Pressure tactics by private groups is as dangerous as gov't censorship

Great Debates
21

There’s always the option of, when hearing of a boycott, writing to the sponsors and saying, “Don’t give in to consumer blackmail - keep sponsoring that show.”

Ah, now, if this is your point, yes, I agree, I wish people would mind their own business a bit more. As Miss Manners has said (paraphrasing), “If more people were concerned about being reconciled rather than being right, the world would be a happier place.”

However, I still would never deny anyone the opportunity to boycott what they wanted to boycott - after all, I’m personally boycotting the products that sponsor Dr. Laura (er, well, I will, once I get a good list of them). I even make a stink about her here on the SDMB and elsewhere on the 'net. But I don’t think she should be banned from the airwaves just because I disagree with her; rather, I think she should be banned because other media personalities have been fired or cancelled for similar reasons, but she has not (I see an unfair standard here).

Finally, the bottom line? “It’s all about the Benjamins, baby.”

Esprix

22

Revtim said:

Actually, no. But I do think you’re missing mine.

If the people who make it want to continue to make it, then it can’t be killed by some minority. It can only be killed by the media outlet. If they cave in, blame them, not those who are exercising their rights to free speech.

I understand that you are upset because these people are trying to take away your choice to watch something, but the simple fact here is that they have the right to do so. They are speaking out about something that is important to them. They are using their right of free speech. If you don’t like it, use your free speech rights and fight back!

A local example: A billboard went up around town advertising “Dream Girls,” a lingerie shop. The billboards had not-terribly-revealing photos of the owner, a nice-looking woman, wearing different items.

Another woman sent protest letters to the newspaper and anybody else who would listen, trying to boycott the billboard company, etc. Others wrote in saying she was being ridiculous (some agreed with her, though not many).

Then, a billboard went up for a shoe store that specializes in wide widths and special sizes for men. It had a photo of a few guys of different sizes (tall, thin, heavy, etc.) standing around in boxers in different humorous poses. The billboard said something like, “We fit all shapes and sizes.”

The woman started a new campaign against them! She insisted that it showed half-naked men and emphasized their groins (remember, they were in boxers) and that the line was a double-entendre relating to penis size (she didn’t say it that way). Lots of people wrote in to say what an idiot she was. The paper’s editorial cartoonist had a cartoon making fun of her. Etc.

She exercised her right of free speech to protest. Others exercised theirs to point out how silly her protest was.

23 
You're forgetting that you really have no control over the production of the show. The producers make the show and then they find someone to distribute it. I'm still free to choose what to watch just like they're free to produce what they wan.t

Marc

24

Revtim wrote

Because the people who are protesting the show believe that it is socially damaging to our society. Reasonable people feel that the health of society is important, and so try to change it to meet their morality. You might as well ask, “Why can’t people let me enjoy my shoes made by slave children in China? Why do they have to protest and shut down the shoe factory?”

If you hold a position in any debate, there are a number of vehicles you (I mean you personally, Revtim) can take to bend society to your view. That includes protesting, voting, writing, campaigning, spending, etc. You have the ability to take shows off the air or put or keep them on.