THERE'S A STRANGER IN YOUR HOUSE
                              by Jerry McGuire

    On an average of six times a day, there's a stranger in your house, a
    stranger who has free access to your children and unlimited influence
    on their lives. The task of the stranger is simple. Its goal is to
    limit our ability to distinguish fantasy from reality. After all,
    that's what the stranger is all about.

    The stranger often teaches our children things we would detest. It
    uses language which is gross and offensive. It shows our children
    things which are shocking and repulsive. This stranger has no concern
    for the age, experience or vulnerability of its victims. The stranger
    comes visiting at all hours without warning and is devious regarding
    its true intent. Its messages are often deceptive and appealing to
    young, innocent minds.

    This stranger is cunning and has learned through years of practice
    and billions of dollars in research, how to enter the very soul of
    its prisoners. It has become an expert at exploiting audiences and
    trains them to go seek new participants. Recently the stranger has
    been "transformed" into a plastic cartridge which allows it to enter
    your home anytime and deliver its message of demand without time
    constraints.

    The stranger has become so accepted in our homes that it has been
    given a place of honor in most of our rooms. It has even been allowed
    to join us during meals, as long as the meals do not disturb its
    message. Ironically, whenever the stranger joins us, it usually
    becomes the center of attention, rather than a stranger. At our
    dining tables we allow it to talk about things which would not be
    allowed during most family discussions.

    Although this stranger can be crude, obscene and vulgar, we have
    decided that it can explain some things better than parents. We have
    given it permission to explain life, sex, family values, ethics and
    love. We depend upon it to define our values and priorities. We've
    turned over child care and family entertainment to its expertise.
    We've determined that we cannot live without its stimulation,
    motivation and sublimation. We have submitted ourselves, the lives of
    our children, to this stranger.

    We spend untold hours telling our children of the dangers of
    strangers. We teach them not to talk to strangers, walk with
    strangers, ride with strangers or take things from strangers.
    However, with this special stranger, anything goes.

    Everyday for an average of six hours, we give our children to the
    "stranger of the tube." Everyday the stranger talks to our children
    more than most parents do in a month. We allow the stranger to teach
    them things and use language for which we would have a real stranger
    arrested. We allow the stranger to cheat, lie, demonstrate how to
    commit crimes and how to avoid, and beat, our judicial system.

    Without hesitation, the stranger mocks parents, belittles people of
    honor, makes fun of moral values, denies honorable beliefs, and
    scoffs at family and cultural traditions.

    The stranger is powerful. It has thousands of employees who further
    its causes and develop its sophistication. It is so powerful that if
    it stops performing, we will use any means to acquire a new one
    immediately -- usually bigger, better, louder, and more detailed and
    preferably with attachable appendages to assist the stranger in
    accomplishing its purpose.

    Recently some interested groups are advocating that the stranger
    should become a regular part of the daily curriculum in our schools.
    It would be allowed to visit our children without censorship or a
    preview of its presentation or contents. It would also be allowed to
    advertise its supporters and special interests.

    Fortunately, the stranger is not entirely evil. Like any visitor, it
    has characteristics of value and interest. However, its behavior and
    influence on the lives of our children must be monitored. Parents
    must determine how much influence they want to turn over to the
    stranger when it is visiting.

    There's a stranger in your house. It's keeping our children from
    doing their homework. It's preventing parents and children from
    talking together. The stranger is coming between members of the
    family.  It has become the center of our society. We might consider
    scheduling its visits, and determining what we will allow the
    stranger to discuss and demonstrates when it visits our family.

    Jerry McGuire Superintendent, Butte County Schools

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