People are still exercised about KERA’s membership drive, which continued last night with an interesting takeout on the Benny Goodman era. One irritated FBvian points to yet another aspect of the money-raising campaign:
I’d happily sit through hours of champagne music makers and doo-
woppers if it would mean the termination of those snake-oil salesmen and sleazy “doctors” and pseudo psychologists and misadvisors who want to sell us their pet Solutions for Everything (love, parenthood, financial independence, self-actualization) and their books, DVDs, pamphlets and elixirs during pledge drive. Shame, shame on Public Television for promoting this con-game. And shame on KERA. Yes, yes, it brings in money. So does prostitution.
Another FBvian returns to the original point:
Your observations are correct. None of that “Heather Has Two Mommies” stuff at pledge time. Remember when Newt Gingrich and the Congress were going to stop funding PBS? Funny how PBS turned down the Bill Moyers Blame America Crowd tone and turned up a little Lehrer News Hours Tone stuff. Then, when the Republicans RAN EVERYTHING AND WENT MAD, they had the temerity to suggest having a (GASP!) Republican running PBS! The Outrage! In fact the shrieking and shrewing (maybe not a word but should be) was so loud the REPUBLICANS WHO RAN EVERYTHING gave up on the idea. And so, PBS has sort of drifted back to its natural bent, which is, has been, and will always be, Leftward. More LEFT at times than others, but LEFT nonetheless. Does anyone really watch PBS anymore? I don’t. And if there are 322 gazillion channels available now, tell me again why tax dollars are needed for TV?
