Decency debate
Regarding “The Zipping Point” by Patrick Goldstein (March 28), please allow me to let Michael Copps of the FCC in on a little-known secret. It may hurt. It may come as quite a shock. Howard Stern is not the antichrist. Janet Jackson’s breast revelation was not the downfall of civilization as we know it. JC Chasez is not responsible for the ills of society.
Mr. Copps, were you aware that a huge asteroid is on a possible collision course with Earth in about 11 years? But I will not be afraid. I will sleep at night, knowing you and your comrades in arms at the FCC are burning the midnight oil, ensuring Bono cannot be heard uttering the F-word on awards shows. I feel at ease and secure in the knowledge that you, Mr. Copps, and your diligent associates in censorship are slaving away to protect Americans from the shock jocks, the talk show hosts and the stand-up comedians who will surely turn our children into soulless monsters with their talk of ... (gasp) sex!
For the record, I am a passionate Howard Stern fan, and an unlikely one at that. In fact, his show has changed my opinions on a lot of things. To look at me, one would never think I could be pulled into such a den of smut and debauchery. I am female. I do not strip or model or perform in porn films. I work full-time. I do not sleep around. I rarely curse. I do not indulge in any kind of alcohol or drugs. I am reasonably intelligent and well-spoken. I just happen to think that Stern says what many people wish they could say, and in a funnier way. He is an Everyman who happens to like to discuss sex and finds great humor in it. To fine him for things that were said over three years ago is just evidence of some kind of modern-day witch hunt, and to remove him from the airwaves is certainly some kind of violation of freedom of speech.
Sherry Edie
Los Angeles
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The entertainment industry should not be concerned about the crackdown on “indecent” material over the airwaves. All broadcasters have to do is follow the example set by other industries and simply say, “We need to be competitive.” The Bush administration has made it clear that other industries must compete even if it means children will hear things that might disturb them. Of course, up to now it hasn’t been the F-word. It’s been other things like “Daddy lost his job,” or “Mommy’s got cancer and we don’t have insurance.”
The principle is still the same, and one thing we know about the administration -- they “stick to principle.” So broadcasters should take heart, step up and just say the magic words: “We need to stay competitive.”
And all that nonsense about “protecting our children” will be set aside.
Bob Underwood
Los Angeles