Cancel your cable TV or be part of the problem

[Proud2BAmurkin]

a cable TV subscription is a donation to the rnc and the Frist for President campaign.

[skylarmae]

1. The 'Frist for President campaign?'

Please, tell me you're not serious. Please!

[Proud2BAmurkin]

2. he's in the bullpen

:scared:

[LittleClarkie]

3. Explain please

All cable tv companies donate to the RNC?

[Proud2BAmurkin]

4. the cable news shows gave us Clinton impeachment, two Bush* terms

.

[LittleClarkie]

23. So do I get rid of the radio in my car because Rush is on?

Um, no.

At the very least, I need to watch a certain Senator on C-Span. And the cable radio on digital is pretty groovy.

[AP]

26. You don't pay to listen to the radio. Therefore you're not paying for

people to buy the politicians who legislate against your best interests.

[LittleClarkie]

32. Once again, what are we talking about

If it's cable news, then I don't watch it.

If it's cable companies donating to the RNC, then say so, please.

[AP]

34. What I'm talking about is paying to watch TV, and then having the

telecoms who get that money using it to buy the political power that supports Republicans and the cultural power that supports republicans and the economic power that supports Republicans.

If you don't give them your money, they have less political, economic, and cultural power to help Republicans get elected.

[OneTwentyoNine]

61. Exactly how are you posting this on-line? Tin can and a string??

Cable Broadband,Dial-up,DSL?? No doubt the money you pay each month for that service goes to a company that supports Republicans more than Dems.

[sangh0]

66. Bad logic

You can't avoid one service the rnc supporters offer, so you shouldn't even TRY to avoid the others.

Don't you think that it would be reasonable to argue that Internet access is a little more important than access to The Sopranos and baseball?

[AP]

81. I have no problem with capitalism and competitive markets and ...

... corporations which require a wealthy middle class in order to make money.

I have a big problem with corporations which buy politicians so that they can legislate a de facto monopoloy which gives them easy profits without competition, who then use the medium they're monopolizing in order to spread propaganda to get more friendly politicians in office and keep the unfriendly ones out of office.

You can have an internet and DSL in the former and the latter marketplace. I'd rather be paying for internet access in the former circumstance.

And, incidentally, the initial investment for the internet was by taxpayers and the government, and the government turned it all over to private companies. The cost of building it was socialized, and the gain from operating it has been privatized. Generally, speaking, I don't have a terrible problem with that. But what do you want to bet the taxpayer didn't get a fair return on their investment? Just look at your cable bills for the answer to that question.

[Getchasome]

78. OK, then how about getting rid of cable because

they carry 20 religious stations. I'm paying all this money every month to hear the rantings of evangelical screw jobs. I counted 20 stations last week when I flipped through all my channels. Unreal. That did it for me.

[LittleClarkie]

95. There's 5 or 6 here, but then there's 5 or 6 of everything.

I'd have to see the donor lists and trace how the money is getting from my little cable company to the big dogs.

Religious channels don't bug me that much. The Catholic Channel is sometimes quite cool when Mother Angelica is on. I skip over the rest mostly. Pat Robertson and that set make my teeth itch in a big way. I'm a recovering Fundamentalist, you might say. I was never all that nutso, but I tried to fit myself into that template for a while.

Square peg/ Round hole -- I'm still looking for some of my missing parts. Now I'm a librul gal in a librul church -- though I didn't know how librul until this election. I was so proud of those guys. Blue as all get out right in the middle of a Red zone.

Meanwhile ya can't have my cable. There are benefits still to be had there, and I'm not doing the baby/bathwater thing.

[Us vs Them]

5. I'm torn.

I like my HBO. I like the fact that they taunt the FCC. I like the fact that they showcase the mundane, casual use of marijuana. I like the fact that Real Time with Bill Maher is due back in February...

But I am very aware of how horrible a company Comcast is.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

7. This will cure you

Watch Hardball and Hannity and Colmes and Wolf Blitzer on inauguration day.

[TwilightZone]

19. Now, why would you want to do that in the first place?

I don't understand why so many people still watch them anyway.

Maybe people just like being aggravated. Must be, because that's all you're going to get out of it.

[aquaman]

41. No doubt,

Keep your cable, I am, but I have sworn off ALL network news, CNN, MSNBC, etc. Have not seen a news broadcast since election day. I get the news solely from the internet from sources that I choose. I will not give up my cable, there are channels that are good, educational and just downright entertaining. I probably watch TV a total of about 5 hours a week. But when I do watch I want to watch something good like Sundance, when you pay your cable bill you are also paying channels such as Sundance if you have it which is quite liberal of course.

[MS68]

10. I'm torn too...

I keep thinking about it, but then I think about Bill Maher and the Daily Show and Six Feet Under and Dead Like Me and Queer as Folk...*sigh*

[AP]

27. Try two months with no cable. Sign up for Netflix instead ($17.99/month)

Give it a shot.

