Cross posted at http://www.peaceisactive.com
Have you ever watched a television channel from Canada?
Have you ever seen an Austrailian or Indian television channel?
How can we make good democratic decisions when the information we have is being shaped by monopoly cable companies?
Why are we paying so much to get so little?
Our democracy is spending billions of dollars and the lives of our soldiers in the Middle East while the U.S. population is largely ignorant about the region. Does that sound very democratic to you?
Personally I can't wait for the death of monopoly television. I think our democracy desperately needs more than a few cable "news" channels who spend most of the time focusing on the trials and tribulations of celebrities.
The good news is that we can already see the future when we are on the internet.
I like history and I enoy going to numerous history sites on the internet to see different views and information about the same topic. When I turn on the History Channel on cable, it almost makes me sick because it is the only option for watching programs about history on cable television and I know it is being produced in short commercial bound segments with titilation and profit as the main motive. The same is true of the news programs.
The internet has the depth and diversity a true democracy requires.
So please join me in reducing the amount of time and money you spend on cable television. If you want movies, cancel your movie channels and order through Netflix. If you want news, stop watching the cable channels and start searching the internet. If you want sports, start demanding that games be broadcasted in some form on the internet.
Also, please support Net Neutrality legislation. It will allow all internet sites to compete on a level playing field. The cable and telecom monopolies want to create "internet lineups" to restrict your viewing options by only allowing a certain number of websites to reach your browser.
Our democracy requires depth and diversity.
Stop supporting monopoly cable television.
Maybe one day we will realize that Canadians are broadcasting programs too.