This guy claims that the market is the reason why television produces lots of low-quality entertainment and delivers misleading information:
http://reddit.com/r/science/info/6j2bu/comments/c03zglo
I can relate to what he's saying about the quality of the programming: in the recent years we've all witnessed Discovery Channel promoting stories about ghosts, psychics and UFO abductions.
One might say that they're doing it because the market demands it, in spite of the fact that the information is mostly bogus.
As I feared from your summary, it's a plea for socialized television (along the lines of PBS) to rectify the "market failure" of crappy television. The guy doesn't consider what he's saying, though. If the "market" demands crappy television, then apparently they'd rather watch that than PBS dramatized classics of western literature. So he proposes that we force them to watch something they prefer less, "for their own good"?
If so, I have a recommendation: the best possible use of one's time is to join my church and devote one's life to my religion. So I propose that all television be banned except religious services and Bible classes conducted by my church (and only my church). No more of this "Charles Dickens" and "Shakespeare" crap.
That's not what he means at all, though. He means that HE prefers PBS, but not enough to actually pay for it! Therefore, he wants everyone else to be forced to pay for HIS entertainment. As long as he has his Fireside Chats, everyone else can go bowling or drop dead for all he cares.
--Len
People these days don't have very good taste in television. Reality shows (the death of intelligent thought) are everywhere and shows that actually have an engaging storyline (and somewhat of a libertarian message) like Jericho are cancelled after the second season.
Some people even want to go as far as to force cable companies to allow their customers to have a la carta programing. Meaning that you can choose which channels you want to get and paying for each of them seperately instead of getting them in a package deal. If that goes through a lot of the fringe stuff such as the Sci-Fi Channel (even though their quality has gone down in recent years) won't be able to operate because the enormous profits from the popular TV shows subsidize the less popular shows.
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xSFx: I can relate to what he's saying about the quality of the programming: in the recent years we've all witnessed Discovery Channel promoting stories about ghosts, psychics and UFO abductions.
Not all of us - some of us never watch the thing at all, at all. Regarding ghosts, PSI, abductions, and the like - my jury's still out. There's not sufficient evidence to prove, but sufficient evidence to not dismiss, either. If looking at it is entertaining, the market will support it.
Do you have proof that it's mostly bogus, or is this your unbacked assertation? I mostly don't recommend making any judgements without looking carefully at the evidence, though becoming Charles Fort II isn't recommended, either.
However - I understand the dismay. Personally, I blame education - my kid's school claims that she's at the age at which critical thinking processes will spontaneously appear. (I'm a skeptic, and trying to teach that at home.) Without critical thought, it's hard for some to know the difference between good entertainment and "that stuff they put in between the commercials".
In any case, the idea that they wouldn't do it if the market did not support it has some merit. Exploration of important points in philosophy may be better for them, but if they'd rather tune in to jiggle, explosions, and fast action - then providing what they want is a good economic decision.
It is refreshing to see the left wail about this also. One must take one's amusement where one can find it.
Danno - looking for a good jiggle DVD....
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"No, this is important"
"What?"
"Someone is wrong on the internet."
Not all of us - some of us never watch the thing at all, at all.
Wish I could say that. There's no TV in my house, partly to spare my son from premature brain-rot, and partly because I'm an addict. So I get my fix anyway; my TV is spelled "iPhone." Cop shows are my weakness--of all things for an anarchist to be addicted to.
So I guess entertainment is a public good now, which the market has "failed" to provide (even though it is providing it so very well.) Statist "logic" at its apogee.
-Jon
I cannot be caged. I cannot be controlled. Understand this as you die, ever pathetic, ever fools.
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Do you have proof that it's mostly bogus, or is this your unbacked assertation?
IMO, television as we know it will become obsolete.
My own opinion on the subject of the quality of TV programs is simple, what we need is more channels like HBO. The reason to why their shows have such high quality is because they treat the viewers as a consumers, nothing more, nothing less.
"Try to imagine a regulation of labor imposed by force that is not a violation of liberty; a transfer of wealth imposed by force that is not a violation of property. If you cannot reconcile these contradictions, then you must conclude that the law cannot organize labor and industry without organizing injustice." — from The Law
xSFx: This guy claims that the market is the reason why television produces lots of low-quality entertainment and delivers misleading information
And the trend continues: education is terrible, so more state involvement is demanded; healthcare is too expensive, so people want the state to force others to pay for it; everything on TV is dreck, so the state is expected to fix it by... producing more interesting or edifying programming? I can see it now: the "United States Department of Entertainment". <sigh>
You'd think that just once, by accident, people would realize these things all suck because of government regulation, or at least wonder why there are only a few cable companies and you have to buy all or none of the channels.
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