valorous idylls chapter 24
His Excellency Regrets That He Will Not Be Throwing Out His Television Today
"If you get rid of your TV you're only denying yourself," said the ambassador.
"Honestly it doesn't feel like much of a denial," quoth me.
"But you're making the sacrifice."
"Living without the Murdocks is no sacrifice."
"You won't really make a difference to anyone else," insists he.
"I'll no longer be complicit in the pornogrification of a generation of human beings," sez me.
"But what difference are you going to make?" wonders he.
"For a start I won't be helping the pimps of the television industry meet their wage bills for all those women and men they pay to have sex on their satelite channels," quoth me.
"Oh come on," sez he.
"By the way, what exactly is the difference between a satelite channel service provider who pays women to mime having sex on screen and a pimp who provides me with an actual prostitute?" wondereth me.
"You can get those channels blocked."
"I don't want to support anyone in business who would sell me those channels to begin with."
"I still think you're only depriving yourself of a modern convenience," sez he.
"How about this for an additional reason," sez I. "To own a TV in Ireland, I must pay a tax to RTE. The tax is used to finance RTE's slanders of the Catholic church masquerading as documentaries, and RTE's apologias for the IRA masquerading as history programmes, as well as the pornographic sex and violence which RTE routinely broadcasts masquerading as entertainment. Why would I willingly be complicit in financing RTE's attempts to intellectually and morally debauch the nation?"
"But you don't have to watch it," sez he.
"It's an easier decision not to watch TV if I don't have a TV," quoth me sagebrushily.
"Why not have a TV and only watch what you approve of?" sez he.
"If you agree with me that the sex and violence and ideological manipulation is as bad as heroin," quoth I, "if you really agree, tell me this. Would you keep heroin in the drawer over there by the sink, and say to your family: None of you have to use this, but let's not deprive ourselves by throwing it away. If you really agreed with me that the material being broadcast is as bad as heroin, and I haven't said anything less than that, my essential point has been that the sexualising material on televison is as disruptive and destructive to male and female personhood as heroin, if you really accept my key point, I think you'd be doing the same thing too. I don't mind you telling me I'm wrong. But if you actually agree with me, I can't understand why on earth you would let yourself be a party to what they're doing."
"If you get rid of your TV you're only denying yourself," said the ambassador.
"Honestly it doesn't feel like much of a denial," quoth me.
"But you're making the sacrifice."
"Living without the Murdocks is no sacrifice."
"You won't really make a difference to anyone else," insists he.
"I'll no longer be complicit in the pornogrification of a generation of human beings," sez me.
"But what difference are you going to make?" wonders he.
"For a start I won't be helping the pimps of the television industry meet their wage bills for all those women and men they pay to have sex on their satelite channels," quoth me.
"Oh come on," sez he.
"By the way, what exactly is the difference between a satelite channel service provider who pays women to mime having sex on screen and a pimp who provides me with an actual prostitute?" wondereth me.
"You can get those channels blocked."
"I don't want to support anyone in business who would sell me those channels to begin with."
"I still think you're only depriving yourself of a modern convenience," sez he.
"How about this for an additional reason," sez I. "To own a TV in Ireland, I must pay a tax to RTE. The tax is used to finance RTE's slanders of the Catholic church masquerading as documentaries, and RTE's apologias for the IRA masquerading as history programmes, as well as the pornographic sex and violence which RTE routinely broadcasts masquerading as entertainment. Why would I willingly be complicit in financing RTE's attempts to intellectually and morally debauch the nation?"
"But you don't have to watch it," sez he.
"It's an easier decision not to watch TV if I don't have a TV," quoth me sagebrushily.
"Why not have a TV and only watch what you approve of?" sez he.
"If you agree with me that the sex and violence and ideological manipulation is as bad as heroin," quoth I, "if you really agree, tell me this. Would you keep heroin in the drawer over there by the sink, and say to your family: None of you have to use this, but let's not deprive ourselves by throwing it away. If you really agreed with me that the material being broadcast is as bad as heroin, and I haven't said anything less than that, my essential point has been that the sexualising material on televison is as disruptive and destructive to male and female personhood as heroin, if you really accept my key point, I think you'd be doing the same thing too. I don't mind you telling me I'm wrong. But if you actually agree with me, I can't understand why on earth you would let yourself be a party to what they're doing."
posted by heelers | 11:19 PM
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