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I agree (Reply to this comment)
by goodmama
completely! Great review! :) -Tam
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Feb 19 '06
6:52 pm PST
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Re: Censorship By The PTC - response (Reply to this comment)
by drdevience
It’s identical mentality to sending your child to the beach without sunscreen on, then blaming the city for the sunburn, and demanding that giant structures be erected to shade the entirety of the beach so that children no longer get sunburned.
How did I miss this comment for so long? Damned alerts...
At any rate, excellent analogy!
Doc
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Feb 04 '06
3:33 am PST
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Censorship By The PTC - response (Reply to this comment)
by badbrother
I think that these groups need to take a long look at the system, and ask themselves if they're really promoting the true will of the people, or attempting to impose their will on the people.
Advertisers look closely at the ratings of various television shows, viewer demographics, and all sorts of forecasts and models to determine if it makes financial sense for them to advertise at a specific time, during a specific program. Bear in mind here – they are not supporting a show by advertising during it, nor are they denouncing a show should they choose not to advertise while it’s on. They are simply making a financial decision based on the number of potential customers that will be watching.
When groups like the PTC threaten advertisers or the FCC, or anyone else, they are attempting to impose their will on the masses. If these shows are offensive to the majority of Americans, then the majority of Americans will choose not to watch these shows, and the system will work. They will have poor ratings, the advertisers will not be willing to spend money during those programs, and the networks will stop showing them, because they do not make enough profit.
If the PTC wants to take these shows off of the air, then they need to do their part to inform the public about parental locks that are available on the televisions and cable boxes, enable their V-Chips, and do their part at home to ensure that their children are not watching the shows that they, as parents, deem “inappropriate”. If enough of America stops watching a given program, it will go away all by itself. If, however, the rest of America continues to enjoy this program, the PTC will at least have stopped their children from watching the “inappropriate” programming, and isn’t that their goal, anyway?
This is just another example of people who can’t see the forest through all the trees. They are attacking the media and the government when the problem is the parents. It’s identical mentality to sending your child to the beach without sunscreen on, then blaming the city for the sunburn, and demanding that giant structures be erected to shade the entirety of the beach so that children no longer get sunburned.
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Aug 29 '05
12:41 pm PDT
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Censorship By The PTC (Reply to this comment)
by badbrother
I think that these groups need to take a long look at the system, and ask themselves if they're really promoting the true will of the people, or attempting to impose their will on the people.
Advertisers look closely at the ratings of various television shows, viewer demographics, and all sorts of forecasts and models to determine if it makes financial sense for them to advertise at a specific time, during a specific program. Bear in mind here – they are not supporting a show by advertising during it, nor are they denouncing a show should they choose not to advertise while it’s on. They are simply making a financial decision based on the number of potential customers that will be watching.
When groups like the PTC threaten advertisers or the FCC, or anyone else, they are attempting to impose their will on the masses. If these shows are offensive to the majority of Americans, then the majority of Americans will choose not to watch these shows, and the system will work. They will have poor ratings, the advertisers will not be willing to spend money during those programs, and the networks will stop showing them, because they do not make enough profit.
If the PTC wants to take these shows off of the air, then they need to do their part to inform the public about parental locks that are available on the televisions and cable boxes, enable their V-Chips, and do their part at home to ensure that their children are not watching the shows that they, as parents, deem “inappropriate”. If enough of America stops watching a given program, it will go away all by itself. If, however, the rest of America continues to enjoy this program, the PTC will at least have stopped their children from watching the “inappropriate” programming, and isn’t that their goal, anyway?
This is just another example of people who can’t see the forest through all the trees. They are attacking the media and the government when the problem is the parents. It’s identical mentality to sending your child to the beach without sunscreen on, then blaming the city for the sunburn, and demanding that giant structures be erected to shade the entirety of the beach so that children no longer get sunburned.
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Aug 29 '05
12:35 pm PDT
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Be a Trojan Horse and "join" the Parents TV Council (Reply to this comment)
by tomharper
Yes, the Parents TV Council sucks. But instead of fighting them (they're too numerous and too organized), let's use their own website to undermine them. Log onto http://www.parentstv.org (it's very user-friendly) and start filing ridiculous complaints to the FCC against the most bland, innocuous TV shows you can think of. I've already filed complaints against Regis and Kelly, Wheel of Fortune, Praise The Lord, among others. Each complaint generates a return e-mail from the FCC acknowledging receipt, and a big banner on the Parents TV Council homepage saying "your complaint has been received by all 5 FCC members! Let's hold their feet to the fire," or some such thing.
