There is a natural gap between those who are entertained and those who do entertaining for a living.
When you sit down to watch TV or a movie or read a story, you just finished your day’s work or you are taking a break from your normal life.
I was in a discussion about the media and a young man who wants to get into television management asked the routine question such people ask:
“Isn’t there a Public Service element in television? Is there a way to balance the Public Interest against just giving the public what it will pay for?”
He was asking the same question, and using the same code language, every socialist uses.
The consumer wants to get what He wants. This young man wants to give the consumer what he thinks the consumer NEEDS. And he leaves out the critical three word s that makes every discussion like this USELESS:
“IN MY OPINION”
So let us put this question, which occurs in every discussion of the media, in plain English:
“Isn’t there an element of WHAT I CONSIDER a Public Service Element in television? Is there a way to balance WHAT I CONSIDER is the Public Interest against just giving the public what it will pay for?”
That correction destroys the whole coded discussion.
Frankly, young man, I don’t give a flying rip about what you consider to be in the Public Interest. The very fact you can’t ask a straight question in English shows me your opinion is meaningless.
The young man thinks he has a Truth the public needs to get from him. It would never occur to him in a million years that he and the Great Experts he is talking do not have the Final Truth. He wants to balance the cheap pleasure of the paying public against the Great Truth he and the other experts have.
No. I do not think you have the slightest right to dictate Public Interest. The paying public has ALL the rights. The public has the opinions. You have no more right to force people to buy your idea of Truth than a preacher does. You have no more right to force people to buy your idea of the Public Interest any more than a contractor has the right to tell a home builder what house he wants.
Like the contractor, you can recommend. But until you get over the idea you represent the True Public Interest nobody will trust you the way they do their contractor.
#1 by Don on 06/07/2005 - 2:12 pm
Alas, I pay for TV and feel like someone paying to have a load of garbage dumped in my yard. It would be nice to be able to pay for what you REALLY want. But I don’t think the Little Dictator or GBS channels (Garbage Broadcasting System) are willing to cater to people like me. But we have alternatives now. My favorite daily broadcast is David Duke Live. On weekends there is Bob Whitaker Live, as well as a broadcast by Kevin Strom. It is a exciting start.
#2 by Elizabeth on 06/07/2005 - 7:12 pm
With extremely rare exceptions, here is what I watch on “public” television:
“Britcoms” — older British comedy shows
#3 by Elizabeth on 06/07/2005 - 7:13 pm
and Rick Steves’ travel show. I forget what it’s called, but it’s very entertaining and instructive.
#4 by Don on 06/08/2005 - 5:27 pm
I wish I had a contractor I could trust. I had some work done by someone who was supposed to be “good with doors.” Only problem is he apparently did not understand that the door is supposed to both open and close without the assistance of a Russian weightlifter.