Item

Category

What we encourage:

What we exclude:

1.                   

Choreography

Presentation of wholesome physical activity and exercise in the best spirit of teamwork, positive relationships, and moderate to vigorous exertion designed to promote a higher level of fitness and health

Inappropriate movements and stances; “turn on” positions and movements, pelvic gyrations, body language promoting a sexual or sensual context for relationships

2.                   

Gender

Upholding the highest standards of human dignity and honor in relation to the emerging manhood and womanhood of young people

Inappropriate references of a sexual or sensual nature; any references that could be construed as being denigrating to either womanhood or manhood; any references that could be construed as sexual harassment in any form

3.                   

Ethnicity

Seeking for balance in the presentation of different ethnic personalities among the presenters used to portray scenes or deliver educational themes or vignettes

Ethnic slurs or inappropriate references based on race or national origin

4.                   

Politics

Remaining neutral with respect to issues of a political or partisan nature

Promotion of partisan issues or themes best left to political discourse – whether of a local, regional, or national nature

5.                   

Violence

Upholding values of harmony, peace, teamwork, unity, brotherhood, working toward a common good, etc.

No gratuitous violence or the depicting of activities harmful to individuals or groups

6.                   

Language

Dialogue and discourse that is edifying, positive, wholesome

No language that reflects profanity, vulgarity, sexual innuendo; avoidance of  four-letter words

7.                   

Tolerance

Accepting of all individuals, regardless of physical characteristics, mental condition, national origin, or gender; upholding the best qualities and potential of every individual, regardless of disabilities or challenges he or she might be facing

No prejudicial attitudes or behavior in respect of any factor of the human condition; avoiding any disparagement of the individual based on mental, physical, or emotional challenges

8.                   

Dress

Modesty and tastefulness; appropriateness of apparel for the exercise environment

Vulgar, revealing, or sensual dress; apparel and decor designed to promote sexuality or over-emphasize sexual attractiveness

9.                   

Choice

Promotion of self-management issues, i.e., encouraging wise and prudent decision making, especially in regard to lifestyle choices that promote a higher level of wellness and fitness;  targeting those behaviors that support an individual’s right to make prudent choices in life and pursue meaningful and worthy goals

Any presentation of material that would suggest an individual’s relinquishment of the ability to determine direction in life or the confinement of an individual to imposed pathways beyond one’s ability to choose, exert leadership, set and obtain meaningful goals, etc.

10.               

Health

Promoting health / wholesomeness / well-being; an emphasis on behaviors and patterns of living that lead to higher levels of wellness; promoting regular physical activity, wholesome nutritional patterns, and sleep patterns in the interests of vitality and longevity

Inactivity, imbalanced sedentary patterns of living; imbalanced diet and eating habits; illicit drugs; lack of sleep; general carelessness of lifestyle choices that lead to illness, degenerative disease, and malaise

11.               

Religion

Non-sectarian values and principles in the best traditions of mainstream American culture and standards of conduct

Avoidance of sectarian themes and philosophies

12.               

Values

Promoting the best in personal, team, family, community, and national standards and values; emphasis on mainstream principles and aspirations; especially upholding the dignity of human life in general and a celebration of achievement and peak performance in particular

Avoidance of anything that would tend to uphold values promoting selfishness, inflicting harm on others, undermining freedom of choice and democratic process, promoting vulgarity, obscenity, mayhem, or the like.

13.               

Comedy

Where a comic presentation is appropriate and called for, we uphold a preference for humor, i.e., the philosophy whereby we can poke fun at ourselves in good taste within the context of the human condition, that is: “We are all in the same boat, so let’s grin and bear it.”

Avoidance of aggressive or satirical modes that tend to make fun of others on the basis of their appearance, their dress, their physical condition, their gender, race, or national origin

14.               

Summary

In general, upholding positive “VIP” presentations = Values, Inspiration, Principles; standing for the right, for the upward spiraling; believing in the dignity of the individual, the sanctity of the family, the service environment of the community, the liberty of the nation, the brotherhood and sisterhood of mankind, and the endless potential of the human family as sons and daughters of God; note the summary of these kinds of values from the Declaration of Independence:  “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

In general, avoiding negative “VIP” presentations = Vulgarity, Immorality, Profanity / Promiscuity / Pornography; promoting that which is denigrating, downward spiraling, destructive of human dignity and democratic principles