Somebody Think of the Children
Parental outrage
Parents outraged at Lady Gaga concert: Calls for concerts to be classified

Parents outraged at Lady Gaga concert: Calls for concerts to be classified

There’s news this morning that some parents who took their tween children to Aussie Lady Gaga concerts are gagging because of the adult nature of the concert. Rewind. Yes they are upset because a performer, renowned for her racy costumes and hybrid-burlesque-strip-show music videos, put on a concert that was probably best left to adults...

Raunchy music videos to stay: Parents outraged at prospect of having to supervise children

Some Australian parents and children organisations are outraged that the government will not implement tighter classification laws for ‘raunchy’ music videos. According to the government, there ‘was a ‘low level’ of community concern about music videos’. They also said they had no power over the Advertising Standards Board, presumably in response to calls for stricter...

Good News Week writer Ian Simmons on wowsers and outrage

In her piece about the rise of ‘news comedy’ on television, Melbourne comedian Courteney Hocking includes some fitting comments about wowserism in Australia from Ian Simmons, the head writer for Good News Week. When The Chaser team was roundly castigated for their “Make A Realistic Wish Foundation” sketch it revealed another reason why satire rarely...

Outrage over Cocaine energy drink, Jim Beam chips

Firstly, the Queensland Consumer Association is enraged that an energy drink called Cocaine will soon be available in Australia (it’s already in stores in the US and Britain). The association’s state secretary Max Howard said calling a drink Cocaine is just wrong and trivialising an illicit drug is unethical. He’ll seek advice from the Australian...

Anna Bligh uses Attorney-General, police to censor Wicked Vans

Could there be a bigger and more disgusting waste of Government resources: QLD Premier Anna Bligh has sicked her dogs, the State’s Attorney-General and Police service, onto Wicked rental vans for what’s been described as a ‘highly offensive’ slogan. According to the Cairns Post, a Cairn’s resident complained about one of the companies vans with...

Sunrise attack ‘Adult Barbie,’ get it all wrong

Morning shows are the masters of two things: Jumping to conclusions, and whipping up a moral frenzy over absolutely nothing. Their big mum audience is perfect for generating coffee cup outrage all day long. This morning Sunrise ‘family expert’ Dr Michael Carr-Gregg got stuck into a new fishnet flaunting Barbie doll. They labeled it Adult...

Controversial plastic surgery book for kids not so controversial

The Aussie Today Show wanted to get stuck into American plastic surgeon Michael Salzhauer this morning about his book My Beautiful Mommy, but the M.D left Lisa struggling for words. I get the feeling the Today Show was expecting a bedtime story for kids that advocated plastic surgery for 5 year olds, but Salzhauer’s book...

‘Obscene’ camper vans offend Brisbane wowser

I never thought I’d need a category for vehicle censorship when I started this blog, but than I never thought anyone could be offended by a camper van. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Brisbane wowser and soon-to-be protector of the moral majority, Lucy Clark, is positively outraged that she was bombarded with suggestive artwork painted on...

Drug leaflet leaves parents choking on their own outrage

Parents and newspapers are going bonkers over an educational drug pamphlet (pictured here) put out by the Sydney West Area Health Service (SWAHS). A pamphlet they say encourages drug use because it advises readers of some precautions to take should they choose to experiment with drugs. ‘It’s wrong. It shouldn’t be encouraging the kids to...

Parents foaming at mouth over nude teacher photograph, students revolt

Outraged parents, nude teachers, and classroom protests. The only thing that could make this story anymore insane would be a pack of axe wielding albino midgets. Students of Sydney primary school teacher Lynne Tziolas have started a petition to have her reinstated after she was sacked for appearing naked in Cleo magazine. Lynne, who teaches...

Treadmills want to kill you and your cat

Calling for stricter regulation of treadmills because children have been injured by them is like calling for stricter regulation of kitchen knives. They are both items intended for adults. Any injury a child sustains from them is likely because the parent wasn’t supervising them or didn’t take proper measures to prevent access to it. You...

Who ya gonna call? Fun Busters!

Kate Sikora from the Daily Tele asks how far do lobby groups, which claim to have childrens’ best interests at heart, want to go with curtailing any possible shred of fun our youth might have? If the fun police in this country have any more influence your only enjoyment looks like being allowed out of...