…the only cereal that is shot from guns… is the only cereal that comes in the shape of animals…Live from New York…. If you live outside the United States it probably does not mean much to you that television signals are changing from analog to digital. If you live or watch television in the United States, you probably read of the change streaming across the bottom of your screen, and hear of it every news cast.
There are converter boxes available, and the Government is issuing coupons to save you some of the cost of buying a converter box, so you can go on watching television on the television set you now have. There is a slight hitch though.
The government it seems has ran out of allocated funds to issue coupons to those who are asking for them. Not much of a surprise with all we have going on in our country these days.
A famous economist by the name of Milton Friedman wrote a small book about economics some time ago. It is an easy read, so I read it a few years ago in an effort to understand a little more about economics. One of the ideas Friedman wrote is government exists partially to do the will of business.
Some CEO’s, including the creator of AIG must have read the same book as he spent a large portion of his time as CEO speaking with and otherwise trying to influence members of the House and Senate.
Apparently it worked; his company became the largest of its kind in the world before he was dethroned in the early 2000’s. He was not shy about letting others know how he spent his working time; he felt it was a CEO’s obligation to garner the favor of government.
In case you are curious about my very first few sentences, they are jingles from cereals that may no longer exist. I do not remember the names of the cereals, but the jingles remain. Such is the power of advertising and its effect on us.
Television is really one big advertisement glued together by programming of dubious value. Television networks exist for advertising dollars and would prefer the programming be as brain dead as possible. Television Network Executives prefer their audience to be both brain dead and receptive. The happier, and more thought free you are the more receptive you are to advertising. Sitcoms exist for this reason.
What possible reason could the Government have in subsidizing the cost of digital to analog converter boxes? A rather interesting reason I think. The answer is twofold. One reason is – as Friedman pointed out – Government is to do the will of business offset by the will of the people.
Big Business such as television networks and big companies need their message piped uninterrupted into as many homes as possible without any kind of break in the schedule. Television Networks and Big Business depend on having Joe public sitting in front of his television being saturated with as many commercials per hour as he will sit still for.
Unfortunately since the early 1920’s when the government of the United States (at least) spent untold amounts of money converting citizens from a save and reuse culture into a spend and replace culture.
Now Government needs uninterrupted advertising too. What would happen if Joe public went even a day without hearing that whatever he has or owns is perfectly useable does not need replacing with a newer version of the same thing?
The economy would go from its current sad state to a complete stoppage if Joe Public realized his six month old cell phone and four year old car did the same things his one year old cell phone and ancient eight year old car did. Joe Public would then reason a phone is a phone and a car is a car.
Cereal is made of a types few grains with appropriate sugar and texturing added. Cereal today is the same as it always was, just new names, packaging, and jingles. Most everything we use day to day we sell or give away for a new version of the same thing.
Imagine for a minute television without advertising. Would we actually pay money to watch Saturday Night Live? How would we know which cereals, or cell phones were the best? We would be lost, or would we?
