
 |
|
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
|
| |
Jewish World Review
March 11, 2005
/ 30 Adar I, 5765
Don't These People Have Better Things to Do?
By
James Lileks
| 
|
|
|
|
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Short version of this column: If the Republicans wish to lose their majority, they can expend great amounts of energy to outlaw soft-core skin flicks on cable TV.
Long version: Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, has announced his intention to regulate decency on cable, much like the Federal Communications Commission levies multigazillion fines on infantile potty-talk shock jocks. "Cable is a much greater violator in the indecency area," Stevens recently told the National Association of Broadcasters. "I think we have the same power to deal with cable as over-the-air" broadcasters.
Do tell. One can argue that the government has the right to regulate decency over the public airwaves because they are, well, public. The Native Americans sold them to Marconi in 1684 for $24 or something like that. In any case, we lend them to gigantic congealed media conglomerates so they can broadcast drivel and dross in exchange for a few billion dollars in revenue. All we ask is that they don't drop the effenheimer too often, or unfurl a starlet's naughty bits during the family hour.
Voluntary constraint isn't working very well, alas. As you've probably noticed, standards for nearly everything seem to have degraded.
Consider a recent cover story in the alternative weekly New York Press that had fun finding "The 52 Funniest Things About the Upcoming Death of the Pope." None were particularly amusing if you have a few residual atoms of human compassion left. To some, it was a clever, nasty response to the oppression the pope has visited on the denizens of Manhattan. Why, remember the day he waded into a leather bar and smote the sinners with his miter? He had that New York Press story coming, man.
Was the story indecent? Yes. So apparently the government has the right to regulate it: Light passed through the public air, reflected off the page and struck the photoreceptors of individual citizens. The newspapers were distributed in racks that sat on public sidewalks. Ergo, the government can, nay, MUST do something about this puerile article and the snarkier-than-thou fools who wrote it.
Right? Of course not. But such a reaction isn't unthinkable anymore.
If the new censors were concerned only with the public airwaves, they might get an amen from those tired of the banal and adolescent crudity of modern media. If their crusade means fines for radio shows that run contests rewarding people for having sex in churches, as happened with the infamous Sam Adams beer promotion a few years ago, well, this does not mean the First Amendment has been run through the shredder. We can all agree that a certain amount of decorum is desirable in the public sphere, so we will be spared from explaining to our children what those people are doing up on that Calvin Klein billboard. ("It's a special dance people do when they've, ah, lost their underwear, dear.")
But the more the anti-indecency crusade rolls on, the more it seems obvious that some are motivated by a bluenosed fear that somewhere in Omaha, an insomniac bachelor is watching "Erotic Claymation Festival" on Skinemax.
Anyone with premium cable channels knows that some programs feature content that would not be appropriate for children. But these programs often called "movies," in the modern slang have already been revealed to the public in large gathering places called "multiplexes" where adults collect under cover of darkness to observe the alluring shadows projected on the wall. In short, if they can regulate cable simply because they think they should, then they can regulate anything.
Will they arrest Howard Stern for broadcasting from a satellite parked over U.S. waters? No. But it would be nice if Congress spent less time worrying about dirty cable TV and more time worrying about who might be coming over the border with dirty nukes. You might also wonder why a guy from Alaska is trying to clean up cable TV. It's cold and dark up there.
"Alaskan senator demands slightly naughtier late-night claymation until days lengthen." That headline makes sense. Providing we've won the war and solved the problems of Social Security and Medicare, and have more time for the really important issues.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in uplifting articles.
Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor James Lileks is a columnist for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Comment by clicking here.
ARCHIVES
© 2005, James Lileks
|