Some things should come with a warning

UTM alumna Rebeca DeBoard Seitz and her husband, Charles Seitz, routinely eat breakfast with their children, 8-year-old Anderson and 4-year-old Ella Christie, while watching the morning news, therefore providing an opportunity to then discuss with their children what they saw in the news but at a level more age appropriate to help them understand better.

Until recently, the family’s breakfast routine had seemed to be working quite successfully for all the concerned parties. The morning of Aug. 8 seemed like any other morning in the Seitz home; certainly there was no warning given that particular day’s morning routine would end up bringing national attention to the household. That morning started like all others with only two minor variations. The first being that Charles Seitz, who until the family’s recent move to Naples, Fla., worked in ITS at UTM, was away on a business trip and the second being that Ella Christie had slept in.

During that morning’s routine of breakfast and news, a commercial came on for a new ABC series called “Betrayal.” When Seitz finally realized what was happening, it was too late; this commercial had not been preceded by a warning. Sometimes commercials or other materials that are of a mature nature are shown during hours that children might be watching are preceded by a warning; warnings let the parents decide whether or not their minors should be allowed to view the material. When Seitz looked over at her 8-year-old son, she saw that his eyes had gone huge. The reason for the sudden change was the scene on the television: A totally nude man and woman were having sex. For clarification purposes, no genitals were shown in the commercial; however, it was very clear what they were doing.

At first, Seitz’s motherly instinct to protect her son went into high gear and then the instincts instilled within her while she was at UTM earning both a degree in political science and a degree in communications and at Murray State earning her Masters in Mass Communication went into overdrive.

“I got Andy out of the room and took a picture of the image on my screen and texted it to my husband, letting him know our son had seen that and he’d need to talk with him. I then posted it on my Facebook page to share with my friends who are also in the media and entertainment industries, to see if there was something we could do to stop it from happening again. Facebook removed my post, saying the image, ‘violated community standards,’” Seitz said.

“A friend suggested I put it on my blog so we could all continue the discussion. Then a Fox News host [Todd Starnes] saw it and put a link to my blog post on his Facebook page. Then a reporterfrom The Blaze called and interviewed me and wrote a big piece on it a day or two later. From there, it’s been a media firestorm. Glenn Beck’s radio and television programs, CNN, Huffington Post, Capitol Hill Show … it seems I’m not alone in thinking nudity shouldn’t be served up during the morning news when audiences of all ages are watching.”

Seitz grew up with her parents and sister in Hornbeak until she was in 4th grade and then the family moved to Dresden, Tenn. During her years at UTM, she was part of the University Scholars organization, served as a SGA senator and UTM ambassador, was a member of both Sigma Alpha Iota and PRSSA.  The years Seitz spent at UTM were filled with many life-changing and wonderful experiences making pinning down a favorite thing about UTM challenging.

“My favorite thing about UTM was the faculty. Dr. Ogg, Dr. Nanney, Dr. May and others did not treat me as a student. They approached me as someone with a mind worth engaging and an ability to perform. I appreciated that immensely – the freedom they gave to learn, explore and ask questions,” Seitz said.

Seitz considers herself to be a story junkie. All of her hobbies relate in some way to stories. She is interested in reading, watching and writing TV, going to and watching movies, scrapbooking her family’s life, promoting the works of other storytellers and people watching.

Seitz started her career as a launch publicist for Thomas Nelson Publishers’ in their fiction division. After a year, she left and opened a company called Glass Road. It originally started as a public relations firm for storytellers but has now grown into a publisher and artist management company as well.

Seitz is also a published author herself. She published her first novel, “Prints Charming,” in 2007 and has gone on to publish four more since, including: “Sisters, Ink,” “Coming Unglued,” “Scrapping Plans” and “Perfect Piece.” She is currently writing a storyline for both a TV movie that will serve as the pilot to a series and a series of novels featuring the same characters.

Two years ago Seitz and a group of like-minded individuals in Naples, Fla., a conservative town with Hollywood-like characteristics, founded the non-profit SON: Spirit of Naples.

“It’s a place where people of faith who are film/TV production or publishing people, writing mainstream, commercially-viable material, can get together, learn, and help each other get their work produced/published, distributed and promoted,” Seitz said.

The Seitz family moved to Naples, Fla., over the summer partially because of the tremendous growth of SON but mainly to be closer to Charles Seitz’s parents, who live in Naples; however, Seitz has not forgotten UTM or its students.

“Congratulations. You are at an incredible university. Use your time wisely – enjoy, play, build relationships, engage and perform well both in and out of the classroom. The habits and ideas you form during this time will affect you for years to come. Choose and consider with care,” Seitz said.

Read Seitz’s blog post that started the national buzz at: rebecaseitz.wordpress.com/. The “Betrayal” commercial referred to in this article can be viewed at: www.thehollywoodgossip.com/videos/betrayal-trailer/. The Huffington Post article referred to in this article can be viewed at: www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/16/rebeca-seitz-porn-ad-morning-television_n_3768455.html. The interview with The Blaze can be viewed at: www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/08/13/frustrated-mom-posts-scathing-blog-post-excoriating-hollywoods-immorality-after-her-young-son-sees-shocking-sex-scene/. The Glenn Beck interview can be viewed at: www.glennbeck.com/2013/08/14/what-is-happening-to-american-entertainment/.