I was watching one of George Carlin's old HBO specials this weekend when Carlin touched on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and freedom of speech. He pointed out that under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, the government may not regulate what is said, except for some obvious exceptions like screaming "fire" in a theater. Oh, and one other exception: the FCC.
Yep that's right, the FCC, a bunch of appointed friends of whoever is President can tell me what I can and can not listen to. These milk drinkers get to decide whether a dirty word, or seven, or image, based on their own opinion on what their community of standards is, is too horrible for me to look at. And many in our nanny state nation scream this is ok because we need to think of the children (heh, bet you thought I was going to link to the Simpsons). I don't know about that, I've heard more cursing from 8th graders at the mall then from my 30 something friends playing poker with a bad hand while whatever home team game we have on the tube (usually Knicks, Devils, Rangers etc as we tend to play more in winter) is getting clobbered.
If I don't want to listen to, or have my son listen to, raunchy material I have a very easy remedy: I change the station. Oh no, a parent being a parent!!! How will we survive without the government telling us what to do? Look, I enjoy adult programming but, as my children have gotten old old enough to understand what is being said or shown on TV, I've had to make adjustments. My morals, at least why my children are up, are actually much stricter then community standards allow. I no longer watch much network TV as I find the shows too raunchy. But that doesn't mean I get to tell other adults what they can or can not watch. What it does mean is that in lieu of patronizing sponsors of network TV I patronize sponsors of the many family friendly cable networks that have popped up to meet the needs of people like me. American capitalism at it's best.
Therefore, I find it so ironic that the Republican part controlled FCC wants to tell me what I can or can not watch. Aren't the Republicans supposed to be into less government? You know, keep government away from citizens' private decisions? Didn't we fight a revolution to allow us to do just that? Aren't you annoyed that the FCC is taking away your freedom of choice and wants to continue to do so, even if you are willing to pay for the privilege? I know I am.
Now you may think who cares I don't listen to Carlin or Howard Stern. And that's understandable, yet you also need to look at the slippery slope we're on. How long until the FCC decides that something you do want to hear is too filthy for your ears, such as the President is a crook? Maybe they decide that a newspaper hostile to the current administration is filthy. Maybe they decide a blog is. Oh, wait, this isn't broadcast, it is the written word and should be safe. Yeah, just like porn (limited to recordings between consenting human adults) is protected free speech on the internet -- for now.
Just something to think about as we celebrate our 232nd birthday this week.
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