This doesn't cost a cent, and it feels good to be using their own power and organizational ability against them. And I hate to admit it, but it's fun, in that childish, immature way; sort of like being back in grade school and making crank phone calls.
If enough people do this, the FCC could get swamped with tongue-in-cheek complaints, and the Parents TV Council's impact would be diluted.
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Dec 17 '04
5:21 pm PST
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I want my MTV (Reply to this comment)
by seacow
I love TV and I happen to think that Will & Grace is funny, even if I don't watch it. I hate it when people try to tell me what's right? It's my TV and I'll do what I want with it. :8)
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Oct 11 '04
2:20 pm PDT
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wow dude (Reply to this comment)
by yippeskipee
geez ur passionate about this...i can see why... good luck. they got enough money to do whatever the hell they want so good luck. this was an excellent article i loved it. touched on a lot of points i agree with. jolly good show mate
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Jul 11 '04
1:45 pm PDT
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yanno.. (Reply to this comment)
by drdevience
We are the only country that tries to censor our programming.... and we have the highest murder rate.
We are the only country boycotting smoking... and we have the highest sick rate since then.
I know that sometimes folks think they are doing what is right, but they aren't.
Making some things taboo only makes them more attractive to kids... and the health issues are getting worse because our bodies are forgetting how to defend themselves.
We need to take a good long look at Europe.
We're ruining our country in more ways than one.
Doc
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Dec 25 '03
11:26 am PST
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Remember when Focus on the Family ... (Reply to this comment)
by barakah59
asked their listeners to boycott Disney?
well it backfired. Disney got a lot of attention and Christians where outraged because they couldn't buy the Lion King, or other Disney Movies at that time.
I am a Christian and I didn't support boycotts then I don't now. I do believe Christian Voices should be heard but not by trying to shut up someone else's. That's plain ignorance and certainly not Biblical.
Media does have an impact on society, and should take some responsibility for censoring it's self, especially when they use bright colorful cartoons to advertise adult products or even children's products that require adult supervision. I could think of a dozen or so more examples but over all I agree with this review.
Personally I just don't watch Will and Grace often enough to know what it's about. I saw one episode of friends that portrayed God as a wimp, and several that promoted the idea that not having sex meant something was wrong in your life. Not everyone feels like they should be getting laid all the time.
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Dec 21 '03
3:50 pm PST
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Re: I've Stopped Trying to Figure People Out (Reply to this comment)
by fyvel
We don't have cable here either. We used to have it a couple of years back, but I was constantly flicking through the channels, totally frustrated, mumbling "Why do we PAY for cable?". We got rid of it and have never missed it, not once. The one channel that comes in on the tv (it's an older one so it will pick up a channel and a half) is more than enough for me. The bf has a pretty impressive movie collection, and when we get bored of that we can always rent one!
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Sep 19 '03
7:21 pm PDT
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I've Stopped Trying to Figure People Out (Reply to this comment)
by QuinnElaine
Every time I hear of some idiot going off about how 'they shouldn't' whatever, I just don't know whether to point at them and laugh, or walk away and cry. In the case of television, these are almost always the same idiots who are paying those outrageous cable fees. Apparently just so they have more programming to complain about.
I won't pay for cable simply because they want to much for it in the area I live in and the service is crappy. In fact, our entire family of nine uses the television almost completely for one purpose...the vcr. Yet thousands out there seem to think that paying more for their television gives them the right to complain 24/7 and dictate to everyone. It never even seems to Occur to these oxygen bandits that they should perhaps change the channel or even go to the extreme of Not Watching Television at all. ~shakes head~
I applaud your well written and completely justified rant. I seriously try to avoid such topics nowadays though. I found it was actually affecting my health. These sorts of things come under the category of Human Stupidity, and I try very hard to leave such conversations with the simple words, "Oh please. Don't get me started!" I even avoid reading the warning labels on things now!
Wishing You Laughter
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Sep 19 '03
11:13 am PDT
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Re: ~~~ (Reply to this comment)
by drdevience
Compliments are always graciously accepted!
Doc
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Sep 12 '03
7:45 am PDT
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~~~ (Reply to this comment)
by fyvel
Hmmm, well I wrote that comment before reading the rest and just noticed someone else already made it. I should have known I couldn't make a unique comment when there have been this many comments already!
