One of my good friends and I disagree about the intentions and aspirations (that seems like a fair way to express it) of the Bush Administration and its allies. I see creeping fascism–and I use that word after careful consideration, something my friend challenged me on–almost everywhere I look. But sometimes The Powers That Be don’t even attempt to hide their actions and we get a good look, as can be seen in the decision by media conglomerate Viacom to move The Reagans from CBS to Showtime.
The government can’t revoke the license of Showtime, since a pay cable network doesn’t need one, nor can advertisers pull their money away (ditto). Executives claim that the two networks have different broadcast standards but that seems like a load of hooey to this observer–we’re not talking about nudity (yeccch! Ronnie and Nancy naked?!?!?!) or foul language but the alleged historical accuracy of a program that is not advertised as a documentary.
The dictionary.com definition of fascism includes this aspect: “suppression of the opposition through … censorship.” Where, one might ask, is the pressure coming from that’s causing this decision by Viacom? “The chairman of the Republican National Committee also told CBS President Leslie Moonves that historians should review the miniseries for historical accuracy, or that a disclaimer should be run declaring the program fiction.” So look closely, because we rarely get to see the mechanisms exposed so clearly.
BillSaysThis 