I think you nailed it.
That’s exactly what I heard.
What you think of it, whether he’s right or wrong, stupid, shortsighted, unable or unwilling to change, of low character, etc., etc. doesn’t change the communication.
And you nailed exactly what he was trying to communicate.
By the way someone upthread said that the station has the right. That was conceded in the question that was posted for the thread in the first place.
I think what was being asked is: should things be that way, regardless of the fact that they have the right?
Diogenes nailed the reality completely, though it can be seen as skirting the overarching moral question if one chooses to see it that way.
The reality, as D said, is that the station can’t be expected to put on a show whose advertisers have left so it’s a moot point about “should” at that point.
The broader societal question that’s implied by the scenario, however, is pretty fascinating: should use of that term be so outre that advertisers, rightfully, fear repercussions from society and therefore pull the ad? Once you concede the fact that advertisers are at risk of losing money, it is – as D said – just capitalism then.
(Personally, I think whenever anyone asks a “should…” question, it logically requires a suffix to the question, so to speak, specifically: “…in order to what/towards what end?” So, should it be that way in order to…what? be moral? be fair? It matters what’s meant or implied by ‘should’.)
Hypothetically, if society at large was capable of taking things in context and – without having to condone every single thing in right/wrong terms – understood where people are coming from so as to not be so outraged by some things, then the advertisers wouldn’t have to pull the show because they wouldn’t be in fear of being monetarily damaged and A&E could keep the show on the air. He knew that society doesn’t work that way, of course, and pretty much says so in the tape.
If **that **were true, **then **you could truly say that you’re left with A&E’s “morals” or value judgments as to what kind of brand image they want to have.
Of course, that goes back to capitalism too if you extract it out since A&E is in business. LOL