The first thing one notices when watching an episode of MTV's Skins , the network's new racy television show, is a banner warning that reads: "One in two sexually active young people will get an STD by (age) 25." The second thing one notices — if they get far enough into an episode — is that Skins is a fairly accurate portrayal of teenagers. However, it's a poorly written and blatantly unoriginal show, too.

But is it worth all the controversy it has caused?

Not too long after Skins hit the air in mid-January, the Parents Television Council (which seems to be in need of an apostrophe as well as a chill pill) deemed the show "the most dangerous program ever for children," blasting the show for featuring "dozens of instances of high-school children using foul language," and adding that that several characters are shown "discussing and engaging in sex... (and using) illegal drugs and alcohol."

While all of this is true, the fact is that all of these topics are, at the very least, discussed, if not engaged in, at every high school. One would be hard pressed to walk through a high school campus and not hear "dozens of instances of high school children using foul language." At any rate, the PTC not only attacked the show, but also attacked its sponsors — specifically Taco Bell. As a result of the firestorm, Taco Bell as well as Wrigley and Doctor's Associates (Subway's parent company) have pulled their ads from running during episodes of Skins.

Critics, however, are missing the big picture.

"I think that when people get to understand what our show is about, which is to say it's not primarily a show about sex, not really about alcohol and drugs, but about feelings, emotions and relationships. I hope everyone will settle down, (and) that the audiences will come to love the characters, and the advertisers will come to love the show," Brian Elsley, creator of both the U.K. and U.S. versions of Skins, said in an interview on National Public Radio.

Overall, Skins is an abrasive show, but it doesn't try not to be. It doesn't pretend to be wholesome like so many other teen shows, and it doesn't sugarcoat what teens are doing. That being said, the show also doesn't take into account consequences the characters face for their actions — but sometimes, neither do actual teenagers.

At any rate, MTV's Skins lacks so much compared to the original U.K. version, which is now in its fifth season. As a result, this leaves the American series flat and alienates its key audience. But that's not to say the show lacks merit. If it can successfully carry out its creator's vision, the show may be a success in spite of, or perhaps because of, the firestorm it has set off. In order to do that, though, the show needs new writers and better actors. In the interim, the PTC should take the show for what it is: Entertainment. It's merely 40 minutes of television meant to entertain rather than to enlighten, meant to showcase how teens feel — not to influence their actions.

David J. Salazar is a senior at Santa Fe High School. You can reach him at davidjsalazar@gmail.com.