CSotD: O, what a tangled Web we’ve weaved
Skip to comments
I haven't quite sorted out the whole Comcast monopoly issue, but I like Jack Ohman's take if only because it's more specific than the several cartoons that play on cables in order to show Comcast as a snake or dragon or octopus or whatever is long and grabby and toxic.
Ohman's cartoon at least makes the monopoly point rather than the … snakey point, which isn't actually a point or even much of a descriptor. It's a doodle.
I wrote yesterday about cartoonists spouting off about the maybe-resolved-but-I-doubt-it situation in Ukraine without actually knowing much about Ukrainian history and politics. Fact is, I wouldn't know about that stuff if explaining current events hadn't been part of my job during the Orange Revolution.
Which is also the job descriptor for political cartoonists, so that spouting off about Ukraine without knowing how it's set up is only even mildly excusable for those who have been in the business less than a decade, but my larger point is this: There are things people are ignorant about because so few people have a reason to pay close attention, and Ukraine — with all due respect — is one of them.
Granted, that's not a good thing, since you never know when one of those countries that isn't us is going to pop up on some American politician's "let's send some troops there" wish list.
In fact, I once nearly came to blows with an editorial writer when I showed him this Foxtrot:
He asked "Who's Musharraf?"
Granted, he only had to be well-informed about local issues. And, granted, I expressed my surprise by guffawing.
But, still. Com'on, man.
In any case, Comcast is just the opposite. Call it "the Ignorance of Ubiquity."
Just as everyone who ever attended school thinks they understand educational issues, everyone who has cable thinks they've got that topic nailed.
And, once again, I'm not any smarter, but I happen to have worked in the TV industry and then written about it after I switched over to reporting.
The only part that requires being smart is knowing that, as with most things in life, if you can think of a simple solution and it isn't in place, that's probably a clue that the solution isn't really that simple.
For instance, people often wish they could just choose the services they want instead of having to pay for packages that include a lot of crap they never watch.
But cable providers get some services for free and have to pay for others and odds are the ones you would choose are the ones they pay for and the ones you don't want are probably free, so giving you only the ones you want would probably cost them just as much. And the programming of your cable box would become considerably more complex.
Which isn't to say it couldn't happen. But it's not as easy as it sounds, nor would it change the cost basis of your cable a whole lot.
If I were going to draw a cartoon about the Comcast situation, I would draw a completely tangled-up mess of cable with somebody trying hopelessly to figure out what's what, because, yeah, that's pretty much it.
Here — and I apologize in advance for the auto-play video ad — is a pretty good explanation from Gizmodo of why cable is so messed up.
And here's a whole lot more coverage which I haven't read but plan to play around in.
And here are some things I'm probably wrong about:
1. The break-up of AT&T involved a more overarching level of monopoly. Here's a thorough discussion which will probably tell you more than you wanted to know. One important note, however, is that the Justice Department started questioning the monopoly under Harry Truman.
Which was a long time ago in terms of governmental attitude towards business and the economy, and which therefore leads to this:
2. To the extent that pre-divestiture AT&T and the current cable industry are similar, we allowed the camel to slip his nose under the tent flap in 2002, when the FCC decided that cable modems delivered "information" and not "communication."
It's one thing to declare ESPN and HGTV "information." But the Internet isn't communication? On what possible basis can they maintain that opinion?
On the basis of the Golden Rule, of course.
Hart and Parker answered that one a long time ago.
My interest is more in the realm of Internet access than television, and, as a telecommuter, I don't have a lot of wiggle room. I don't believe DSL would give me the seamless back-and-forth exchange of large files necessary for me to be productive and I'm quite sure satellite access wouldn't.
Given the current political climate, I don't expect relief to come from that quarter, so I'm going to hope that technology provides a solution.
It would be nice if they hurried up.
Meanwhile, back at Dad's …
If sorting through all that FCC stuff is not how you want to spend time this weekend, here's an easier and much more fun homework assignment.
I've been impressed with the current arc at The Brilliant Mind of Edison Lee, but kept thinking "well, it's too late, really" to tell readers to grab hold. Apparently, it's not, because they've not only not resolved things but, perhaps, complicated them.
Edison has gone back in time and met his father, but, as you see, is having a little problem getting out of there again. Start here. This is the best arc yet in a strip that has had some very good ones.
And I'm not saying that just to suck up to the Hambrocks, because they've already invited me to the Kenosha Festival of Cartooning next September.
Yes, I'll be blogging it. No, reading my reports won't be as much fun as being there.
Kenosha, Wisconsin is centrally located and, if you only want to drive an hour, you can fly into O'Hare and rent a car. Events are all free, local hotels are reasonable.
Be there. Mahalo!
Comments 2
Comments are closed.