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Sep 11 '03
5:26 pm PDT
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~~~ (Reply to this comment)
by fyvel
These cackling cretins contrive to coerce crowds into compliance with this cockamamie crap. I implore you, the intelligent freedom loving members of Epinions, to counteract this attempt at censorship.
Wow, that was GREAT alliteration - where did you find all those "c"s? LOL
BTW, love your profile pic, looks just like the kitten we adopted a couple of weeks ago :)
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Sep 11 '03
5:22 pm PDT
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Re: I agree (Reply to this comment)
by drdevience
Yep. You got it right Adrienne...
Self righteous assholes who think they should tell everyone else how to live really gripe my butt.
Doc
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Sep 10 '03
1:14 pm PDT
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I agree (Reply to this comment)
by adriennefoster
I won't repeat what so many other people have said here already; however, did you hear the recent story about the execution of the man--a man of the cloth, if I remember correctly--who killed the doctor who performed abortions? He had absolutely no regrets for what he did and encouraged others to follow his footsteps. While the thought of abortion makes me sick to my stomach, this *sshole has no right to dictate what morals I choose and this same obnoxious attitude that "the world should be as I see it" is shared by the PTC and the Muslim extremists attacked us two years ago.
Adrienne
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Sep 10 '03
1:08 pm PDT
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Re: Re: Believe it or not... (Reply to this comment)
by hugh_u_kidden
Oh, c'mon Arthur...you've got to describe it now.....please?
Hugh U. Kidden
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Sep 10 '03
7:22 am PDT
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Re: Believe it or not... (Reply to this comment)
by Arthur.Rubin
Have you ever seen Weird Al's Jurassic Park video? It shows a definite improvement in purple dinosaurs -- even if it is on for only a few seconds.
(I'll wait a day or two before describing it, if I decide to at all.)
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Sep 10 '03
5:56 am PDT
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What a country (Reply to this comment)
by caterguru
Great quote DR D, I enjoyed this one :)
Chris
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Sep 09 '03
2:05 pm PDT
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Believe it or not... (Reply to this comment)
by hugh_u_kidden
.... I'm actually somewhat conservative in my theories and beliefs...well, okay, moderate, anyhoo. But you'll never find me agreeing with censorship. Sure there's a lot of crap on the airwaves; but I operate under the assumption that I don't have the right to tell my fellow citizens they can't see it. I'll shut it off myself, and explain why to anyone who will listen, but whether or not they want to shut if off themselves is up to them, and I won't condemn someone for having different tastes in programming than me. Well done, doc!
But, we do have to do something about Barney.... that friggin' purple dino is seriously driving me nuts. I think it's a sinister plot by alien life forms.
Hugh U. Kidden
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Sep 09 '03
7:29 am PDT
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Re: Re: Re: Re: But, but... (Reply to this comment)
by davidmanning
Hopefully people will take them as seriously as, say, televangelists and their hypocritical attacks on decent people while ignoring the skeletons in their own closets.
I like to think the PTC saw your commentary and hustled those pages right off! Nice update.
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Sep 09 '03
7:06 am PDT
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Comment (Reply to this comment)
by dragonfire88
I knew that this group came out with a list of shows they thought were bad - and that some I enjoy are on there - but I didn't know they were trying to get the shows off the air permantely. That is just nuts. I'm an adult and I'll watch what I want when I want. I don't need someone else telling me what I can and can't watch.
Parents should stop their kids from seeing some things. But that is up to the parent..they need to check out the shows and decide if they want their child watching it. If not, then don't let the child watch it. If you don't like a show don't watch. I think all the newer tvs have those chips or something in them so that parents can block out some channels or shows with some ratings. I remember when they started having those ratings on the tv shows. It was done so people would have more of an idea of what would be in the show..and so people with those tvs could block out certain shows.
There are some things that young children shouldn't see, but it is up to each parent to decide that. Everyone has a different idea about that.
I've seen a lot of people taking little kids - around 5 - into R rated movies this summer like Terminator 3 or Bad Boys II. Personally, I don't think kids should be in those movies, but it's not up to me to make that decision. It is up to the parent. Next thing you know, they'll be wanting to ban all R rated movies because some parents let their kids see them.
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Sep 09 '03
1:35 am PDT
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Re: Re: Re: But, but... (Reply to this comment)
by drdevience
Point taken David, and I've updated the review. Thanks!
