An Army of One

They call it "censorship" when it doesn't work out the way they'd like, but it really consists of people making free choices and it's the most potent weapon we have. The most recent example, with the Reagan movie, shows how effective individuals can be when they express their displeasure with a media conglomerate's decisions. Still, it isn't used often enough.

I've been referred to as a "rabid republican" and to the extent that I let my politics dictate my buying decisions, that is very accurate. I don't buy Evian, or any other French product if I'm aware of it. I don't go to movies that have Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, or any of a number of other stars. I won't listen to the Dixie Chicks. Does that make me a censor?

Absolutely not. All of the people mentioned above have a perfect right to express their opinions. Of course, that's one of the great things about America, but that doesn't mean that I should support their lifestyle or their platform for expressing those opinions. Boycotting companies and individuals is nothing new.

However, we really need to take it a step further. There exists in this country a vast liberal media elite who seem bent on cramming their worldview down our throats on a constant basis. It's difficult to avoid. But I wonder how much their actions would continue if a significant amount of the population took note of their commercial sponsors and make their buying decisions accordingly. When was the last time you noticed whose commercials run during ABC News? Maybe you should notice. Maybe you should write a letter to those advertisers and, more importantly, refuse to purchase their products.

If you grant that at least half of the population voted for George Bush during the last presidential elections and grant that at least half of them are conservative republicans, you have a group that makes up at least 25% of the population. Do you think an advertiser would pay attention if they lost 25% of their business? Of course they would. Then Peter Jennings could just take his liberal self back to Canada and stay there.

I'm not even suggesting that we pressure the media to bias their reporting to favor the right. I'd be happy with more balanced reporting. We have the power to make it happen if we take our values and the future of our country seriously.

I guess that's one of the reasons why I decided to change the name of this blog to Army of One. Each of us has more power than we realize if we're willing to make our voices heard through expressing our opinions and by making everday choices so that they support our values.