Tocqueville’s Predicted “Soft Despotism”

Here’s a letter that I sent on Thursday to the Washington Post:

The U.S. House of Representatives recently approved a bill to force television broadcasters to lower the volume of the commercials they run (“House votes to turn down volume of noisy TV ads,” Dec. 15). Justifying this legislation, Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA) explains that each loud commercial is “an annoying experience, and something really should be done about it.”

How lucky we are that Congress – struggling to reform health-care, to save the planet from overheating, and to protect professional football players from concussions – can spare time and energy to relieve each American of the trouble of turning down the volume on his or her t.v. if a commercial is annoyingly loud.

But why stop there? What about inky fingers from reading newspapers? Now that’s annoying! Legislate against it. And how about all those full-page ads in newspapers that distract readers’ attention from important news? Another annoyance that Congress is duty-bound to banish from this great republic. Oh, and let’s not forget those many front-page newspaper reports that break off in mid-sentence before being continued somewhere around page 9, foisting upon readers the annoyance of having to turn several pages before resuming reading. Perhaps Congress can legislate against this bother.

Seriously, what’s truly annoying is Congress’s diarrhea of meddlesomeness.

Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux

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chrisoleary

The market has already solved the problem. Many TVs have volume leveling features.

This is just PR.

Babinich

The following should be the motto of the 111th Congress: "If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing." - Homer Simpson

Curious

Don Boudreaux at his best:

"...Congress’s diarrhea of meddlesomeness."

I love it! :-)

billy_h

I might be inclined to support this if it included a provision to reduce the volume of political ad campaigns to zero.

Babinich

And the hits just keep on coming... HT to Mark Perry

http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2009/12/compulsory-...

Marcus

"Oh, and let’s not forget those many front-page newspaper reports that break off in mid-sentence before being continued somewhere around page 9..."

It's funny you mention that. I find that to be the most annoying aspect of reading a newspaper or magazine.

I liberal friend of mine once bought me a subscription to Vogue magazine. I found the articles to be interesting but they would split them up all over the magazine and then not even number all the pages.

Because of that, when the subscription came due, I voted against it with my feet and didn't renew it.

As for TV, I've watched it before but rarely find anything worth watching. I can't imagine wasting my time on it much less paying somebody to pipe it into my house.

dsaulw

How about turning down the volume on political babblers?

Seekingexports

DeTocqueville's visit to America was ostensibly to study U.S. prisons and the improvements provided by a democratic society. The soft despotism is encircling the country through confiscated tax enabled behavior regulation as though the whole U.S. is an outlaw penal colony. Tocquville's visit was prescient as well as insightful. Mon Dieu.

danphillips

Don, your letter asks "...why stop there?" I assure you Congress won't stop there.

vidyohs

I may be the only one out here but far far far far far more irritating, nay anger inciting, things Congress could address that would improve the level of congeniality, peace, love, and harmony is to outlaw subwoofers in any sort of noise reproduction equipment, particularly autos, motorcycles, or homes, and then pass a really restrictive law against anyone making noise for entertainment that can be heard four feet from the equipment..........quite adequate earphones are made that will reproduce high quality mind/brain dissolving levels of noise for those who really appreciate blowing their brains out, even auto steros can be made with earphone jacks.

Then in the punishment section of the law it should be mandatory that normal intelligent people shoot dead any offender with impunity by announcing loudly, "Culling the gene pool is a good thing!"

If one is observed to listen to an offender and not shoot him dead, then that one should also be shot dead as "aiding and abetting" the brainless.