Missing the point of bus TV debate
Tim Hamlett in his column (South China Morning Post, December 17) and your correspondents Jonathan Man and Ray McGuire (Post, January 7 and 9 respectively) do not seem concerned about infotainment on our buses.
They have missed the point of the bus TV debate.
Suppose you rely on your car to go to and from work and to get around. One day some powerful corporations and the Government unilaterally start transmission of non-stop audio and visual commercial broadcasts in your car. You have no on-off switch and no control over the volume or choice of programmes. The only way to escape is to stop driving.
You protest to the Government which says the broadcasts are good for you and you should put up with them even though they infringe your personal freedoms. It argues that the transport system needs upgrading and the only way to finance the improvement is by imposing compulsory commercial broadcasts on all who drive.
Officials say that according to some questionable survey most car drivers like the broadcasts. You show them results of another survey conducted by a reputable academic institution that contradicts what they say, but they ignore you.
Given this hypothetical situation would readers expect drivers to be tolerant and accommodating about the compulsory broadcasts?
Surely, drivers would be entitled to argue that corporations and the Government were protecting corporate gains at the expense of individual rights and freedoms.
CATHERINE NG
Citizens Party