Doc
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Sep 08 '03
3:55 pm PDT
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Re: Re: But, but... (Reply to this comment)
by davidmanning
Oh, see, I agree completely with laughing these people off the Capitol Hill steps (or out of FCC HQ); but the chunks you took from their website don't really make your case.
See, pieces like "If you have the stomach for it, you can read details of Nip/Tuck's indecency and bloodiness and add your name to a nationwide grassroots protest against American Express, AT&T, Castrol, and Visa for sponsoring this garbage" are funny, because it's not a grassroots protest, it's this well-financed group with political connections making whiny noises at the back door. That's akin to Microsoft's aborted "grassroots" effort to get their employees to write letters to the editors of newspapers across the country a while back in support of MSFT in their antitrust lawsuit.
Or, here, from a November press release:
"We applaud Michael Copps' call to review the FCC's policy on indecency. Given that the FCC has found nothing on broadcast Television to be indecent, its indecency standards are joke. Real standards are needed.
A day doesn't go by where there isn't something offensive and indecent on television, but the FCC is blind to it all. Having CBS air the Victoria's Secret special was just the most recent egregious act. The marketing of the soft-core sex is not appropriate for network television and it's clear that CBS crossed the line with its prime time panty show."
Really, who are they who think their morals are the Only Right And True Morals for this country? It does seem that the FCC has figured this out, though, as these letter-writing "campaigns" haven't budged the FCC one bit, as it should be. If ya don't want your family to watch something, they make devices to prevent it. Go order your Donny & Marie Variety Show DVDs and get over yourself.
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Sep 08 '03
2:32 pm PDT
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Re: Don't (Reply to this comment)
by drdevience
Let them ban playgrounds!
And if the little sods still learn to cuss, let's ban elder brothers too! Yeah!
You jest... but that's exactly the direction groups like this will go if they think they have won any of their battles at this level..
Personally, I'm all for neutering people like this before they breed.. heh. they advocate censorship? I'll show em censorship!
LOL
Doc
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Sep 08 '03
12:58 pm PDT
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Don't (Reply to this comment)
by vodkaboy
you have playgrounds in America?
Forget TV, I thought playgrounds was where kids learned about sex, and the rude words for everything.
They can ban sponsors and TV all they want but as long as kids have either elder brothers, or playgrounds, they ain't gonna stop kids from learning words like ****, %£&^ and best of all, ^£$%.
Let them ban playgrounds!
And if the little sods still learn to cuss, let's ban elder brothers too! Yeah!
Why don't these cretins do something more useful, like go after the A-holes who send filthy porno spam. Hearing Joey say "p1ss" is a lot less damaging to a kid than getting an email with photos of bestiality.
VB
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Sep 08 '03
12:52 pm PDT
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Re: ... (Reply to this comment)
by drdevience
Nate...
You don't disagree about them trying to force the FCC to have every show they don't happen to like removed?
Yes, they have the right to try thru email and whatnot... this rant is about trying to counteract their efforts. What they are advocating is to take away choice, personal responsibility.
Rather than just change the channel, they want it taken away. I'm sorry Nate. I hate that idiot Laura too... but I don't condone having my rights taken away.
They are attempting to tell the FCC that everyone wants these shows off the air. I am attempting to show the FCC that this is not true.
If they succeed, they will not stop here. It'll get far worse.
Doc
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Sep 08 '03
11:47 am PDT
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Re: Am I really surprised? (Reply to this comment)
by Penguinlady
(The PMRC...) both had the intent of trying to tell us what we should allow our kids to view as well as what we should be "allowed" to watch.
Not so.
All they wanted was an alert label on CDs so parents would know that their child would be exposed to questionable lyrics. They were never about trying to tell people what to listen to. It was about providing information so parents could make an informed decision.
I don't support censorship in any form, but if I were a parent, I'd want to know what's coming into my house. In fact, I'm not a parent and I still want to know what's coming into my house. With printed material, you can browse it before deciding to buy. With CDs, you can't.
Margaret
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Sep 08 '03
11:26 am PDT
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Re: Am I really surprised? (Reply to this comment)
by drdevience
I sent a link to this with a shorter version to each sponsor, the head of the FCC, and that idiot president of ours.
It likely won't help, but it can't hurt!
Doc
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Sep 08 '03
11:20 am PDT
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Re: Doc, ya filthy heathen Satinist! (Reply to this comment)
by drdevience
And that Muscadine, Iowa is the true location of Hell.
And all this time I thought it was Springfield, MO
yeesh.
Docinist
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Sep 08 '03
11:19 am PDT
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