See what happens.

[Sara Beverley]

6. What we really need to do about cable TV is protest forced programming

subscriptions. If we pay for cable, we should be able to pick and choose our own total package and exclude programming we don't want to support. The law supports the cable companies and big business and the RW cabal who want their shows shoved down our throats.

[Shopaholic]

9. With all due respect, I call this the bury your head in the sand

argument--if you ignore it, it will make them stop. I'm sorry, but that's just ridiculous. I say that we watch them and hold their feet to the fire and let them know when they've pissed us off. It's what Media Matters was created to do. You can do what you want but I'm going to fight them with all I've got. Besides, why should I deny myself of the channels I do enjoy watching?

[AP]

28. I think municipalities should own the cables and that they should

be able to negotiate with the providers and then provide channels to citizens according to the rate structure you just outlined.

[onenote]

84. an incredibly bad idea

The last thing we should want is to put the decision about what programming is available in the hands of elected municipal (county or city) officials. How long would Bravo have lasted on a municipally run system once it started offering Queer Eye? What chance would BET or other African-American oriented services have in some parts of the country? Do you think Showtime or HBO (to say nothing of Playboy) would be available?

I'd rather take my chances with a profit-motivated private enterprise than have "State TV"....

onenote

[Ladyhawk]

42. Agreed...but how do we force their hand? n/t

[Buck Rabbit]

94. We should economically grab one of the Cable News networks by

the short hairs and make it our own.

If we focus our viewership on one of them, they will be obligated to us to maintain their new improved viewership. The higher ratings are a narcotic for them.

MSNBC is the logical choice as Olbermann is there and sometimes Tweety depending on the alignment of Jupiter and Mars. Concentrate our viewership on one network and watch the development of a new Anti-Fox.

It's Capitalism, they will always sell their beliefs for a buck. Do you think Rupert enjoys the content of The Simpsons? "Give them the ratings and they will pander."

[fishwax]

77. Perhaps, but

the bundling laws also support programming like Sundance and the Independent Film Channel and Oxygen, which would find it difficult to survive with buffet-style cable pricing. I'd like more discussion of the A la Carte pricing thing. Naturally, the staunch opposition of the cable companies makes me a little suspicious, but I'm not entirely convinced that eliminating bundling would lead to more diversity of voices on the airwaves.

[TwilightZone]

8. Why stop there?

Quit driving, because gas is a donation to the RNC.

Quit buying groceries!

Quit watching sporting events!

Quit going to the doctor!

Quit eating breakfast cereal!

Quit being informed!

Sorry for the sarcasm, but these blanket "ban this or you're evil" posts are a bit misguided. Not all cable companies are owned by right-wingers and not everyone (particularly those with kids or spouses who will give up TV when hell freezes over) is in a position to cancel cable.

Not to mention that there are thousands of companies that donate to the RNC and Republican candidates, so why single out cable TV?

[Proud2BAmurkin]

11. nobody said ban anything, and cable news = 2 Bush terms

I think cable news (not just FOX) is more responsible for Bush than any company donation

[TwilightZone]

16. "Cable news" does not equal "Cable TV".

If you don't want to watch cable news, CHANGE THE CHANNEL.

Cable news is most certainly not the only thing on cable TV.

"nobody said ban anything"

Well, you said, "Cancel your cable TV". Sounds like a ban to me. Couldn't be much clearer, actually.

[sangh0]

68. But the money still goes to RNC funders

It's not merely what you watch on cable, but also where the money goes.

Well, you said, "Cancel your cable TV". Sounds like a ban to me. Couldn't be much clearer, actually.

It's always clear to those who have a preconceived bias, but the English language is not as obtuse as you make it out to be. "Cancel your cable TV" means "Cancel your cable TV" and nothing more. The rest was stuff YOU read in.

[Sterling]

Don't know if you are aware but everything goes to RWers in the end.

If you follow the food chain high enough it's the corporate elite who own everything. This is news to you? Not to say boycotts are not an admirable endeavor but I think it is too late to make a difference that way when our party leaders in general sell us out for next to nothing at the earliest opportunity.

If we can't fix that these kinds of grass roots projects are a waste of time. The fact is if our Dem's would not have sold the farm in the Clintonian age we would not be discussing desperate last ditch Kamikaze efforts like pulling out your cable box.

[linazelle]

18. Cable news does not equal cable TV....

There's no reason to stop watching cable TV altogether because they air news. It makes no sense.

[Liberaltarian]

37. you forgot prescription medication...

we have to give those up as well.

[fujiyama]

48. It's simply not practical

to boycott various companies because they donate to republicans or RW causes.

Does it make me happy when I purchase a product by a company that donates to republicans?

