While we are reducing the physical pollution that we are releasing
into the natural
environment, we can also be working on purifying
the psychological environment
by purifying our communication systems
that are greatly polluted by commercialization.
Technological
advances in many modes of communication because of digital computers
are revolutionizing the ways humans can contact each other and
learn.
Since the inventions of various recording devices and electronic
transmission,
humans have been able to use cameras, telephones,
radio, and television to communicate
over greater distances with
increasing speed.
In less than two centuries since people who
were in different localities had to wait weeks
for messages to
arrive by railroad, horses, or ships, the improvements are astounding
and are still advancing in the present computer era.
The telephone was especially significant because
it enabled
two-way communication in the present moment.
Now the interactive
Internet is essentially creating a global village in which anyone
in any place can communicate instantly with anyone else who has
access to a computer.
This is also important because it enhances
two-way communication.
The introduction of mass communications since the advances
in printing in the 15th century
and the 20th century development
of film, radio, and television made it possible to reach
many
people with these one-way communication systems.
One of the dangers
of this capability has been the use of these media
for propaganda
and advertising.
For the purposes of gaining and consolidating
power or to exploit larger markets,
these forms of psychological
manipulation have been used on massive scales to influence
the
attitudes and behavior of millions of people at a time.
The materialistic
and capitalistic culture that has resulted needs major reforms
if we are to make the transition into a more frugal and compassionate
society
that respects and takes care of all people while preventing
the massive numbers
of greedy and selfish people from polluting
the world
and clashing with violence in genocidal ways.
The same media that delude can be used to wake people up,
but
we must be liberated from the current power structures
that are
resisting the needed humanitarian changes.
Just as green taxes
can regulate exploitive economic behavior that pollutes
the physical
environment, democratic societies can also find ways to enhance
interactive communication in order to reduce the
commercial messages
in the one-way systems.
Democratic government can also create
public service forms of communication
that will be free to all
without any advertising.
In the communications field regulation
needs to be even more carefully designed
so that it does not restrict
anyone’s right to free expression.
Yet in the current system a
few gigantic corporations control most of the television
and radio
networks, newspapers, magazines, and publishing companies.
Major
democratic reforms are needed to allow people more access to better
information,
art, and music without being deluged by commercial
messages
that have been programming people from childhood in the
last generation.
I propose that government could tax all television and radio
commercials
with an equal amount of whatever is paid to the network
or station.
These revenues could be used to sponsor truly public
television and radio
that then will not have to depend on corporate
contributions or annoying fund drives.
With ample resources these
public networks will be able to equal and surpass
the quality
of the commercial networks, and people will soon realize that
they are better off watching the non-commercial channels for news,
educational programs, dramas, movies, music, and other entertainment.
The two-way communication of the Internet and telephone are much
better for helping
to find the products and services people may
want to purchase.
Technological improvements are making the transition
to a combined system of
computers, television, and radio a reality
for most people in the near future.
The public will be served
in various ways so that individuals can find what is best
for
them by a self-directed process.
Thus people will no longer have
to submit to hearing and seeing unwanted
advertisements that are
really a form of black magic in their attempt
to manipulate people’s
behavior.
Advertising and commercials are also polluting the world
wide web,
and a similar tax could be levied on these.
People will
then be able to find websites
that do not impose such unwanted
distractions.
New ways can be found to fund the news, arts,
and educational
programs by socialized taxing.
In our present system a few people
have the opportunity to make exorbitant incomes
because of such
mass media while many talented and able people are marginalized
because they do not pander to the lowest common denominator
that
the profit-making corporations have been exploiting to please
their advertisers.
The public could fund independent agencies
with many more professionals to create
journalistic programs,
documentaries, and artistic and musical productions.
When these
are presented, the numbers of people using them for free could
be recorded
so that the producers of the better and more popular
programs can be rewarded
with fair compensation and additional
opportunities to create more programs.
Public and private groups
could compete not only creating such programs
but also in evaluating
them so that consumers can find what they want.
Since Tim Berners-Lee invented the world wide web as a free
system in 1989,
people have spread the proverb, “Information
wants to be free.”
Now we are entering an era in which the
facility of electronic communications enables
everyone to have
access to information and artistic entertainment at such a low
cost
that it makes sense for society as a whole to absorb the
expense
so that every person can have free access.
Within a few
years virtually all books, films, music, and other forms of writing
and arts
could be available on the Internet for free to everyone.
This also reduces the physical pollution because no paper, plastic,
or other materials
need to be used for people to see and hear
all this information.
Thus all individuals will be able to choose
freely what they want to experience
rather than depend on a few
huge corporations to offer programming that enriches a few.
The increased interactive communication also enables individuals
to find other people
with similar interests and concerns so that
they can communicate directly with each other
and work together
on various projects.
