I found Michael Boylan’s column of Nov. 16 to be profoundly sad. While the arguments he makes for TV censorship to be left to the home are completely irrational and self-refuting, it is unfortunate that his ideas reflect the pervasive and destructive direction of our culture.

On one hand he proclaims that it should not be “Big Brother” who is responsible for determining what is on the TV, and yet in the same column he defends what is being shown because “we’re not talking about pornography here.” Without Big Brother we could be talking about pornography here.

With Michael’s viewpoint, there is no reason why pornography wouldn’t be allowed at 6 p.m. on the PBS station because, after all, can’t we just change the channel?

As Michael said, it should be entirely up to the parents and Michael’s “Raise Your Own Kids” foundation and “Mind Your Own Business” council with no input from Big Brother.

Michael’s other argument is that television is merely reflecting reality, and if you don’t like it you can just turn the TV off.

The reality of this world includes murder, suicide, wife-swapping, bestiality, infanticide and cannibalism. Since these things just reflect reality, then according to Michael this is just fine for the airwaves because, after all, we can just change the channel if we don’t like it.

With Michael Boylan’s reasoning, nothing is off limits anymore.

When Janet Jackson happened, someone complained that the prudes were making such a big deal out of “two more inches of skin” being revealed.

In Michael’s world where public standards are not allowed this is called “pushing the envelope” and it just isn’t a problem.

The problem is the envelope has been blown apart and we don’t even miss it anymore.

I wish people like Michael would go away and I wouldn’t have to worry about what might be on CBS right after dinner. For goodness sakes, some of the commercials that run during decent television aren’t even decent. I guess in Michael’s world I should always sit next to my 8-year-old with the remote control ready to zap at any minute.

I wish I could raise my children in a world where decency and innocence are the norm rather than the exception.

I wish I could raise my children in a world where parents didn’t have to hope their kids weren’t paying attention to billboards.

I wish I could raise my children in a world where I could give them an AM/FM radio in confidence.

I wish I could raise my children in a world where we believed right and wrong.

But I can’t, thanks to the Michael Boylans of the world.

Pepper Adams
Peachtree City, Ga.

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