evaluate this matter with high consideration of this issue for next season.”
AFA Special Projects Director Randy Sharp and AFA Executive Assistant Buddy Smith contacted Volkswagen to see if its statement meant that the company might once again sponsor Boston Public next season, despite the show’s content.
Volkswagen Public Relations spokesman Tony Fouladpour not only angrily said the company would definitely consider advertising on the show next season, but he also called OMM and OMD a “meaningless organization.”
Sharp said, “Volkswagen is certainly free to do whatever they want with their advertising dollars, but to insult thousands of parents by stating that their concerns are meaningless to the company is foolish. Those same parents might take their ‘meaningless’ dollars elsewhere.”
Companies stop ads on The Shield
While Boston Public haunts the regular Fox network, another series called The Shield airs on the Fox subsidiary cable network FX. That vulgar new cop drama has been renewed for a second season by the network.
The Shield’s regular cast of anti-hero characters is law enforcement low-lifes. In the April 9 episode, for example, series hero Vic Mackey, a crooked police detective, and three other officers lead a drug bust, then steal a large portion of the confiscated contraband.
The episode also focuses on Julian, who is identified as a Christian. Julian goes to his homosexual lover’s house to tell him that their sexual encounters are wrong and they can’t continue to see each other. However, Julian’s lover seduces him and the pair are shown making out on the sofa.
The sexual content is graphic. It is implied that Vic is having an adulterous affair with a female officer. In the April 16 episode, the cops are investigating the murder of a 12- to 14-year-old prostitute. In their pursuit of the killer, the police enter the dark world of child sex and child pornography, and Vic watches as a young girl has sex with a client. (While the sex scene was not visually explicit, it contained clear audio of the sexual encounter.)
The Shield contains scenes with full male and female rear nudity, visually explicit sex scenes, and vulgar references to male and female genitalia. In the March 26 episode, viewers were treated to the sight of a refrigerator full of jars containing semen.
The series contains graphic violence and gore, and the characters on the show regularly use explicit profanity. In the April 16 episode, for example, there were 13 profane uses of God, Jesus, or Jesus Christ, and five uses of the s-word – all in addition to the “normal” profanity which regularly appears even on network television.
OMM and OMD contacted a number of advertisers who had been sponsoring The Shield, and most quickly responded by dropping it once they were made aware of the show’s content. Subway, Honda, Budget, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, KFC, and WD-40 all indicated they would no longer advertise on the show.
At press time, however, both Kia Motors and Progressive Insurance had refused to heed the concerns of OMM and OMD. Progressive has even threatened legal action against OMM.
Those wanting to join OMM or OMD, or those who want to find out the current status of the effort to persuade either Kia or Progressive to be more socially responsible with their advertising dollars, should visit www.onemillionmoms.com or www.onemilliondads.com. 
Contact
Volkswagen of America
President Gerd Klauss
3800 Hamlin Road
Auburn Hills, MI 48326.
1-800-374-8389 or 1-800-822-8987
