10861814 - IGF CultureWatch

Too Much Choice! There are those PC types who feel it's wrong to let McDonald's set up outlets in developing nations because "the people" might be seduced into eating there, and thus become victims of globalized exploitation. Similarly, some of the arguments those on the Left are making against the proposed new 24-hour gay cable channel (a joint venture between Showtime and MTV) seem to imply with trepidation that gay people might, well, choose to watch it. Take Rick Whitaker's opinion piece, We've Come to Far to Be Reduced to the Small Screen, in the March 17 Washington Post. Of the new channel, and television in general, he writes: -- "the words 'lowest common denominator' come to mind -- along with 'corporate exploitation' and 'crass commercialism'." Want more? How about this bit of history:

"The gay movement will have gone from bottle-throwing militants at the 1969 Stonewall riots in Greenwich Village, which sparked the gay pride movement, to the manipulated consumer niche of around-the-clock commercial television in less than 35 years. It's hard to imagine a more backward evolution."

But here's the gist of his opposition:

""the gay characters on prime-time shows are not there because television executives have a conscience; they're there because they contribute to the lucrative popularity of the shows. Viacom's goal is to make money, not to serve the gay community, of course. A gay channel is not a step forward. It is a form of control -- and an embarrassing one at that."

Whew. It seems those conniving capitalists are (shudder) out to MAKE MONEY, and not to advance the Left's political agenda. And they've come up with yet another evil scheme -- creating a gay cable channel that gay folks might watch and enjoy, thus feeding the greed machine. Why, it's the new opium of the people!

Now there are, in fact, some reasonable arguments for questioning whether an all-gay channel would promote cultural integration or be a new sort of media ghetto. But can't this be debated without resulting to knee-jerk attacks against the very free market/consumer choice system that's been the engine not only of Western prosperity, but of our open and, yes, increasingly tolerant society to boot?