a radical defense of broccoli tv: beyond Mooks and Midriffs

So what happens to all the careful research and money spent by companies like MTV in marketing and targeting teens, and trying to learn who they really are? What kind of portrait emerges of the American teenage male?

The Mook is what critics call the crude, loud, obnoxious, in-your-face character that can be found almost any hour of day or night somewhere on MTV. He's a teen frozen in permanent adolescence. There's MTV's Tom Green of the "Tom Green Show"

And the daredevils on "Jackass" who indulge in dignity-defying feats like poo diving. The Mook is also found in the frat boys on MTV's ubiquitous "Spring Break" specials. And, the Mook has migrated to MTV's sister network, Comedy Central, where he's the cartoon cutouts of "South Park," or the lads on the "Man Show."

In FRONTLINE's report, media analyst and correspondent Douglas Rushkoff says that there's no Mook in nature, "He' s a creation of marketers, designed to capitalize on the testosterone-driven madness of adolescence. He grabs them below the belt and then reaches for their wallets.

The Midriff

Along with the Mook, the media machine has spit out a second caricature in teen marketing. It's a stereotype that could be called the Midriff. The Midriff is no more true to life than the Mook. If the Mook is arrested in adolescence, the Midriff is prematurely adult. If the Mook doesn't care what people think of him, the Midriff is consumed by appearances. If his thing is crudeness, hers is sex. The Midriff is really a collection of the same old sexual cliches, but repackaged as a new kind of female empowerment.

The midriff archetype is undoubtedly teenage mega-star Britney Spears, whose latest album, "Oops I Did it Again," has sold over eight million copies. At the 2000 Video Music Awards, when Britney famously came out of her clothes, she wasn't just pleasing eager young boys; she was delivering a powerful message to girls: your body is your best asset, flaunt your sexuality even if you don't understand it. And that's a key message, because Britney's most loyal fans are teenage girls.