The morality cops are still on the beat.
Everyone's favorite geriatric senator from Alaska, Ted Stevens, wants to control what we watch. Kevin Martin, chairman of the FCC, wants to control what we watch. Michael Copps, FCC commisioner and, to prove that I can be a bi-partisan critic, a Democrat, wants to control what we watch. I'm sure this group would be fantastic company at a dinner.
The good news is they can't control content. That ship has sailed. With every cable merger they try to hold up, another medium springs up.
The bad news is they're not about to stop trying.
I agree that there is some genuinely disturbing content on television, on the radio and on the internet. I just don't believe that government can – or should – stop it. It's wasted effort at a time when our country faces far more vexing issues.
Of course, the real question that never gets tackled in this debate is what the definitions of "obscene" or "pornographic" will involve. For some reason, I'm sure Senator Stevens is more concerned about the dalliances on a dopey show like Desparate Housewives than in the numbing violence of, say, another showing of Terminator 2.
The good news is they can't control content. That ship has sailed. With every cable merger they try to hold up, another medium springs up.
The bad news is they're not about to stop trying.
I agree that there is some genuinely disturbing content on television, on the radio and on the internet. I just don't believe that government can – or should – stop it. It's wasted effort at a time when our country faces far more vexing issues.
Of course, the real question that never gets tackled in this debate is what the definitions of "obscene" or "pornographic" will involve. For some reason, I'm sure Senator Stevens is more concerned about the dalliances on a dopey show like Desparate Housewives than in the numbing violence of, say, another showing of Terminator 2.
posted by Dean Gemmell at 1:42 PM
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