Essay: "Dancing with Censorship", Part 5 of Several

Essay: "Dancing with Censorship", Part 5 of 5

       These alleged morality groups, who are anything but moral, are so persistent that bookstores and certain publishers filed a Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) lawsuit against one such group, and the American Publisher's Association paid for an ad urging American's to support First Amendment rights. The advertisement, which appeared in many newspapers nationwide read:

       "I agree. Americans have the right to buy, stores have the right to sell, authors have the right to write, and publishers have the right to publish Constitutionally protected material. Period."

 I couldn't say it better myself.  Please support that right. Heed the message. Don't allow a small minority of religious fanatics and prudes dictate what you can or cannot buy, sell, read, write, look at, listen to, think, do, etc.

       

Essay: "Dancing with Censorship", Part 4 of Several

Essay: "Dancing with Censorship", Part 4 of 5

       The so-called morality groups like to try to ban books from schools and libraries, try to expand the scope of laws promoting censorship, and incessantly harass stores that carry Sports Illustrated (due to the Swimsuit Edition), Playboy, and other periodicals that their ilk take offense to. Recently, moralists (the infamous PMRC) succeeded in labeling records deemed offensive, in addition to meddling with artists rights in other ways. 

       Count on it, this censorship will never stop and will only get worse, at least as long as we allow it to continue. In the moralists' eyes, censorship makes everyone better off because there are fewer things available to tempt anyone to do what is wrong. (from their narrow point of view) Instead, as most everyone else must come to realize before it's too late, censorship in any form makes America a blander, harsher and a less free society. Who elected these moralists to make these decisions for us anyway? (to be cont'd)

 [The original version of this essay first appeared in Eastern Connecticut State University's Campus Lantern student newspaper and in my unpublished manuscript  "In Mediocrity We Trust... In Debt We Die" And Other Essays.]

Essay: "Dancing with Censorship", Part 3 of Several

Essay: "Dancing with Censorship", Part 3 of Several

       Another example of how religion tends to cling to archaic and antiquated ideas is embodied by such a person as the Reverend Donald Wildmon, head of the so-called  American Family Association. Wildmon's alleged morality group epitomizes the concept of the Closing of the American Mind. For instance, they like to boycott television shows which depict subjects which are outside of their narrow ideology. They do likewise with books and magazines, only they sometimes use underhanded tactics and intimidation to try to get bookstores and other businesses to comply with their petty, old-fashioned, and out of date agenda. The tactics of the AFA are sleazy at best. They don't try to sway voters to their way of thinking, perhaps because they know that most people would never think in their narrow-minded way. Instead, these self-proclaimed moralists use constant harassment to try to bully politicians (some of whom are themselves supposed moralists), corporations, and others to see things their way by giving-in to the morality groups demands. To make matters worse, some of our elected officials are sympathetic to the so-called  "family values" which these alleged morality groups claim to practice. (Their underhanded  tactics expose them for the frauds they really are.).

       Appalling as it may sound, a small minority of vocal loudmouths can wreak a lot of havoc on individual, civil, and Constitutional rights and other liberties we all tend to take for granted, especially if the rest of us don't act or speak up for our rights; and let these bastards get away with what they are doing to this nation on a daily basis.  (to be cont'd)

 [The original version of this essay first appeared in Eastern Connecticut State University's Campus Lantern   student newspaper in the early '90s and in my unpublished manuscript  "In Mediocrity We Trust... In Debt We Die"  And Other Essays.]

Essay: "Dancing with Censorship", Part 2 of Several

Essay: "Dancing with Censorship", Part 2 of Several

       One of the typical features of the Puritans of the sixteenth century was that everyone was dressed in repressed black and white clothing, and anyone inclined to dance, for whatever reason; would be tried and probably burnt at the stake for  "consorting with the Devil". For at least three hundred years, we have hopefully progressed beyond the archaic and antiquated belief of associating dance with evil or as having anything to do with the influence of  "the Devil". At least to me, this idea is completely absurd and ludicrous. How these ridiculous religion-inspired fallacies persist is beyond all comprehension. (to be cont'd)

 [The original version of this essay first appeared in Eastern Connecticut State University's Campus Lantern student newspaper in the early '90s and as part of my unpublished manuscript "In Mediocrity We Trust... In Debt We Die" And Other Essays.]

