Wednesday, November 17, 2004
Instead of just responding in the comments section....
This issue, and the comments on the site and among friends and co-workers, leads me to some more stream-of-consciousness thoughts.
* If most Americans were actually upset about this, then ABC -- as a for-profit business that depends on advertisers -- had to apologize. I totally understand that. But I'm now strongly questioning the notion that this huge outcry ever existed. I think that most people were not upset about this, but the folks who are upset, like always, yell loudly and make a big spectacle out of it, aided by the media. If that's true -- that most people don't care -- then isn't this more evidence that a small minority of religious right-ers continues to dictate morality and push the standards further and further their way? Even if it's just a healthy fear of the FCC on ABC's part, the FCC has turned into what it's turned into because of these same forces.
* On the other hand, do you think maybe the NFL is significantly behind this? They were burned by Janet Jackson, and maybe they told ABC right away to apologize, even if not that many people were upset. I haven't read anything on just what they knew. They obviously knew, or should have known, that one of their players (and presumably locker rooms) was involved.
* If anyone can point me in the direction of the following, I'd appreciate it: a news story in which the so-called liberal media has quoted someone who holds the opposing view -- that this wasn't inappropriate at all. I think we can all agree there's no shortage of such people. The media, on issues like this, are always the guardians of the Puritan way. They create a climate in which it's not OK to question the inappropriateness of the action. And that's a little weird, really, since it's their own actions that are in question.
UPDATE: Yet another theory is that ABC did it all on purpose.
0 comments. Leave one!
* If most Americans were actually upset about this, then ABC -- as a for-profit business that depends on advertisers -- had to apologize. I totally understand that. But I'm now strongly questioning the notion that this huge outcry ever existed. I think that most people were not upset about this, but the folks who are upset, like always, yell loudly and make a big spectacle out of it, aided by the media. If that's true -- that most people don't care -- then isn't this more evidence that a small minority of religious right-ers continues to dictate morality and push the standards further and further their way? Even if it's just a healthy fear of the FCC on ABC's part, the FCC has turned into what it's turned into because of these same forces.
* On the other hand, do you think maybe the NFL is significantly behind this? They were burned by Janet Jackson, and maybe they told ABC right away to apologize, even if not that many people were upset. I haven't read anything on just what they knew. They obviously knew, or should have known, that one of their players (and presumably locker rooms) was involved.
* If anyone can point me in the direction of the following, I'd appreciate it: a news story in which the so-called liberal media has quoted someone who holds the opposing view -- that this wasn't inappropriate at all. I think we can all agree there's no shortage of such people. The media, on issues like this, are always the guardians of the Puritan way. They create a climate in which it's not OK to question the inappropriateness of the action. And that's a little weird, really, since it's their own actions that are in question.
UPDATE: Yet another theory is that ABC did it all on purpose.
0 comments. Leave one!
