[CS-FSLUG] Television

[R. Thompson]

On Sat, 2004-09-18 at 22:42, Christopher Rose wrote:
> I can not help but wonder what it is that is happening to America. <snipped>
>  Indeed, many of the so-called "cartoons" that I see on television these days 
> probably would not have gotten past the censors when I was a child.
> I firmly believe that if I can not receive it on my rabbit ear antenna, 
> I probably am better off not watching it.  

	Rabbit ear antennae help filter the corruption out of television
programming?

>  My personal suggestion, and this may hurt some, is to REJECT cable television. 
> Yes, it means giving up the high speed cable internet, 
> In fact, I do not usually turn on the television unless I am going to watch 
> "SuperBook", "Veggie-Tales" or perhaps "Adventures in Odyssey" with my 2yo. 
> Otherwise, the television general remains off. I can assure you that this does 
> have an effect on those around you. Sadly, my nieces and nephew do not like 
> spending time at my place because they can not watch "Spongebob" or "Powerpuff Girls" 
> on television (or anything on cartoon network for that matter). Oddly enough, 
> this does not bother me, as at least my son is growing up without a need to watch 
> cartoons and he isn't exposed to all the garbage that the cable companies are trying 
> to sell us as entertainment.

	I don't think that the cable companies alone are responsible for what
makes it on TV.  But I suspect that they make be playing a part.  Years
ago there were the Neilson ratings, which kept track of the popularity
of programs.  With digital cable, I suspect but don't know this for
sure, that the cable companies have an automated equivatlent to the
Neilson ratings, by collecting data on the numbers of digital cable
boxes tuned to any particular program at any time.  Having digital
cable, the programs we select then would be also be counted.  Not being
on digital cable would mean we'd have no vote (not that we knew we were
voting).  If morally upright people in large numbers were to switch off
cable and replace it with 'rabbit ears' then the more acceptable
programmes would then appear to be that much more unpopular and more
likely to be cancelled (to be replaced by something more appealing to
the amoral viewers).

           My thoughts,

                  Ron T.
> 
> Pax,
> 
> Christopher
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The "Cat" is out of the bag, Grey Cat Linux
> 
> <center><a href="http://www.greycatlinux.myweb.nl"><img src="http://www.greycatlinux.myweb.nl/mini.jpg"> <border="0" width="88" height="31"></img></a></p>
-- 
Ron G. Thompson, |^|
Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada
www.petomai.org   ron at petomai.org
"Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as doves to their window?" Is
60:8