No of course not, but there are so many companies out there that do donate to republicans that it simply isn't practical or sustainable to boycott them (or isn't for many of us). Almost every company out there donates at least in some part to republicans. There are very few companies that donate 100 to democrats%

That said, I don't watch cable news. I watched it very little this election season, and stopped completely after it. And I don't shop at Wal Mart. Their practices disgust me...but I also have the convenience of not having one located nearby to me. I do have several other stores nearby - but guess what they also donate to republicans. I have a Meijer and a Krogers and both donate almost entirely to republicans. I suppose I could stop buying groceries and buy them from a small organic food market in Ann Arbor, but I simply don't have the time of driving that far to do that. I do try to avoid those companies that donate to RW causes or republicans but as I said, I can only try.

But I still have cable and I'll consider cancelling it - but that's only if I find a better deal with a satellite or a different cable company (I think I have just one other alternative though).

[sangh0]

69. And it's simply not logical

to argue that because there are things you can't cut out, you shouldn't cut ANYTHING out.

That said, I don't watch cable news. I watched it very little this election season, and stopped completely after it. And I don't shop at Wal Mart.

So you do acknowledge the feasibility and value of NOT patronizing certain businesses, so why not do the same for cable TV? You haven't identified one reason why you CAN'T avoid cable TV.

[mike_c]

12. good advice-- I tuned mine off over a decade ago...

...and I've never missed it for a moment. More time to do other things, too. Even without the issue of money donated to the RNC, TV is a plug-in drug-- the REAL opiate of the masses.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

14. about a month here. never miss it either

ever

[Walt Starr]

13. Eating food is a donation to the RNC and the Frist for President campaign

Drinking water is a donation to the RNC and the Frist for President campaign.

Hyperbolic rhetoric gets us nowhere.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

15. you're right, Fox news hasn't helped Repukes. my bad.

.

[Walt Starr]

17. Fox News is not Cable Television

Fox News is one channel, and I never turn the damn thing on.

Go on, throw out all of those babies with the bathwater.

:eyes:

[OneTwentyoNine]

62. So quit watching FOX......

The old "cutting off the nose to spite the face" routine once again on DU. SOAB,just quit watching cable news. There are many other channels on cable I like and NEED--like the Weather Channel.

This boycott shit on DU is out of hand...

[AP]

24. Food doesnt' lie to you about what's happening in the world.

Food doesn't try to convince you that up is down and black is white.

[Forkboy]

40. I think your troubles are with cable news

which is crap.But again,not all cable does what you claim.

[AP]

43. What about Discovery's war channel? Or MTV? Or all the advertisements

and alll the other shows which have the message: "Consume or Die!"? Or all the shoes which tell you that the proper role for a woman is to marry someone rich or degrade herself or both?

So much of TV is the reinforcement of ideas that make it harder for progressives' ideas to take root.

There are a few liberal shows out there. Without a Trace, I believe, is very liberal. CSI:NY and Miami OTOH are very reactionary.

For the most part, funding cable is funding the death of progress and the death of a diversity of ideas.

[Forkboy]

44. Well I wont argue that most tv is crap

I haven't had cable since last year and dont miss anything other than the Cartoon Network and the Sci-Fi Channel (many of the shows on there were liberal leaning when I watched it).But this seems to me like throwing out the baby with the bathwater :shrug:

Not really disagreeing with you,just think it's taking a position to an extreme.

Peace

[AP]

45. The only argument being made here is that when you spend 30 bucks a month

on cable, a big chunk of that cash is going to a big company to buy a Republicans government which wants to make that big company have even more economic, cultural and political power. And that company spends about 90% of its air time sending out messages that make you more complacent, less informed, and a more compliant consumer.

It seems mad to contribute to your own political, economic and cultural demise like that.

[Walt Starr]

102. Dude, if all you did was drink water, eat bread, and breath air

your money would still be going to the Republicans.

[AP]

111. We're talking about underwriting propaganda. If they are able to use the

money you pay them to wage a propganda campaign on behalf of fascists, there's something wrong with the business model, and the best way to make a difference is to stop being a party to your own humiliation.

Stop funding your abuse. If you take the money out of it, it will change.

[Walt Starr]

112. Eating brad underwrites propoganda too!

Where the fuck do you think the money from the big corporations go?

:eyes:

No, I'm not getting rid of cable and no, I am not part of the problem. Those who refuse to at least hear what the fuck the opposition is saying are the REAL problem!

[AP]

118. Where the fuck does it go? As I've been saying: to the economic power

that they convert to political power when they control the perception of politicians.

Check out the media studies at mediatenor.org. Tell me your happy that you're paying 30-70 bucks a month to these companies so they can do that?

Furthermore, the more TV you watch, the less informed you are. They don't talk about issues, and they lie to you about reality. How does that help anyone? We're supposed to be framing reality, and not reacting to the frame the Republicans create.

[Walt Starr]

122. Fuck that noise

I think I'll go up my subscription and get Cinemax, The Movie Channel, and Showtime on it!

That'll send twice as much to the cable company!

And it's all because of your well thought out arguments.