The ability to do this from our homes will
enable people to spend less time and energy
in transportation,
which causes so much of our physical pollution.
For personal contact
people can still find others nearby with similar interests
for
interpersonal activities and relationships.
People can also save
time and money by working and finding
recreational activity locally
instead of by traveling.
The people have a democratic right to tax advertisements on
the public airwaves
because these licenses are granted by the
government for the benefit of the public.
Because it is impractical
to have more than one cable or telephone system in each area,
these systems, which currently are usually owned by private corporations,
are either monopolies or must function as public utilities.
Voters
have the right to remove the selfish profit motives
and put these
under democratic governments.
Even if some remain under private
control, advertisements can still be taxed
because they can be
required to serve the general public.
A similar case can be made
for taxing the commercial messages
on satellite systems as well.
These systems that are beamed directly to people’s homes already
are demonstrating
that they can offer hundreds of channels at
very low cost.
Newspapers, magazines, and books are in a different category,
and I suggest that advertisements in those media may not need
to be taxed.
However, the print media can be taxed
for the impact
of the paper and ink on the environment.
Because these media are
more physically polluting, society and the Earth may be better
off
if people use the electronic media more than the print media.
Nonetheless I think that books, especially in libraries, can provide
excellent service
to many people; but the transient periodicals
loaded with advertisements
are more polluting and may be taxed
accordingly.
The Internet is world wide and beyond the jurisdiction of local
and national governments.
However, a United Nations Democracy could be used by all the people in the world
to regulate this global communication system.
Thus advertisements
on the world wide web and international trade could be regulated
and taxed for the benefit of all.
For example, Google has developed
effective search engine technology,
and its founders have used
advertising revenues
to become multi-billionaires in just a few
years.
They may be commended for the advances, but why should
those who are fortunate enough
to be at the top of such a pyramid
be allowed to keep such excessive wealth
when so many in the world
are suffering poverty?
Just as people can choose to be on a “do
not call” list to avoid interruptions
by telemarketers, spam
could be regulated so that people do not get unwanted emails.
Wal-Mart has pioneered efficient marketing techniques, and
in doing so
a family has garnered enormous wealth while exploiting
millions of underpaid workers.
The people can either create their
own systems of marketing for the good of all,
or they can use
democratic means to tax excessive profits in order to redistribute
the wealth more fairly.
Local governments may decide, for example,
to organize their own discount stores
in the most efficient manner,
because they can do so without skimming off large profits
for
the owners and investors.
Companies owned by the public could
pay better wages and still have some profit left
for the public
at large or offer even lower prices to the public.
In corrupt
politics some local governments have been giving large companies
enormous tax breaks to locate in their community
so that they
will provide jobs, but this only results in more exploitation
by the capitalist owners and investors.
Such localities would
probably be better off organizing their own public corporations
or by letting non-profit corporations provide the services.
The purification of the political process with major campaign
reforms will also free
the most important political communication
from domination by financial interests.
The media can be used
to provide everyone on the ballots with equal time in debates
and public service programs.
Voters can also find as much information
as they want on the world wide web
so that they can be much better
educated on the real issues than those in the past
who were influenced
by political commercials.
The political system in the United States
especially has been corrupted
by the money in campaigns, and the
corporate media have reaped enormous
windfall profits by selling
advertising time.
The people need to take back their control of
these public channels of communication
and stop this private exploitation
and hijacking of the political process.
Instead of the corruption by paid lobbyists and campaign contributions,
voters can use the Internet to express their views
in responsive
two-way communication systems.
Various websites can analyze and
inform people about every bill that is proposed
in legislatures,
and the elected representatives can poll their constituents quickly
and easily on any issue to find out what they want.
Thus democracy
will become much more participatory on a voluntary basis.
All
those who are interested in an issue can express
their opinions
and help to inform others.
Those people who are not interested
are not obligated to vote on everything.
Responsibility is given
to the elected representatives to act wisely,
and the voters can
hold them accountable
by electing someone else at the next election.
I have discussed how we can improve our personal communication
in
The Art of Gentle Living
in the chapter “Compassionate
Communication” in which
I recommended respect and courtesy,
listening with empathy, understanding and clarifying,
being sensitive,
expressing feelings, asking questions,
allowing choices, speaking
honestly, and declaring intentions.
This chapter has been published in the book
BEST FOR ALL: How We Can Save the World.
For information on ordering, please click here.
Global Emergency
Alleviating Poverty
Disarming Weapons of War
Creating Global Democracy
Reforming the US Constitution
Restoring Justice
Sustainable Economics
Freeing Communication
Spiritual Awakening
Nonviolent Strategies
Appendix:
Global Disarmament Treaty (first draft by Beck)
Constitution of the United Nations Democracy (first draft by Beck)
Constitution of the United States Revised (first draft by Beck)