RE: Redefining violence (contains possibly POLITICAL material)

From: Greg Jordan (jordan@chuma.cas.usf.edu)
Date: Thu Mar 27 2003 - 06:37:04 MST

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    On Wed, 26 Mar 2003, Lee Corbin wrote:

    > context. Do you maintain that billboards on private
    > property that happen to be within sight of highways
    > (just as distant mountains are within sight), should
    > be restricted in what appears on them?
    >
    > (I'm *not* yet taking a stance here. I just want you
    > to clarify your position by considering a *perhaps*
    > parallel question.)
    >
    > Why is one forced to look at people one considers ugly
    > and is not forced (I guess!?) to look at unappealing
    > billboards?

    My point so far is merely to point out that an economic activity such as
    putting up a billboard is an act of force - it forces me (and others) to
    see it. Like I said, whether a particular exercise of force is good or bad
    is an aesthetic judgment. It may depend upon the characteristics of the
    billboard. Here in Florida billboards are almost everywhere - huge and
    loud. I personally don't usually like them, and enough people who think
    similarly have exerted THEIR force to pass laws against them, thus
    forcing advertisers to seek some new medium. If the advertisers had
    put up enough well-designed billboards *supporting* billboards, maybe they
    could have forced enough people to agree to prevent the law from being
    passed. :)

    gej
    resourcesoftheworld.org
    jordan@chuma.cas.usf.edu



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