:eyes:

[fujiyama]

50. Ads and commercialization in general

are ubiquitious to American life.

By living in this country we pay taxes.

These taxes are funding the destruction and death of thousands as we type this. Boycotting certain companies will not mean they will not profit. Raytheon, Lockheed, and Boeing will all make billions because of corporate welfare.

I don't see what boycotting a company here and there will do. I just don't view it as very effective.

I have cable and there are some decent channels. In fact most of discovery is not about war...Maybe that's fair to say about the History Channel though, but even they have some interesting programs (moreso than anything on network TV).

Also, some of the other shows you name are on network television. CSI is on CBS. I have never heard of "Without a Trace".

Now, I have no problem with those that don't like Cable TV, or TV in general. I myself could easilly survive without TV. I watch little of it anyways...but encouraging everyone to cancel their cable TV is about as practical as telling everyone to leave the country because they pay taxes to the US govt.

[AP]

64. Cable companies are trying to form opinon. Others just sell things.

Fox had a reality show about life on an aircraft carrier about the time the time Bush was going to go to war with Iraq.

It was a page out of Goebbels. Rock music. Making it about having fun. That's dangerous for democracy and the only reason they did it was because corporate America had so much to gain from war and from Bush being perceived positively.

When you pay for cable you are directly subsidizing that crap.

If TV is free, at least the producers of content don't make money unless you have the money to buy the products their advertisers sell, and in that case, the producers of content are better off when there are Democrats in office who make the middle class wealthy.

[onenote]

85. come again?

If you don't want bucks going to the RNC, how can you watch "free TV" -- Do you honestly think that the executives at Fox, NBC, CBS, and ABC donate to repubs any less (or to Dems any more) than their counterparts in the cable industry (both the cable companies like Charter and Comcast and the programming networks like Oxygen or A&E)?

onenote

[AP]

88. I think you're missing my point. I'm not concerned with money going

to employees who then donate to one part or the other. I'm worried about corporations getting powerful and regardless of what their employees think about one party or the other, the corporation uses its cultural and economic power to create political power.

Institutionally, I don't think you can deny, big media throws its cultural and political weight behind Republicans so they can get their easy monopoloy profits.

Where do they get that power? Largely from people paying uncompetitve rates for their products.

You want to reduce their power? Cancel your cable. If enough people do, maybe they'll start to competitively price, which will mean they'll have to focus on their business and not on buying themsleves friendly legislation. Maybe reducing their power will mean other competitors can enter the market. Maybe if they get very worried, they'll start programming things people want to see (ie, information and entertainment, rather than fascist pro-consumption, anti-knowledge propaganda).

I don't know how I can make this point any clearer.

And in fact, I think the people responding to my posts negatively actually understand my point which is why they're so intent on characterizing it as something else.

[onenote]

91. I get your point, but I don't buy it

You're not concerned about where the profits go, just with how "big media" uses its "economic and cultural power to create political power."

So, you drop cable. Do you think that the cable company is going to react by taking off FoxNews, a big ratings getter? No, they're going to cut costs by laying off people, by reducing service, by cutting out the least profitable parts of their service: say bye-bye to ethnic programming, to niche programming, to new, innovative services. They'll focus on appealing to the masses...that'll help out in terms of "cultural" diversity...

And you think someone else will come into compete? Its awfully expensive to build a cable system...where is this competitor going to get its money? Its going to be hard to raise capital in a market if investors see that the number of folks subscribing to cable is declining. And while the cable operator makes the business/editorial judgment about what channels to carry, those channels pick their content. What is this new system going to offer -- is there a lot of cool progressive content out there not being carried? No. It would have to be created, and that will take more investment dollars. No one is going to think a start up cable operation with a bunch of unknown programming is going to attract a viable body of subscribers. So the new entity ends up carrying FoxNews, CNN etc, just like the incumbent.

And this new competitor is just as likely to seek to curry favor from the government as the incumbent. After all, the new company needs to get a government granted franchise to operate. And is subject to federal regulation, just like the incumbent. Take a look at a company like "Clear Play" -- a start up company that took on some of the big media giants (Disney, Universal, etc) by developing a technology that allows people to skip over parts of DVDs that they find "offensive". In order to get their technology to market, they needed legislative help. From a Republican controlled Congress. They got it. Size matters in some things, but even small companies have incentives to suck up to the powers that be.

Finally, you keep saying cable is a monopoly. Could be so where you are, but most folks can choose between their cable company and two satellite companies. Those two satellite companies once were very small, but they got big. How? Well, one important thing they did is to suck up to republicans to get favorable legislation that helped them compete with cable (Billy Tauzin and John McCain in particular). They sure as hell didn't challenge the status quo when it comes to cultural issues...

So, once again, if you don't like the programming, dump cable, don't watch satellite, don't watch over the air television (except maybe PBS and the little religious station, since they aren't big media). Read a book (but not a book published by any of the publishers that are owned by big media, such as Random House (Bertelsman), Simon and Schuster (Viacom). Rent a movie (but not a movie produced or distributeed by "big media", which basically is pretty much all of the movies out there.