Essay: "The PTC and Censorship"

Essay: "The Parents Television Council and Censorship"

       The Parents Television Council is a mostly right-wing (it claims to be non-partisan) pressure group, which under the pretext of  "protecting children" bullies its way into impinging on the rights of potential viewers and artists of television and movies. According to the PTC website, the Parents Television Council has at least "90,ooo+ active members", including such right-wingers as movie critic Michael Medved.  On their website is a section which encourages members or potential members to complain to the Federal Communication Commission (the FCC) about programs individuals don't like, whether or not they actually watched the program(s).  In fact, a majority of complaints to the FCC regarding alleged  "indecency" over the airwaves are attributed to the self-appointed prudes and censorship fanatics of the  PTC.

       On the Parents Television Council website is a list of both so-called  "Best Shows" for families and  "Worst Shows" for families. Under the  "Best Show" category are mindless G-rated fluff like  "Dancing With The Stars" and similar stuff I wouldn't waste my time or be caught dead watching.  Under the so-called  "Worst Show" category were such shows as  the medical drama  "House"; the murder mystery  "Harper's Island"; the science-fiction programs "Dollhouse" and  "Fringe"; plus  "Medium", "My Name Is Earl", and  "Supernatural". Ironically or not, I watch all the programs on the so-called  "Worst" list every week. Admittedly, most, if not all of these shows are arguably inappropriate for young children, but be that as it may; I don't want any right-wing zealots or left-leaning PC police dictating what I can read, write, view, listen, create, or think.

       According to the PTC website, other prudes and zealots striving to censor the airwaves etc. include the following groups:  "Focus On the Family; Concerned Women For America;  Citizens For Community Values; the (infamous)  American Family Association; and the Illinois Family Institute" among others. These modern versions of the Catholic Legion of Decency (self-appointed prudes and morality police of the early to late 20eth century) use intimidation and sometimes even underhanded tactics to impose their so-called values on the rest of us.  If you disagree with Censorship, including the self-censorship imposed after Super Bowl  2004's "Nipplegate" incident you only have yourself to blame if you don't oppose such individuals, groups and politicians who will curtail your rights and censor what you listen, view, write or think or show dissent against injustice of any kind.

Essay: "Bleep the FCC, the Supreme Court and the PTC"

Essay:  "Bleep the FCC, the Supreme Court and the PTC"

       This week or early last week (week of between April 26 to May 2 or thereabouts) in  "FCC v. Fox TV" (according to the Parents Television Council website) the Roberts Court ruled in a majority (of mostly right-wing majority of Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice Roberts and Sam Elite-o plus Justice Kennedy)) decision that the Federal Communications Commission (the FCC or the Federal Censorship Gestapo) is within their rights to heavily fine radio and television stations for perceived or actual  "indecency" over the airwaves. To the Parents Television Council (the PTC) and other right-wing pressure groups this ruling is a victory for so-called  "decency", but for the rest of us this is a disappointing loss of freedom of choice and speech for both viewers, listeners and artists of all kinds.

        The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution explicitly states:  "Congress shall make no law abridging speech..." Why is broadcast tv and radio exempt from the First Amendment? And, why does Congress and the Courts ignore the First Amendment to accommodate a small minority of vocal loudmouths who are offended by almost anything? Also, why aren't more people joining or forming counter-pressure groups like the ACLU, People For The American Way, and Americans United For the Separation of Church and State, etc. I really resent having other people's values or supposed morals imposed on me. Why don't these people be more Christ-like by speaking out against economic and other true forms of injustice? If it were up to me I would have the FCC abolished as a cudgel of ruthless censorship, coercion of artists, viewers and listeners, or perhaps even proselitizing of hypocritical Christian values. We are for the most part a secular nation and not Jesus-land (except for the so-called Bible Belt). These pressure groups can take their phony values and stick 'em where the sun don't shine. 

       By the way, according to the parentstv.org website (website of the parents television council) there are at least 90,000 members of the PTC. In other words, 90,000 some-odd self-appointed busybodies pressure the media against the wishes of millions of potential viewers, listeners and artists.