During my early teens, I learned to love Cory and the gang from the popular 90’s television show, Boy Meets World. I have been a fan for as long as I can remember and can sit for hours laughing at each episode. I always thought that the T.V. show set a good example for teens on how to deal with similar situations that Cory and his friends are faced with. However, three episodes were banned from airing on the Disney channel because they contained “mature” content: sex and alcohol.

Granted, these “touchy” topics may give the wrong impression to teenagers if not explained well enough or if the issues aren’t clear to the audience. Such a show like Boy Meets World, however, provides moral solutions to the pressures of growing up. Our society is so worried about what messages television shows send these days that producers and parents alike avoid discussing the problem altogether. Instead of enlightening kids on the pressures they may face, the topics are altogether ignored, thinking that what they don’t know won’t hurt them.

For those of you who have never seen Boy Meets World, each season basically follows the life of Cory Matthews as he transitions through middle school to college. Cory’s girlfriend Topanga, along with his best friend Shawn and brother Eric are right beside him every step of the way. While “wandering down this road that [they] call life”, they encounter problems that test their friendships and relationships, all the while learning and maturing along the way.

Boy Meets World originally aired on ABC Family until the season ended in 2000. The Disney channel then took over showing reruns. ABC Family made the decision not to show three of the episodes which were previously aired on ABC Family.

In the first of the three banned episodes, entitled “If You Can’t Be With the One You Love…,” Cory was dumped by his Topanga and had trouble coping. People called him “Cory the downer” and he wasn’t invited to a big party the upcoming weekend. To solve this problem, Cory stole whiskey from his father and drank it before going to the party. He ended up being the life of the party and people liked being around him. Shawn eventually found Cory drinking in the bathroom, who convinces Shawn to experience the “magical powers” of alcohol with him. On the way home, the boys were caught by the cops and scolded by Cory’s parents when they got home. They both agreed never to drink again, but the habit was harder for Shawn to give up. Cory found Shawn drinking the very next day. Shawn was confronted by his brother Jack because their father’s drinking problem was the cause of their parents’ breakup. Shawn was also confronted by his girlfriend Angela, but he became angry and hit her. After Angela walked out on him, he became appalled at himself for what the “powers” of alcohol urged him to do. He then vowed to stop drinking for good since he saw the person alcohol brought out in him.

In the second of the banned episodes, “PROM-ises, PROM-ises,” the two couples Cory and Topanga and Shawn and Angela, wanted to make their prom night meaningful by having sex. Cory made all the arrangements, such as renting a hotel room, so that everything would be just perfect. Cory and Topanga had talked about it and thought they were both ready. Shawn and Angela on the other hand hadn’t discussed the issue yet, so before the big night began Angela decided that since they weren’t able to talk about it, they weren’t ready to do it. Long story short, Cory’s plans fell through and he and Topanga decided that they weren’t as ready as they seemed.

So, what messages do both of these episodes send? Don’t drink because it becomes addictive and hurts friendships, and don’t have premarital sex because teen couples are not mentally or physically ready to handle the consequences. Who wouldn’t want their child to learn this in the form of a real-life situation? I just don’t understand why parents and producers try to shield children away from these scenarios that they will one day have to face. Teen drinking and premarital sex may be frowned upon by society, but many kids are faced with these issues and don’t know how to act. On most occasions, mistakes involving sex and alcohol are made because those involved are uneducated or don’t know how to act. I mean, sure, kids learn about sex and alcoholism in health classes, but a lecture doesn’t have the same effect on kids as seeing the situation acted out realistically. I think it’s ridiculous to ban episodes just for the material they mention, especially when it their meaning is motivational. If helping a friend defeat alcoholism is not standing up to peer pressure, then I don’t know what is.

Underage drinking and pre-marital sex would not be such a big deal in our society if teens of our generation didn’t feel as though talking about these subjects was taboo. It seems like television companies are trying to hide these touchy issues for as long as possible, until the viewers are “mature” enough. By this point, the projected audience may have already given in to peer-pressure. The earlier kids start learning about the pressures of adolescence, the better they will understand the consequences of the choices they make. If the Disney channel network really wanted kids to learn how to handle these situations, they would teach them early on rather than allow them to learn the hard way.