Or, you can keep your cable, only watch the programming produced by the independent services that offer content that you like (or the public access programs you like, or the city council meetings or any of the other stuff no one else offers you), and drive down the ratings of the crap you don't like. That actually might do something.

onenote

[AP]

96. I think they'll react by lowering their prices, which will reduce their

economic, and therefore politcal power. And hopefully, to attract viewers that lower the propagnda factor and increase the quality factor, which will mean that their cultural power isn't realized as encoruagement to vote for fascists.

[Walt Starr]

100. I'm actually looking forward to the military channel

although I am certain my wife won't like it.

[AP]

110. So is Karl Rove.

[Walt Starr]

113. OMFG, that is just insane!

:eyes:

YEs, the military channel is a conspiracy by Karl Rove! That's it, he's going to fill my head with mind rays by watching a documentary about the military!

:eyes:

:tinfoilhat:

[AP]

117. You think Karl Rove isn't happy that people watch more militarism?

It's not a conspiracy, perhaps. But it will make him happy.

And, incidentally, a lot of those corps which own the networks make money off of war, so those programs are like advertisements for their highest-profit margin product.

You don't need a conspiracy for everyone to be on board with the plan to make money.

[Walt Starr]

120. Dude, I served. History is military, like it or not.

How much history is unrelated to the military? DAMN LITTLE!

Go take any history course. Much of it will be the description of military events.

The United States was begun via bloody revolution.

We are a warlike species. Deal with it.

[AP]

125. History right now is the story of the increasing gap between what people

earn and what their employers make off of them.

Don't expect a "Dicovery Labor" channel anytime soon.

[Walt Starr]

127. Sorry if it offends you

but I'm in the upper middle class bracket, getting there from middle lower class status growing up.

Bootstraps and all that.

[AP]

128. If not for the propaganda coming from cable TV, there'd be many more like

you.

[KSAtheist]

133. Military History = Exciting...

Conflict Theory = Boring.

People gravitate towards what's exciting. Most americans don't give two shits about Sacco & Vanzetti and the history of the wobblies. Most americans couldn't tell you what they Haymarket Riots were about, but they can tell you what happened on D-Day. I'm not expressing an opinion here; it's a fact.

[Walt Starr]

58. Neither does cable television

only cable news.

Baby

Bath Water

[sangh0]

72. You've got to be kidding

Do you really believe that the only shows on cable that are not telling the truth are the news shows?

That's either very naive, or you're letting your desire to win an argument lead you into illogical arguments

[Walt Starr]

101. So Paul James is lying to me?

Damn, so I shouldn't throw my banana peels into my compost pile?

Are you telling me milky spore won't be effective against grubs?

Are you trying to say that I shouldn't use Maytag Blue Cheese instead of the regular stuff like Emeril says?

Damn, I shouldn't believe that Senators and Congressman say the things I hear them saying on CSPAN?

Fuck, I only get to see Martha on cable and now I find out she was lying when she told me ribbon is a good way to cover up parts of a decoration I don't like!

[AP]

83. Fox's reality show about life on an aircraft carrier before the gulf war..

....was fascist propaganda. All those reality shows where the point is to humiliate attractive women are conservative propaganda. The California recall election and Survivor owe a great deal to each other (Californians voted Gray off the Island -- yeah, isn't "democracy" entertaining!).

BET dumped Tavis Smiley because he told people not to watch the gangster rap videos BET now runs most of the day, and he told black women they should save their money rather than spend it on hair and nails. Whoops. Don't tell that to viewers when Bob Johnson is trying to sell BET to Viacom for a couple billion (and its value is measured by how many records and beauty products they can convince people to buy).

It's not just the cable news. It's about 90% of the programming that tries to convince people not to care about issues and to just consume.

[Walt Starr]

99. LOL, blow up your TV

Fox is an over the air network! It is not cable specific, so blow up your TV or you're supporting the RNC!

[AP]

109. It was on FX.

Do you work or a telecom?

[Walt Starr]

114. I don't watch FX, but you SAID it was on Fox.

I generally watch The History Channel, Discovery, TLC, DIY, A&E, HBO, AMC, TCM, Starz, Encore, Food Channel, and HGTV. Pretty much nothing else.

I work for a software company.

[AP]

119. Why are you taking this issue so personally?

Fact is, arguments that say you shouldn't give your money to the people who are doing the most to hurt your cause are not insane.

You can still consume entertainment through different channels which feed more money back to the producers and in ways which decentralize the power of media.

Even if you like cable a lot and don't want to give it up doesn't mean that the critics aren't right. Nobody is going to judge you if you don't give up cable. But it's still smart just to acknowledge the bad things being done with your dollar when you have cable.

