-Caveat Lector- ------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- Date sent: Sun, 6 Jun 1999 04:31:17 -0700 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Release: violence study To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Libertarian Party announcements list) Send reply to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- ======================================= NEWS FROM THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY 2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Suite 100 Washington DC 20037 World Wide Web: http://www.lp.org/ ======================================= For release: June 4, 1999 ======================================= For additional information: George Getz, Press Secretary Phone: (202) 333-0008 Ext. 222 E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ======================================= New study of entertainment industry attacks consumers' right to choose WASHINGTON, DC -- A new federal commission that will study whether entertainment companies market violence to children is a case of "intimidation by bureaucrats" and almost certainly won't accomplish anything useful, the Libertarian Party said today. "America already has a mechanism to protect children against violent entertainment: It's called parents," said Steve Dasbach, the Libertarian Party's national director. "It's unlikely that a handful of bureaucrats will be as effective as tens of millions of concerned parents." This week, President Bill Clinton announced that the federal government will spend $1 million to study the marketing strategies of movie, music, and video game companies. The study, launched in the wake of the Columbine High School massacre and growing national concern about violence and children, will be conducted by the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department. The commission will have the power to issue subpoenas, and will study whether entertainment companies "improperly" market violent materials to children. But while concern about the effects of violent entertainment on children is legitimate, spending tax dollars so bureaucrats can "study" the issue isn't, said Dasbach. "This is a case of the government targeting an unpopular industry, and using intimidation by bureaucrats to put the squeeze on the First Amendment," he said. "These studies -- and the threat of federal regulation -- are what elitist politicians do when ordinary people don't behave like politicians think they should. "Remember, Americans already have complete control over the content of video games, movies, and music: If they don't like it, they don't buy it. And if they think it's not appropriate for their children, they don't buy it for their children. "The fact that Americans spent $5.5 billion on video games and $6.9 billion on movie tickets last year suggests that they are happy with what the entertainment industry is providing. This commission of Washington, DC insiders may pretend they are investigating the entertainment industry, but they're really targeting consumers and their freedom to choose." Libertarians also assume the study won't accomplish anything useful, said Dasbach. "Whatever recommendations the commission makes probably won't be effective -- and may even make the problem worse," he predicted. For example, he noted, after the federal government mandated a prime-time TV ratings system in 1997, sexual content on the major networks jumped by 42% and offensive language shot up by 30%. Ironically, some experts suggested the ratings themselves were to blame for the increase in sex, violence, and cursing. For example, Brent Bozell, chairman of the Parents Television Council, said that networks "would insert edgier content into their shows and justify insertions by pointing out that attached ratings warned the audience it was coming." "Usually when the government gets involved, the problem seems to get worse," noted Dasbach. "If you think entertainment is violent now, just wait until federal bureaucrats get their hands on it." And Libertarians have one final question about the study, said Dasbach: Why is Bill Clinton, the nation's most aggressive purveyor of real death, violence, and destruction, launching a study of fictionalized violence? "Are we Libertarians the only ones to notice the irony here?" he asked. "Bill Clinton, with his bombing campaign in Yugoslavia, caused children to be blown to bits in hospitals, blasted old people in retirement homes, massacred motorists on a busy bridge, rained missiles on refugee families, killed innocent Chinese civilians in their embassy, and cut off electricity to hospitals and schools. "And talk about marketing violence: Clinton has 'sold' this war in speeches, via film clips of missile strikes and smart bomb attacks, saturation coverage on CNN, and through the massive, tax-funded PR machine of the federal government. "For Bill Clinton -- a man with the blood of hundreds of innocent victims on his hands -- to complain about fake violence in movies, music, and video games isn't just hypocritical, its criminal." -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 iQCVAwUBN1pYjdCSe1KnQG7RAQHwDwQAj53y3syMx7Hs9Kp5K4/5ABitawoDZFZf JnuWNzigVXvvtmNAHFaad/+/CEj+l4btyLjWOOT58nLA0YWF41XZZN8O+AzY1h+u 2htoM4lfI0zGYhba61T1o0ygnl83xMhMxtmh7uwtFhx+3F4L7wicLq3e/KH8D15T 8+l3gmx+p4c= =uRHm -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- The Libertarian Party http://www.lp.org/ 2600 Virginia Ave. NW, Suite 100 voice: 202-333-0008 Washington DC 20037 fax: 202-333-0072 For subscription changes, please mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> with the word "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" in the subject line -- or use the WWW form. 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