TV hero McGyver ousting parents as role model

JAKARTA (JP): An expert on mass communication warns that American TV hero McGyver is slowly taking over the role that should be played by Indonesian parents in instilling values to their children.

Alwi Dahlan said between 50 to 60 million Indonesian children are becoming what is called the "TV Generation" since they learn their values from television rather than from their parents.

"Because their socialization process comes chiefly from television, I'm afraid that these children are now becoming the children of McGyver," Alwi was quoted by the Antara news agency as saying.

He said that the domination of foreign programs on Indonesian television means that these children are learning values which are alien to them.

Many Indonesian children also do not see their parents as often as they should nowadays because both of them work, he said.

McGyver is but one of the many American TV series's currently barraging the Indonesian audience through one of the five networks accessible in most large cities.

Alwi, who is a member of the BP-7 board, the government agency which propagates the Pancasila ideology through various courses, was speaking during a gathering with members of the executive board of the Generation of 1945, an organization of former freedom fighters.

He said Indonesian children need to learn from the values of the Generation of 1945 but a new and fresh way must be found to convey the message to them, he said.

The values of the Generation of 1945 include their strong fighting spirit in times of trouble, something that the present generation has never experienced, he said. (emb)