Letters: Apr. 18, 2005

Has TV Gone Too Far--or Have Its Critics?

Impassioned TV viewers responded to the cover story on efforts to clean up sleazy programming. Some called for more oversight to reduce the level of sex, violence and profanity, but most objected to government involvement. Many felt the values activists should let grownups make their own decisions

Thanks but no thanks to L. Brent Bozell's watchdog groups for presuming to judge what television content my child should be protected from [March 28]. I don't need them to make that judgment, and I certainly don't appreciate their prodding the Federal Communications Commission into action on my behalf. I like the personal responsibility that comes with having a child, and I take it very seriously.

CHRISTOPHER QUIGLEY -- Abington, Pa.

Your cover headline asked, "Has TV Gone Too Far?" The answer is yes. I'm a young man with no religious affiliation, not some prudish middle-aged church mouse, but I have to say I am perplexed about how we got to this point. I don't envy anyone raising a child in the current climate of cultural depravity.

JON GARDNER -- Rocklin, Calif.

My parents raised me with the idea that certain things were for adults only. For the government to interfere with my entertainment because parents can't handle their responsibilities is unconscionable. I've got a message for concerned parents: Do your job, and raise your kids. Don't let them sit in front of the TV, staying up until 11 p.m. Put books in their rooms instead of TVs and video games. Legislation is not the answer.

ALLEN HUJSAK -- San Diego

Though TV smut should have been cleaned up years ago, at least some decent standards may now be enforced. But when will someone do something about the shameless clothes our young teenagers are wearing?

SUSAN JONES -- Fort Wayne, Ind.

Your coverage of the garbage on TV depicted a nation in slow decline. The best thing that can be done is to break the TV habit. Then homework gets done, family relationships and friendships can be re-established, and there is time for great music and arts.

CLINT FREEMAN -- Ridgecrest, Calif.

Here's a policy that the folks at the Parents Television Council (PTC) should follow: if you don't like what you see on TV, just change the channel. The group seems to be a censorship committee, dreaming about the good old days when TV was bland and unreflective of the culture. The PTC may think it is protecting children, but that is just an illusion.

G. JAY KALMEK -- Vancouver, B.C.

What is truly obscene is the self-appointed thought police butting into people's lives. If they are genuinely concerned about families and children, they ought to use their time and money to address real problems like homelessness, the lack of health care and the poisoning of our environment.

JOHN CRENSHAW -- Yorktown Heights, N.Y.

Maybe the PTC should create its own TV network to compete with the ones it is trying to change. That way it could accomplish what it wants to do without trying to force puritanical standards down the throats of people who prefer to control their own lives. If the PTC's suspicions about indecency are justified, the group will find a lucrative niche market that will pressure other networks to emulate it to stay competitive.

KATHY BOHON -- St. Robert, Mo.

Stubborn or Sour?