Subject: Ideas Matter (re: CRTC presentation)

From: [email-masked] (Brad Aisa)
Date: Wed, 20 Mar 96 07:46:15 GMT

To Whomever It May Interest

I appeared before the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications 
Commission (CRTC) Hearings on Television Violence here in Toronto, in 
October. I made a presentation called *Freedom or Censorship?*, in which I 
defended childrens programming, the rights of broadcasters, and argued for 
free speech (in broadcasting and in general) on philosophic grounds. I also 
called for the privatization of radio frequencies, and the abolition of the 
CRTC. (The presentation is on my web site: http://www.hookup.net/~baisa/)

The CRTC has just released their report, and though I was in the minority, 
it seemed that I may have helped prevent many of the worst recommendations 
from being unanimous, and thus dissent was registered:

     "Some participants argued that the debate is not in fact over, and    
     that the evidence is suggestive rather than conclusive. [that wouldn't 
     have been me...] Very few, however, suggested that no measures should 
     be taken to address this issue. [that would have included me]"

A friend phoned me tonight, who had been watching a TV interview with Keith 
Spicer, chairman of the CRTC, after release of the report, and Mr. Spicer 
listed by name some of the groups who had offered dissenting or minority 
views at the hearings, and I was told, also named me.

For those following this story, the CRTC has ordered Canadian broadcasters 
to begin rating their programming, and encoding the ratings for the 
V-chip, which is a device that parents can use to control the nature of 
programming which children can watch. (It is rather cumbersome technology, 
since multiple categories are rated: profanity, violence, and sex.)

I do not have any opposition to the V-chip technology per se, but am 
profoundly opposed to the manner in which it is being forced (extorted) on 
the industry. The "voluntary" self-regulation industry groups have 
"voluntarily" agreed to support V-chip. The problem with such an 
arrangement, is that it is impossible to know whether these groups are in 
fact acting according to consumer demand, or out of fear of the regulators. 
If parents wanted a ratings system in any numbers, then a market solution 
would arise -- government regulation is not necessary.

On a related matter, John Haslett Cuff, TV critic for Canada's Globe and 
Mail, had an excellent column today (3/19/96) blasting the V-chip, and the 
entire censorial regulatory process in general. I have previously sent him 
copies of my editorials on this subject -- I don't know if my material 
helped, but even if he already held these views, I'm sure commentators 
appreciate receiving letters and articles in support of their views, 
particularly if they are not "mainstream".

I am very optimistic about the possibility of achieving freedom. Because 
the ideas of freedom, properly defended, make so much more sense than the 
ideas being offered by the establishment intellectuals today, they can 
really have a great impact, even when there are substantially fewer 
adherents of them, and even when they are at odds with many philosophic 
"catch-phrases" and notions that are popularly held. But unless these ideas 
are promoted in forums and contexts where they challenge contemporary 
ideas, they can't do any good at all. So I would encourage people to do 
what Ayn Rand suggested as the best thing one can do today, "Speak!"

--
Brad Aisa <[email-masked]>  web: http://www.hookup.net/~baisa/

1 Mises (M1.00) = 0.01 troy ounce gold; 1 Rand (1R) = 0.01 Mises

"The highest responsibility of philosophers is to serve as the
guardians and integrators of human knowledge."   -- Ayn Rand