Hazlett: Requiem for the V-Chip

Requiem for the V-Chip - A relic of the last battle over indecency on TV. By Thomas Hazlett: Excerpt:

When the millions of families huddling for Super Bowl XXXVIII caught a glimpse of Janet Jackson's nipple shield--not to mention the fervent shimmying that preceded the halftime show's bodice-ripping finale--the ensuing uproar over indecency on television was immediate and loud. But not unprecedented.

Back in 1996, there was a similar hue and cry over the dreck on television. Politicians vowed to help parents protect their kids and proudly touted their solution: the V-chip. ("V" stood for "violence," which makes sense given the chip's Democratic roots. Policy wags like to joke that if prudish Republicans had drafted the original bill, the device would have been called the "S-chip.") At President Clinton's request, Congress mandated that by 2000 all TV sets had to contain a computer program capable of filtering out lurid TV shows at the flick of a switch. With this sweeping legislative triumph, politicians declared victory over indecent television programming. Which leaves just one question: Does anyone actually use the V-chip?