It is difficult to label something “good” or “bad” because as values are judgements, typically the product of social norms and morality imposed by the status quo of a society. However, putting this dilemma aside temporarily, we can see from watching MTV that many viewers may have behaviors reinforced that are typically considered “bad” in modern society. Each spring hundreds of thousands of college students travel on spring break to relax in the sun, party and otherwise have a good time. This spring, as in previous ones, MTV covered the action on spring break from Daytona beach. The show aired live from Daytona, staging its own activities and events for the crowd of mostly tanned, buffed and young college students in attendance.
There were many instances of behavior considered “bad” by modern standards that were reinforced during this week-long coverage of Spring break. For example, MTV staged a contest wherein the male and female participants had whipped cream sprayed onto their bodies where a bathing suit (bikini or Speedo’s) would normally be. After being sprayed with whipped cream, the males and females appeared on stage and had to dance, with audience applause levels dictating the winners of the contest. During their dances, it was obvious that male penises were filmed flopping up and down as their owner’s danced, whether or not they were covered in whipped cream. The female contestants breasts exhibited similar motion and were partially visible as the heat began to melt the whipped cream. Obviously, this kind of contest objectifies men and women and teaches younger viewers that public displays of nudity and obscene behavior are acceptable.
Another feature of the Spring break coverage was the comedian Tom Green. Green is considered by some to be a latter-day Andy Kaufman, a comedic genius who pushes the envelope of annoying people with his presumably funny intrusion
...