[Walt Starr]

121. Because of the statement that paying for my HGTV and DIY fix

is "part of the problem".

IMO, telling people that if they don't cut off cable they're part of the problem is REALLY part of the problem!

[AP]

124. OK, then don't think of it as "part of the problem."

Just think of it as giving money to the people who are making your life miserable. Unless, of course, that fix you're getting makes up for the rest of the shit.

Cable. The opiate of the masses.

[Walt Starr]

126. I also require cable for my job

I require broadband internet access. The best broadband internet access in my area comes from my cable provider (3 MB up and down).

I'd give up my job, but I have another fix to get. I like to eat.

[AP]

129. Don't give it up if it's going to mean you can't stay employed, but

seriously, do you think your best argument is that cable is doing a public service?

It is the opiate of the masses.

[Walt Starr]

130. Cable entertains

The internet informs.

[AP]

132. Cable medicates.

[sangh0]

70. Walt, YOU are the one engaging in hyperbolic rhetoric

No one here has called on anyone to ban or outlaw ANY AND EVERY product that is produced by an RNC Contributor. It's hyperbole to suggest so, as you did,

It is also hyperbole to talk about food and water as if it were the equivalent of Cable TV.

I know you can do better than emotional venting and hyperbole.

[Walt Starr]

103. If you buy food, some of that money goes to Republicans

:eyes:

Seriously, you cannot purchase anything and not have money end up with Republicans. We live in a corporate world.

ADM, Monsanto, all have a piece of the food pie and tell me who the fuck they are donating to?

[LSK]

20. so is everything else in life

name a corporation that isnt?

[AP]

29. There are plenty of corporations that aren't trying to shove fascism down

our throats. But even if there weren't a single one that didn't, the governmetnt should still be a netural referee on a level playing field between corporations and consumers, employees and employers, capital and labor, etc. But it isn't, and a big reason is because telecoms like republicans. So, the least we can do is stop paying cable companies for the privilege of screwing us.

[fujiyama]

54. Actually

telecoms have given a TON of money to Democrats as well.

It's one of the few ondustries where the donations are near parity. As much as I liked Clinton, he did sign several bill very friendly to them.

Granted the donations to Dems will definetely go down. After all they want to give to a party that's in power and that can get them stuff done.

Let's face it. The system is corrupt to the core. We can just as easilly say that almost every major corporation in America is trying to shove fascism down our throat (and everyone else's around the world for that matter).

[AP]

65. The control politics. That's the point I'm making. And even if they give

money to Dems, they campaign for Republicans with their programs.

Check out the election studies at mediatenor.org -- TV has a huge influence on how people vote, and TV presents a version of the world which helps Republicans.

And when you pay your cable bill you're giving them the power to do that.

[China_cat]

21. If I get rid of my cable tv subscription

I lose my cable modem. Both of them paid for by a client who is anything but a Bush supporter. By bundling, we got them and telephone service for only $10 more than the cable modem alone would cost. I need the phone so, as far as I see it, the tv is free. Doesn't mean I have to watch it.

But sometimes I do.

[ecstatic]

22. Not enough of us to make a difference

Most Democrats are not reading this site, and don't understand the impact of their subscriptions.

[AP]

25. Then it's our job to spread this message.

[Forkboy]

30. If the NHL comes back I'm getting cable back

most of it sucks,but some of it doesn't. :shrug:

[OutsourceBush]

31. I haven't had cable TV for 8 years, I do have DSL

from local provider, piped through Bell South. That is the best I can do.

[vol5516]

33. can't

Too bad! I get 565 stations and there's no way I'm giving up CSI, CSI Miami, CSI NY, Law and Order, Law and Order: Special Victim's Unit, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, NCIS, The Club, Investigators, Forensic Files, Apprentice, Without a Trace, Survivor, Boiling Points, House, Crossing Jordan, Keith Olberman, I, Detective, America's Most Wanted, Medical Investigation, 48 Hours Mystery, College Basketball, College Football, Monday Night Football, Deadwood, Huff, Six Feet Under, Sopranos, Family Bonds and Dead Like Me to name a few!! Sorry!

[Arkana]

79. I have to say I agree...if I got that many I wouldn't give up cable either

I have digital cable, and we get like 150 channels...it's good enough. I don't think I'm going to shut off cable just because Fox and CNN happen to be part of it. That's what the 4-digit codes are for. :)

[Liberaltarian]

35. how about applying the concept of "Pro-Choice" to tv as well?

using your logic, you're going to have to give up an awful lot of everday items if you're going to use political donations of the manufacturers as a bellweather.

god forbid you should ever need any prescription medication.

[AlFrankenFan]

36. That's like saying stop driving even small/hybrid cars

Because the little gas you give it STILL supports terrorism. :eyes:

[buycottJoe]

38. Canceling cable can keep some money from the repugs

but learning to buy selectively from companies that donate to the Dems will keep a vastly greater amount of money from the repugs. Don't support the repug sponsors. See the DU group: Economic Activism and Progressive Living to see who the good companies are.

