I waited to chime in on this topic until the mainstream media began doing what it always does when it gets slapped around by the public: crying like a bunch of unpaid whores. I have been waiting for a word to appear in print and on the airwaves, a word that always appears at such times----censorship.
In case you don't know the whole tale, let me start at the beginning. CBS was going to air a mini-series entitled 'The Reagans' about Ron and Nancy during their White House years. There was only one little problem: much of the dialogue and scenes were complete fictions, written to make the Gipper look like an idiot and Nancy look like an overbearing bitch. The President was played by Mr. Streisand himself, James Brolin.
As is often the case in Hollyweird, some enterprising soul leaked the script to Matt Drudge. The game was up as conservatives came out of the woodwork to make their feelings known about such a travesty against a man who is completely unable to defend himself. Nancy Reagan pleaded with CBS to not air the show, fearing that it would seriously damage her husband's legacy. Talk radio exploded with callers who, like me, see Ronald Reagan as one of, if not THE, greatest president of the 20th century. But most importantly, talk of an advertiser boycott began to surface. Unlike the Jesse Jacksons and Al Sharptons of the world, when conservatives of all types band together and boycott, stocks plummet and companies suffer.
Three or four days ago, CBS announced that 'The Reagans' would not air on their network. Instead, it will be shown on CBS-owned Showtime next year. Supposedly, the network decided that the show was too biased and went out of its way to be controversial. And while the network is no stranger to controversy, it believed that, in this case, the deck was stacked unfairly.
Conservatives all across the nation called the move a victory. Being a skeptic, I knew that it would take about 48 hours for the liberal elite to get their shit together and begin their "censorship" assault. ''The right to free expression of opinion is damaged by this,'' said Jonathan Estrin, a TV producer and dean at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Barbra Streisand had a similar quote on her website, but self-respect prevents me from directly quoting her here, as I may burst into flames while doing so.
Let's look at censorship. The word "censor" is derived from the name of a magistrate in the Roman government whose duty it was to count the populace and act as an overseer of public morality. So to be fair about it, the use of the word must be in reference to some sort of government oversight. Would it make sense to say that the viewers of CBS censored the network? Since when is censorship a grass-roots movement?
The truth of the matter is that CBS changed its tune because of money. The thought of losing advertising dollars, not fear of "censorship", is what made them rethink this issue. The awful truth is that everyone who is weeping and gnashing their teeth over this knows that the battle came down to money. But, of course, to admit that their art is influenced by money would be to admit that they might be (gasp!) capitalists. Sean Penn, call your office.
Posted by Matthew at November 6, 2003 02:07 AM