Posted by
Catmman on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 10:10:28 AM
Once again, the government is taking aim at "television violence" and people miss the point on this issue entirely.
Gander at this:
Rockefeller wants to change that. He announced plans to introduce legislation next month to allow federal regulation of "indecent, violent and profane content" on broadcast, cable and satellite TV, excoriating Hollywood for "a never-ending race to the bottom" fueled by corporate greed.
"We now know that the entertainment and broadcasting industry has proven itself unable and unwilling to police itself," Rockefeller said. "I fear that graphic violent programming has become so pervasive and has been shown to be so harmful, we are left with no choice but to have the government step in." - excerpt from the LA Times.
What? The industry hasn't policed itself? Corporate greed?
Over the last ten to fifteen years we have had the following instituted in relation to this type of programming:
The television rating system.
Revised movie rating system.
Warning labels prior to violent or provocative programming.
Warning labels on music.
The "V" chip.
Technology allowing channels/programs to be blocked.
"Personalities" removed from the air due to inappropriate material - Howard Stern and Imus most notably.
All of this at the behest of groups and people demanding "something be done".
Well, several things have been done. But as predicted by many, those "fixes" did more harm than good for the industry.
Take the TV ratings system. Prior to the implementation of it, the industry pretty much policed itself as far as content. Most programming was tasteful, with only a few exceptions pushing the envelope. However, pundits warned that if a ratings system were implemented, programming would take a definite slide south. If you institute a ratings system, you give programmers/networks an excuse to create inappropriate shows. And you give them cover by allowing for the "ratings" excuse. They can point to the ratings and say "Look, we put up the rating and the content warning, people know what they're getting." There is no more responsibility because of the crutch that "ratings" give them.
The same thing happened in music and with movies. Although there aren't that many NC-17 movies, PG-13 movies have skyrocketed. All PG-13 does is allow filmmakers more leeway in the crap they put in the movie - more foul language and suggestive material.
All of this was done at the behest of the government and it had the exact opposite effect of that which was intended - as usual.
Now the government wants more. They complain about the violence and other material, never acknowledging their complicity in the debasement they rail against.
As always, no one makes the argument that government intervention isn't the answer. Let the market decide.
Of course, that isn't the intention of the likes of Sen. Rockefeller in my opinion. He wants control of the information industry.
If you control what the people see, read, hear, etc. you can more easily manipulate them. Why do you think there is such an uproar from the left about re-instituting the "Fairness Doctrine"? Because market driven talk radio is effective in countering their stranglehold on traditional media.
If government controls the media, they control the information. Control of information leads directly to control of the people and then the individual.
And what's with this corporate greed crap? Right from the politics of envy. The uninitiated and uninformed are naturally going to rail against "evil corporations" (apparently unable to discern they, the people, are responsible for the wealth and influence of those same corporations). His arguments also appeal to the "nanny-staters" who rely on government to do everything for them (also apparently unable to discern they, the People, have more control over the entertainment industry by pushing a few buttons on a remote control, than giving the power to the government.)
I can't stand some of the crap on TV nowadays either. Like most people, I like to be entertained, not disgusted or offended. But I can exercise ultimate control over my own material, the government doesn't know best for me or mine:
I can change the channel or turn the TV off.