…so now that I’m living in St. Louis, I’m listening to radio quite a bit more than I was able to over the past few years. Therefore, I’m now getting exposed to Howard Stern on weekday mornings as I drive to class. As many of you may know, Stern’s show draws a great deal of FCC criticism (among others…) and, thus, he’s leaving “terrestrial radio” and heading to Sirius satellite radio beginning in early January. Therefore, he’s being replaced by a few different personalities depending on the listening region (Adam Carolla and David Lee Roth, among others).
Stern, in the past few weeks, has been really laying it on thick for how glad he is to be moving to satellite, and how much easier it will be to do his own thing, keeping the FCC and conservative groups off his back, etc. All this discussion has gotten me thinking about my thoughts on the subject, generally relating to free speech…which also spills over to video games and TV, I think.
In my opinion, which is generally correct, Stern shouldn’t be censored as much as he is. He’s being censored because the FCC and various groups don’t want children listening to his program. Stern’s show is (primarily…I think…) a morning show, beginning at 7:00 or 8:00 and going to 10:00. When will children listen to it? They’re supposed to be in school! And if they aren’t in school, they’re supposed to be supervised by an adult! During summer is the only time I could think when children would listen to the stuff…and even then, I’m pretty sure that kids would either a). not be awake yet or b). would (read: should) be under supervision of an adult.
Of course, the same thing goes for video games and TV. If you aren’t willing to raise your own kids and keep an eye on them, then you shouldn’t be complaining. If kids are “exposed” to such things, it’s (more often than not) the fault of the parents, not the fault of the person broadcasting/producing the game).
I listen to Stern ’cause there isn’t much else on. There are many times when I’ll switch to something else since I’m not being entertained anymore… There are times when it’s funny and there are times when it isn’t so funny… Stern is a very arrogant person and it shows almost every minute of the show. There are people who love the show and listen to it religiously, and I have no problem with that. But I believe that he has a right to say what he wants if he wants to under the First Ammendment to our Constitution, just like the rest of us. I can write anything I want here and not be regulated. I can actually type out everything that he says and not be regulated. It’s very easy to access…arguably more accessible since a website can be viewed from anywhere in the world, while Stern can only be heard on the radio in certain venues. The fact that he’s moving to satellite is bad not because I like his radio, but because the man is giving up and laying down before The Man. Granted, he put up a good fight over the years, but it’s finally coming to this. The FCC will only begin to regulate satellite radio as it becomes more prevalent. They’ll continue to regulate the internet and censor it. They’ll continue to regulate TV. They’re currently trying to regulate video games as well. This isn’t stopping anytime soon. Mark my words, by the time I’m 40, the face of broadcast television, radio, etc. will change dramatically to the proverbial “right” and our children will be so “protected” that they won’t be able to think for themselves. These kids will be mindless and void of creativity. Just like everything else, there need to be liberals and conservatives, good vs evil, Spider-Man vs Green Goblin… You can’t have one without the other. Howard Stern is a “necessary evil,” of sorts, to allow for the rest of us to think for ourselves and to put ideas out there that cause contention and debate.
Reading over this, I realize I’m not making a whole lot of sense, but I think the basic idea has been presented. I summarize with a good quote from a great movie: “Damn the Man.”
So yeah, any thoughts?