[politicat]

39. Can't. It's the only high speed access in my neighborhood.

Qworst isn't here yet and I can't afford a T-1.

Dialup was getting 9600 baud. Fuck that. Therefore, I have a cable modem. However, I have a satellite dish so I can get Free Speech TV and the international stations that Comcast doesn't offer.

But do me a favor and get off the high horse. I don't tell you how to run your life. That's what tolerance means. The Left can be just as intolerant as the right, and this great example of it.

Pcat

[Carolab]

52. You can keep the cable computer connect and

dump the cable TV, watch satellite.

Would that work?

[SteveG]

80. It would be much pricier (nt)

(nt)

[politicat]

104. That's what we did.

EOM

[Kitka]

105. No, without having cable, cable internet here is $60/mth compared to $34.

[lucabrasi]

46. What Operating System are you using?

Most will say Microsoft Windows, a big time RNC contributer. Me, I run Linux and OS X, and Apple donates to the DNC. So, I'm guessing those that are ditching cable TV are also switching to Linux, FreeBSD, BeOS, or OS X? If not, you're a hypocrite.

I also assume you've gotten off the power grid and are using some sort of green power? And surely you don't own a car!

Sorry, but I enjoy Sundance, IFC, Food Network, PBS, HBO and a few others.

[fujiyama]

55. You're right

about Sundance and IFC. They play great independant work and are generally very progressive.

[sangh0]

71. But he's wrong about the hypocrit part

It's based on the dishonest misportrayal of the OP as condemning cable TV users as hypocrits, when all it did was to call on people to stop funding the RNC through their pateonage of cable TV.

No asked anyone to give anything essential. Since it would be unreasonable to think that every consumer can learn the technical details to switch away from Windows, the claim that it's hypocritical to cancel cable but keep Windows is nothing more than the product of hyperbole combined with the ridiculous notion that all these products are equal, which they obviously are not.

[Baclava]

47. I agree CABLE SUCKS !!!

That's why I love my direcTV and Tivo - now I can watch the NFL Channel 24 hrs a day...I never miss NFL live, ATH & PTI, Sunday Ticket gets me all the games every week...I'm in heaven.

With the new satellite I get local channels now too - to watch those pesky hurricanes...for $40 a month - life is good.

[onenote]

86. directv = rupert murdoch

and that doesn't bother you?

onenote

[Baclava]

93. Life is football

Football is life

All else is a meaningless vacuum.

[ever_green]

49. I already cancelled it. I'm quite glad too. What a waste of time.

T.V. is just a tool for the elites to dumb-down the masses and promote consumption and apathy.

[InvisibleBallots]

51. I agree, Proud2BAmurkin, you are 100% correct

I couldn't have said it better.

[Princess Turandot]

57. How are you connecting to the net at this very moment?..

Dial-up? DSL? Is your phone company exclusively a supporter of democrats?

[tinanator]

60. dont believe in boycotts?

Im ready to give up my shaky cable connection and their crap basic service they force you to accept for a DSL and Sattelite, whichever one isnt owned by Murdoch yet. You better believe they dont want to count your votes but they do want to count your money.

[AP]

82. What do you think you'd pay for cable if it weren't protected by Repubs

as an anti-competitive de facto monopoly?

[Carolab]

53. But satellite is okay, right?

and high-speed cable computer connection. Just cut the cable TV, right?

[Princess Turandot]

56. Sorry..for starters I would have no tv reception w/o cable..

because of my building doesn't receive the broadcast stations well.
Secondly, being able to watch every NY Yankee game, one of my few current pleasures in life , is not something I'm willing to give up for a boycott which will affect nothing. I'm home a lot, and high speed internet connection is my personal connection to the outside world. If DU's 50k+ members spread across states and a few other countries all gave up their cable TV accounts with multiple companies, I don't think it would be an impact for change.They probably lose more customers than that each year for non-payment of bills,

And I don't accept that the pablum for the masses routine affects every subscriber. I watch almost no TV news these days and I trust that I'm smart enough to recognize propaganda when I see it.

How are you connecting to the net to post here? If it's by dial-up or DSL, are you sure that your phone company is as pure as you want it to be? If not, why are you even on-line?

[Rush1184]

59. But I need Cable to get the Daily Show...

That show is pretty much the only reason I own a TV in the states.

[LeftHander]

63. It's almost gone...

basic basic cable...but I haven't watched anything for about two weeks now.
I'm not watching CBS anymore because of the UCC comercial.

We've talked about dropping the subscription.

[ProfessorGAC]

67. Dismissed!

A preposterous accusation not worthy of an intellectual response.

So here's the alternative: Bite me.
The Professor

[gottaB]

73. You'll be glad you did.

Five years without cable tv. Don't miss it at all.

