Stones Cry Out

As a culture we have allowed almost every private or prurient thought to be shown or suggested on television, radio, and certainly the big screen. When someone in the media crosses the few remaining lines, we cry to the FCC. But determining media content is not the true role of government, and it has shown itself to be awkward, ineffective, and uncomfortable at drawing and enforcing the limits of permissible speech or content.

When the breast was bared during a CBS’s Super Bowl half-time show and whena sexually provocative skit was used to lead into a primetime football game, as ABC did several months ago, we turn to government to enforce our outrage. Politicians huff and puff about the drift from decency. But the penalties are laughable—CBS was fined $550,000 for the Super Bowl offense--about 15 seconds of Super Bowl commercial time.

The role belongs to the people; to all of us as viewers and consumers. Media content is a reflection of our cultural mores. Although we blame Hollywood or New York, our attention has to be corporate board rooms. Media content does not endure if it is not supported by advertisers and viewed by those who consume the advertisers’ products.

Of course, our outrage is selective. How much more provovative and deliciously instructive is the surprise hit, Desperate Housewives,than the flash of skin at the Super Bowl. We have come to the point as a culture where the only lines we draw are timetables, not decency or social edification. As long as Johnny or Suzy are probably in bed, roll out the crud.

As decision makers in the entertainment industry continue to push up against and frequently cross the lines of acceptability, the Americans who voted for moral values in the last election will push government to do something. However, the call for action is misdirected. It is for the newly discovered “values coalition” to organize consumer action, not government hand slapping which is both misplaced and ineffective.

So if you’re offended by something you see tomorrow, or any day, call (or organize action against) Chevrolet or Proctor and Gamble, and CBS—not the FCC.

When Ford previewed a Super Bowl truck commercial that mocked a man of the cloth—who looked most like a priest—by making having him lust for a new truck, the relgious community made its disgust known. And Ford pulled the ad.

There are also examples of failure to move the corporate giants on issues of moral content. Yes, the tools we have used thus far have mixed results. But for the interaction of our cultural institutions to be healthy, we must find ways to deal with societal filth and bad taste without forcing the government to be a culture cop.