TV Censorship

[DeltAlum]

Originally posted by Optimist Prime
I don't have too much faith in congress.

That's not very optimistic.

[MysticCat]

Originally posted by Optimist Prime
I don't have too much faith in congress.

Perhaps I should have been a little more specific. It's not that I have faith in Congress to do the right thing. It's more that I have faith in them to act in their own self interests, and any kind of "censorship" of popular shows on networks owned by powerful corporations is not in their self interests.

[Optimist Prime]

Oh. Alright.

[Optimist Prime]

Originally posted by DeltAlum
That's not very optimistic.

Yeah you're right.

I still think everything will be ok though. I'm calming down, and taking one of those little white pills.

[FSUZeta]

does the v chip also censor commercials? i have been watching family friendly shows before when risque' commercials aired during the break. how is a parent supposed to monitor those?

[DeltAlum]

Originally posted by FSUZeta
does the v chip also censor commercials?

Not to the best of my knowledge. Only shows.

Actually, let me back up. The V Chip doesn't really "censor" anything. Just allows parents to choose programs their children can't watch.

That may seem like splitting hairs, but it's really a huge difference.

Remember, the government (FCC) cannot censor TV programming.

[dzfan]

Originally posted by Optimist Prime
You make a very well thought out point.

I agree completey, you should be the president of television.

Thanks Optimist Prime, maybe I should...I think that I like that title

[i]I have to admit that groups like TV Watch remind me of Chicken Little, warning that the sky is falling down. Of course, after seeing the movie with my kids, I know that it really was falling, so my thoughts deserve a grain of salt. [/B]

And MysticCat, I dont think that groups like TV Watch are overreacting and thinking that "the sky is falling"... they are out there to inform parents of other ways to censor kids television viewing without getting the gov't involved like setting parental controls, etc...yes, you might have faith in the government but it is groups like the PTC that is pressuring the gov't to make a change and they want these shows modified or off the air.

All I am saying is that yes there needs to be censorship but I think that it should be done in the home by the parents and not by the government. As Optimist Prime said eariler, I dont have faith in congress either because they could be really uptight and not want shows like Desperate Housewives out there, you know? TV programs have done so much already in fear of being fine...like the incident where "One third of the country wasn't able to watch Saving Private Ryan over Veteran's Day when stations declined to air it because of fears of action by the FCC."

Anyways, I think that we as americans have the right to watch what we want and not have the government telling us what we can and cannot watch and that is why I have signed tv watch's petition so if you agree, you should sign too

http://www.televisionwatch.org/site/....BE7A/Home.htm

[Optimist Prime]

I just signed the petetion. They better stay away from South Park. I will take to the streets along side black panthers and communists if they try to censor southpark.

[dzfan]

Alright! Glad you signed the peitition...pass along to friends so we can be done with mess And I hear ya, they better not mess with South Park or any of my other shows or they will not know what hit them Long live south park....

[MysticCat]

Originally posted by DeltAlum
Remember, the government (FCC) cannot censor TV programming.

And by definition, it's only censorship if it's done by the government.

[MysticCat]

Originally posted by dzfan
And MysticCat, I dont think that groups like TV Watch are overreacting and thinking that "the sky is falling"... they are out there to inform parents of other ways to censor kids television viewing without getting the gov't involved like setting parental controls, etc...yes, you might have faith in the government but it is groups like the PTC that is pressuring the gov't to make a change and they want these shows modified or off the air.

But I believe that they are doing it based on a false premise. The problem I have with the petition is with the last statement in it:

Americans' favorite programs and freedom to decide for themselves are threatened by government control.

I simply see no real evidence to support that statement. Lots of fear and paranoia about it, stirred up by special interest groups, but no real evidence. At most, the threat is from some groups that would like to see more government control, but I don't think there really is any real threat of government control happening. That's why I think it sounds like "the sky is falling down" -- because I don't believe there is any real threat of governmental censorship, only an imagined threat.

ETA: I note that TV Watch includes as sponsoring organizations groups like NBC Universal and Viacom -- corporations that have an extremely vested interest in having people clamour that they want to be able to watch what they want to watch on TV and in encouraging suggestions that they are under threat from the federal government. Not credibility builders, in my book.

Sorry, but that's how I see it.

[DeltAlum]

Originally posted by MysticCat81
Americans' favorite programs and freedom to decide for themselves are threatened by government control.

I simply see no real evidence to support that statement.

You're right.

In order for "Government" control to become an issue, we would have to overturn the oft verbally "imposed" but generally only partially understood First Amendment.

[dzfan]

Originally posted by MysticCat81
But I believe that they are doing it based on a false premise. The problem I have with the petition is with the last statement in it:

Americans' favorite programs and freedom to decide for themselves are threatened by government control.

I simply see no real evidence to support that statement. Lots of fear and paranoia about it, stirred up by special interest groups, but no real evidence. At most, the threat is from some groups that would like to see more government control, but I don't think there really is any real threat of government control happening. That's why I think it sounds like "the sky is falling down" -- because I don't believe there is any real threat of governmental censorship, only an imagined threat.

ETA: I note that TV Watch includes as sponsoring organizations groups like NBC Universal and Viacom -- corporations that have an extremely vested interest in having people clamour that they want to be able to watch what they want to watch on TV and in encouraging suggestions that they are under threat from the federal government. Not credibility builders, in my book.

Sorry, but that's how I see it.

Well here is an article that I came across today that proves to me that it is a real issue at hand and shows that things can only get worse from here...

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertain...p-318333c.html

And yes there are sponsorships but I don't care who they are and they have no influence on my beliefs, it is an issue that I truly care about...

[MysticCat]

Originally posted by dzfan
Well here is an article that I came across today that proves to me that it is a real issue at hand and shows that things can only get worse from here...

Not a bad opinion piece about parental responsibility, but where in that article is there any evidence at all that proves there is a real possibility that "Americans' favorite programs and freedom to decide for themselves are threatened by government control"? Nowhere that I could find.

I see two relevant comments in the column:

Stop looking for outside help from Congress or watchdog groups to clean up, clear up and make safe the programming your kids watch.

and

The cable operators are running scared. They're afraid that if they don't kowtow to a few loudmouth politicians and watchdog groups who say content needs to be cleaned up, then cable programming will be regulated.

Quite different from saying there is an actual threat of government control.

As DeltAlum pointed out, the First Amendment is quite relevant here. While broadcast television may be subject to some regulation on the theory that the airwaves are publically owned and therefore subject to some public control, the same isn't true of cable television.

I can see that you truly care about this issue and I respect that. As I have said before, as a parent I care a great deal about what my kids might see on TV and I take my role as TV monitor very seriously. But at the same time, I simply do not buy the suggestion that "Americans' favorite programs and freedom to decide for themselves are threatened by government control." We'll just have to agree to disagree.

[DeltAlum]

The reason for sponsoring certain groups is often to keep government's nose out of the entertainment business.

That's how the "ratings" thing got started in the movie and TV industries.

If you can make Congress think that you will look after your own affairs, maybe they will keep their distance.

It seldom works, though, as anything more than a smokescreen. But, it gives folks like NBC a certain amount of legitimacy when appearing before Congress or other bodies.

As for V Chips and parental control settings -- how many people can't figure out how to stop the VCR's from flashing 12:00?

Then, I keep coming back to that pesky old First Amendment.