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Some People Don't Want to Save Private Ryan

© F. Colin Kingston

What started out as a nice gesture has turned into a controversy? On Veteran's Day ABC aired the Academy-Award winning film "Saving Private Ryan." The film, directed by Steven Spielberg, opens with a particularly brutal and realistic depiction of the first moments of the invasion of D-Day. In addition to violence, the film contains many instances of profanity. ABC said it aired the film in large part to show the sacrifices made by our soldiers in times of war. As the saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished.

First, almost 20 ABC affiliates declined to air the film. The reason given was that the Federal Communications Commission has failed to set definite guidelines as to what is and is not considered indecent. Station managers said they feared heavy FCC fines for airing violent during early viewing hours.

In addition, some organizations have now filed complaints with the FCC over the broadcasting of the film. They are asking that the stations, and ABC, be fined for airing what they consider to be indecent programming on network television.

A statement released by the Americans Family Association, led by the Rev. Donald Wildman, reads in part, "We realize it is important for families, especially our children, recognize the sacrifices made by our loved ones during wartime. However, airing excessively profane language during prime-time television hours is not necessary to convey that sacrifice. We believe ABC should have aired their salute to heroes without violating broadcast decency laws."

No decision has yet been handed down by the FCC. Stay tuned.

My two cents worth about "Private Ryan:" Ever since the Janet Jackson "wardrobe malfunction" during the Super Bowl, people have gone nuts. Haven't these people ever heard of the on/off button or the remote control?

Thanks to electronic devices such as the V-Chip, parents can now program their television to not accept programming they find objectionable. Of course, that would mean they'd have to read the instruction manual and learn how to use such devices. This also means making an effort to understand the TV ratings system. Perhaps that is asking too much of these people.

Government shouldn't be the ones doing the parenting. Parents are the ones obligated to screen what types of movies and television programs their children watch. I wouldn't force anyone to watch programming they find objectionable. Nor should others try to force their television viewing habits on me. Give me the choice and let me make my own decision as to what is and is not acceptable in my own household. What is so hard about that? What do you think? E-mail your thoughts to ckingston@aol.com and we can discuss them in a future column.

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