Thursday, July 21, 2005
Kevin (heart) Consumers
In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal (paid subscription required), FCC Chairman Kevin Martin uses the word "consumer" eleven times. In contrast, he uses the word "customer" twice and "citizen" once.
Some day I'll do a word count of an FCC meeting. Sometimes I listen and think that the FCC exists solely for "consumers" but not at all for citizens.
Some day I'll do a word count of an FCC meeting. Sometimes I listen and think that the FCC exists solely for "consumers" but not at all for citizens.
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Comments:
One of the great irritations of FCC work is the reductionist culture which has transformed human beings into "consumers." Humans are not referenced as individuals or humans. Humans in FCC work are always consumers - not creators, not innovators, not interactors. Consumers. The raison d'etre (sp) of the individual in the subconscious of the FCC is to feed at the corporate communication trof, eating more, consuming more, paying more. That the FCC cannot crow bar itself out of the image of the individual as couch potato.
# posted by 
: 7/22/2005 10:02 AM
: 7/22/2005 10:02 AM
I think Commissioner Martin is using the terms "consumer" and "citizen" as synonyms - I don't think he's intending to articulate the distinction which bothers you. But I could be wrong!
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# posted by : 7/25/2005 11:24 AM
: 7/25/2005 11:24 AM
