iCarly battles rage on: petition against Build-a-Bear, David Archuleta sells ‘hob knocker’ shirts
As I review feedback and re-evaluate my iCarly Ban article, the battle over iCarly appears to be over the target audience, which are NOT teens.
One poster, like many supporters, suggest that the teen audience,ages 10-14, is NICK’s focus and can handle the humor and crude insults.
Unfortunately, I suggest this isn’t the case.
Build-a-Bear is a popular chain of stores geared toward small children NOT TEENS and they are promoting the new iCarly bear. The bear isn’t particularly special, but the weekend long promotion, endless posters and ads all reveal that NICK’s focus is a broader market.
There are no petitions to end the show or ban show. Now, I’m not advocately that at all.
Again, let me say, I don’t want the show banned, but I refuse to let my kids watch the show and I don’t feel it’s appropriate for younger viewers at all.
Maybe I’ll get some iCarly supporters to help me beyond the whole “It’s just a TV show” defense.
No accountability: There’s no real supervision as the older brother acts as a guardian for Carly, but anytime she sneaks out, breaks a rule or disrespects elders – it goes unpunished by the brother and by the principal of the school.
Endless insults: iCarly will provide your child with a laundry list of insults to replace the profane language that you may have banned. Some comments are insensitive (and arguably racist)as in the Japanese episode when Carly tells Spencer (the older brother) to talk to his Japanese lamp like an angry old Japanese man.
Freddie’s failed attempts to help Carly climb up the kitchen counter top loosely resemble a sex position.
Utopian role model: Similar to the Harry Potter syndrome, the main character can do no wrong. No matter what rule has to be broken, authority denied, the end game for the main character is all that matters.
I was shocked to see so must interest my column on banning iCarly from my household. I was even more surprised so many outraged parents frustrated at the show.
On another note, the “hobknocker” controversy rages on as the show and David Archuleta continues to attempt to redefine the word. Universally the urban slang was used to describe someone who punches a man/boy in his privates.
After use on iCarly, the word is now “supposed” to be a derivative of hobgoblin or troll — good luck with that.
Declaring a word “clean” despite it’s previous association doesn’t eliminate its history.
Archuleta is even cashing in on the incident by selling “What’s a Hob Knocker?” t-shirts.
Just what you want your child wearing isn’t it?
Well, that’s the influence iCarly has on some kids.
Petitions to end show: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/icarly-world-of-sickness , http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/icarly-is-a-menace , http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/CancelCarlyRightAway
