The discussion of
the rape continues outside of the interrogation room:

Detective: “Dan’s
attorney is right. We can’t charge him with the rape.”

Detective Stabler:
“If it looks like a rape and acts like a rape…”

Detective: “It is a
rape, unless the accused is unconscious of what his body is doing. It’s like a
sleeping mother who rolls over on a baby. Her body did it, but her mind wasn’t
aware of it.”

How does the
prolonged discussion of an “accidental” rape warrant a mere TV-14? If this
content isn’t enough to warrant at least the “D” descriptor, representing
suggestive dialogue, what about the discussion of a virtual world where Rachel,
the missing girl, and her friend, Ginger, created characters that are
prostitutes and strippers?

Ginger: “Actually
you’re close. Rachel and I use A.Y. to explore our fantasies.”

Detective Benson:
“What kind of fantasies?”

Ginger: “We own a
couple of virtual sex clubs.”

Detective: “How do
avatars have sex?”

Ginger: “Same way
as humans do. Only in A.Y. it’s animated. I’ll show you. Here’s me and Vixie
entertaining a couple of dates.”

The virtual world
and Rachel’s “business” is shown. The business is called “Vixie Platinum’s
Underage Wonderstage,” where the viewer can see Rachel and Ginger’s internet
personalities spanking men who are bent over chairs. As Ginger’s personality
whips one of the men, the man can be heard saying “Yeah!” creating the illusion
that he is excited by this act.

Ginger explains to
the detectives that their virtual characters can have sex just like in the real
world. According to Ginger the sex is “…safe. Sex for money with no risk of
STD or getting pregnant. We're not hurting anybody.”

Just because a
scene is animated and shown over the internet does not make it exempt from
correct ratings. If this scene involved real people, a woman spanking a man for
his sexual pleasure and her receiving money for it, it would most certainly
warrant the “S” descriptor—but clearly the industry continues to hide behind
animation.

This episode
featured a depiction of a rape, an extended discussion of the rape, a discussion
of a virtual world where people live out their sexual fantasies, the depiction
of animated characters spanking men for pleasure, and yet had no “S” or “D”
descriptor. How were parents supposed to know this content was in this
episode? How are parents expected to use the V-chip when content like this
doesn’t even warrant the “S” or “D” descriptors? Parents cannot use the V-Chip
to protect their children from offensive content when the industry consistently
misrates their programming.

If you agree that
this program was inadequately rated, please write to the TV ratings advisory
board at
tvomb@usa.net and let them know that the TV
ratings once again failed to adequately warn parents about inappropriate
content.

Parents Television Council,
www.parentstv.org, PTC,
Clean Up TV Now, Because our children are watching, The
nation's most influential advocacy organization, Protecting
children against sex, violence and profanity in
entertainment, Parents Television Council Seal of Approval,
and Family Guide to Prime Time Television
are trademarks of the Parents Television Council.