roundtable: Re: Dole, Industry Deviancy and Cyberspace

roundtable: Re: Dole, Industry Deviancy and Cyberspace

Re: Dole, Industry Deviancy and Cyberspace

Rick Crawford (crawford@cs.ucdavis.edu)
Mon, 5 Jun 1995 20:48:07 -0700 

Date: Mon, 5 Jun 1995 20:48:07 -0700
From: crawford@cs.ucdavis.edu (Rick Crawford)
Message-Id: <9506060348.AA29730@ivy.cs.ucdavis.edu>
To: roundtable@cni.org
Subject: Re: Dole, Industry Deviancy and Cyberspace


> Have you read a copy of WIRED?  Do you get a weird feeling when you
> hear about how parts of cyberspace are lacking in values and humanity?

I refuse to publish in WIRED, not because it is lacking in values 
and humanity, but precisely because its values are those that 
degrade humanity.


> And, if you do, it appears that we have a natural ally with Senator 
> majority leader, Bob Dole!

Let's not confuse political posturing with principled convictions.
Dole is not saying that the Market must be made to conform to 
human values.  He is attacking only those excess profits that
accrue to the campaign coffers of his political enemies.

Had Bob Dole come down hard on the mindless violence of Republican
actors like Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Rambo Stalone,
we might accuse him of harboring genuine moral principles.

But such is not the case here.  Instead, this is a tactical political
decision by Dole -- he outflanks Phil Gramm on the conservative 
cultural front, and simultaneously raises in Republicans' minds the 
spectre of Phil Gramm funding a porno movie 21 years ago.  The only 
people alienated are the Clinton donors among the Hollywood set.  
Dole warrants our respect not for his alleged values, but for his 
ability to perceive and exploit a political opportunity.

I spoke with the scholar whose published research Dole used (abused),
and this researcher is angry that the evidence is being twisted to 
support more repression by those who profit most from the "Mean World 
Syndrome" caused by TV violence.  TV violence is so prevalent, not 
because it is popular (violent programs consistently have lower 
Nielsen ratings), but because violence is a cheap dramatic ingredient 
that earns profits in global syndication.

The metric driving programming content is not quality or popularity,
but "Cost per Thousand" -- how much money does it cost a producer to
deliver an audience of 1000 to global advertisers.  Most shows lose 
money in the US; it is only in global distribution that they recoup 
their cost and earn a profit.  And it is precisely the necessity of 
"competing" in that global media market that makes violence such an 
ideal ingredient.  Violence needs no translation -- it speaks action 
in any language.  The US exports 30% more violent shows than are ever 
shown on bloody American TV.


> Yet, if we let the marketplace build cyberspace -- why should it be
> any different than the 'nightmares of depravity' that has Bob Dole
> so incensed

Bob Dole is a creature of the Market and the oligopoly who control it.
Any "public interest" in his legislation is a matter of transitory
political convenience.  This is not to say that no public interest
advocate should attempt to work with Dole's staff.  But Dole,
like Clinton, is willing to sacrifice even "close friends" on
the altar of political expediency.

Bearing in mind Dole's highly selective appropriation of research 
findings I alluded to earlier, anyone who chooses to cooperate with 
Dole and his ilk (in either party) carries an immense responsibility 
to ensure that their work is not similarly used against the public 
interest.

-rick    crawford@cs.ucdavis.edu

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