Dec 13, 2006

Livingston County Victoria’s Secret protest is part of a larger misguided protest

You just knew the small, self-appointed censors picketing the Victoria’s Secret store in the new Green Oak Village Place mall and the adult video and novelty store in Brighton could not have come up with that idea on their own, and it turns out they didn’t.

Thanks to a fellow progressive blogger, Media Mouse, it has come to my attention that the Victoria's Secret protest is really the brain child of another, larger group of self-appointed censors called the American Decency Association (ADA), located right here in Michigan on the north west side of the state in Freemont.

According to Media Mouse and ADA’s web site, the group “has launched a campaign targeting Michigan malls--including RiverTown Crossings in Grandville--according to research conducted by Media Mouse. The Fremont, Michigan-based ADA has undertaken a campaign targeting Victoria's Secret for what it terms "indecency at the local mall" arguing that the retail chain's window displays, in-store advertisements, and television advertisements are a "threat" to "public decency."”

Boy, does that ever sound like our intrepid group of protectors of our morals from Green Oak Township's Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Church led by church employee Patrick Flynn and Hamburg Township resident Robin Blaszak. What’s really surprising is they had the initiative to actually find the store in Brighton on their own.

But the really sad part is that the Associated Press, TV stations all over the state and even Faux News has picked up on this harebrained Victoria’s Secret protest. With the recent auction of KKK memorabilia last year, this ridiculous protest and the banning of a popular juvenile book last week at Howell High School I wonder what the rest of the civilized and tolerant world thinks of us? What I do know is this group’s 15 minutes of fame is long over.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

what popular book was banned?

-Nirmal

http://www.capitalviewpoint.com

Communications guru said...

Apparently, the book has not been “banned” but pulled.

“Howell Public Schools administrators are stressing a controversial book being used in one class at Howell High School has been pulled, not banned.
The book is called "The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and The World Around Them."
Here’s a link,

http://www.livingstondaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/NEWS01/612150301

Anonymous said...

Didn't the local newspaper label it "banned"?

Communications guru said...

Initially they did. However, Howell Public Schools say the book - "The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and The World Around Them" - has been “pulled” not “banned.” They apparently say there is a difference. The district claims it was not approved before hand, and it is now being reviewed by a committee. I also seem to remember a few years ago a book called “Whale Talk” by Chris Crutcher was banned by a district in the county.