Shock Value On TV: How does it Effect the Audience?

In the fifties an episode of "Father Knows Best" was not allowed by the censors to air because it had a scene where a toilet could be seen in the background. In the '99/2000 TV season an episode of Will and Grace" showed Grace taking pictures of a celebrity's toilet, one with the lid down, and one with it up. This is an example of the changing morals in today's television content. One reason morals are declining is shock value. Shock value is a lower form of humour often used in sitcoms to get a cheap laugh of surprise out of the audience. Statistics have shown that shows with high sh…