ABC seems to have a fascination with sexualizing kids lately. In Wednesday night’s episode “D-a-t-e-Date?” on ABC’s Speechless, Ray (Mason Cook) organizes a boys’ night after a girl breaks his heart. When his mother (Minnie Driver) embarrasses him, the only way he can get back in with the guys is to show a fake picture of his nipple, pretending it is his girlfriend’s.
Justin: Hey, Ray. How's that, uh, vow of celibacy? [ Laughter ]
Ray: You think my mom knows what this dirty dog gets up to?
Justin: What do you mean?
Ray: She doesn't know this, but I have one girlfriend... ....That I know of.
Justin: I guess we should just take your word for it. Or we could check for pictures of her on your phone.
Ray: I don't take pictures of her. I'd much rather live in the moment than observe it through a lens.
Boy: Wait. Is that what I think it is?
Justin: What? No way. She sent you a nipple pic?
Ray: Oh. Yep. That's from my girlfriend. She sent me a sext. And that's the sext.
Justin: Ray, you're awesome.
Ray: I am. And that is hers. It looks healthy, right?
Keep in mind that these kids are supposed to be in their early high-school years, and the scene becomes all the worse. Not only are (fake) pics of girls’ nipples celebrated as “awesome” but these are underage kids we’re seeing. Liberals are so adamant about men treating women as something other than sex objects, but their shows can’t seem to move past that idea even for kids.
Does Ray's mother provide some sense in this chaos? Yes…then no. She is at first rightly angry at his deception for a number of reasons, but then the problem turns to Ray’s reputation. You see, it is always better to be a sexual deviant than a laughing stock to a bunch of immature boys. She helps to hide the truth from his principal, pushing his false image of carrying a picture of a girl’s nipple.
It doesn’t matter that Ray is eventually exposed because the message is clear. A high school boy can be cool for carrying what constitutes as child pornography, and a mother can be cool for helping him keep his perverted image. Decency’s just not cool anymore.
Despite all that, there is a brief moment of sensibility in the episode when daughter Dylan (Kyla Kenedy) gets in trouble at school. Though she rightfully gets punished for destroying school property, it almost seems worth it after hearing her reasons.
Dr. Miller: Oh, Mr. And Mrs. Dimeo, thank you for coming in. We have a problem.
Jimmy: Kiddo, what happened?
Dylan: I'm being persecuted for a righteous act of civil disobedience.
Dr. Miller: Eh, she flipped out and broke a trophy. And it was the sportsmanship award. Isn't that ironic?
Dylan: The trophy culture at this school is a disgrace. It promotes mediocrity. Look at them, Mom.
Maya: "Participation." "Most improved." "Most improved participation"? Well, that's the one you break.
Jimmy: All right, we're debating which trophy to break next, obviously, Dylan will replace this one. Are there any other consequences we should discuss?
Dr. Miller: Well, we've explored our disciplinary options -- suspension, detention -- but we decided on a more positive –
Dylan: Do not pull out a trophy.
You can tell how awful a liberal concept can be when even an ABC show makes fun of it. If only other ideas can go the way of the “Most improved participation” trophy.