[Arkana]

74. Um, no.

[okieinpain]

75. well I guess he will be some of my money. because the NBA

is not on regular TV dude. Oh and by the way, Broadcast TV SUCKS.....

[donhakman]

76. Its not what they say, its what they don't say

[onenote]

87. sorry, but I call bullshit

If you don't like any of the programming on cable, don't get cable. Not because cable supports the rnc, but because its stupid to spend money for something you don't want/watch. Sure, cable executives give to repubs. So do broadcast executives, DBS executives, telephone company executives. In fact, in most instances, these folks give to both dems and repubs. Check it out. Comcast's President, Brian ROberts, gave around $8500 to repubs and 10,500 to dems in 2004; another Comcast exec, David Cohen, gave over 30,000 to dems and around $4000 to repubs. So saying that cable supports repubs is a dangerously simplistic notion.

And keep in mind this: if folks stop subscribing to cable/DBS or watching free TV, then a big hunk of money that goes to the creators of programming -- that would be "Hollywood" -- dries up. And "Hollywood" gives a bunch of money to dems.

Again...if you don't like a particular channel, don't watch. If you don't like anything, get rid of your cable. But it really doesn't make sense to do it on the basis of who politically supports what party.

onenote

[AP]

90. There are other ways to buy your entetertainment than through a monopoly-

priced industry. Buy a book. Go to the movies. Rent a DVD. Get Netflix. All those dollars go back to producers too. And you cut out the monopoly, uncompetitive distributor.

[onenote]

92. what monopoly?

Where I am, and where most people live, they can choose to get the same programming that is offered by the cable company from two different satellite companies (DirecTV and Dish). And now the big phone companies are talking about jumping in -- Verizon is about to start offering service in my area. I suppose Verizon isn't "big media" but you'd be fooling yourself if you think that the competition that they create by getting into the market is going to have an impact on how these entities operate in terms of economic,cultural, or polical power.

That's my short answer. Here's my longer response:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=2779937&mesg_id=2783770&page=

onenote

[AP]

98. I recommend The Roaring 90s by Joe Stiglitz.

He talks about how the Telecoms Bill passed with the heavy input of nascent cable entrepreneur Al Gore could have been much better, but has ended up being a profit-guarantor of cable and telecoms corps.

[mhr]

89. TV Free For Three Years Now - Life Without TV Is Wonderful

eom

[Scan Hopper]

97. But what about SpongeBob?

just saying.

[Perky]

106. Not giving up West Wing Marathon Mondays on Bravo for Nuthin!

[AmyCrat]

107. well... sorta gave it up

but I still rely on them for internet access :P to come here :evilgrin:

I've been a happy satellite convertee for six years :) Much cheaper, much more for the $$

[name not needed]

108. Fine then. I'm a part of the problem.

Fuck, blame it all on me cause I have HBO.

:eyes:

[Darranar]

115. Never had it. Never wanted it. n/t

[liveoaktx]

116. YOU cancel your cable TV if you want, your stance is unreasonable

Some people, like myself, live in rural areas that even broadcast cannot reach. We have to have satellite to get any television at all.
I happen to like Countdown, Democracy Now, Link TV and Comedy Central, plus CSpan 1 and 2. On this last point, one doesn't have to watch all the Cspan talk shows, like Washington Journal, but I do like to see what is happening in MY government in case I want to pretend they represent me.
I also like to watch movies, without commercials, as entertainment-can't get that on broadcast television. Also can't get DIY.
I QUIT watching cable and broadcast news shows, except CBS Evening News, and when Dan Rather leaves, I will quit watching that one, too.

Instead of suggesting that people throw out the baby with the bathwater, why don't people exercise some good judgement and turn off/turn the channel on the programs that you don't want to watch, while letting the cable/sat vendors know that you want alacarte programming as well as letting the news shows know why you don't watch.

[The River]

123. Pay Per Propaganda

I don't understand why people actually PAY
to view corporate/political propaganda. It isn't
just the "news" shows either.

Someone on some other thread posted this
a few days ago. Print it out and tape it
by your TV screen. It will remind you
that you have a choice....or don't you?

"I'm The Slime" by Zappa

I am gross and perverted
I'm obsessed 'n deranged
I have existed for years
But very little had changed
I am the tool of the Government
And industry too
For I am destined to rule
And regulate you
I may be vile and pernicious
But you can't look away
I make you think I'm delicious
With the stuff that I say
I am the best you can get
Have you guessed me yet?
I am the slime oozin' out
From your TV set
You will obey me while I lead you
And eat the garbage that I feed you
Until the day that we don't need you
Don't go for help...no one will heed you
Your mind is totally controlled
It has been stuffed into my mold
And you will do as you are told
Until the rights to you are sold
That's right, folks.. Don't touch that dial
Well, I am the slime from your video
Oozin' along on your livingroom floor
I am the slime from your video
Can't stop the slime, people, lookit me go

[cheezus]

131. steal cable!

then don't watch it.... that'll show 'em