A Discussion Guide and transcript of the program are available on our website. PBS encouragages educators to tape thisfor broader circulation. As of today, the Federal Communication Commission requires half of all new TV sets to include a chip that allows people to block out shows that are accompanied by certain ratings. Another barrier to the V-chip's use is the technical aspect of programming TVs to block certain shows. I'd have to ask him to program the shows so he can't watch them.
Many parents also report being unaware of either the chip or the rating system.
If we do not allow the quest for the perfect person and society to stop us, we will be able to make it much less likely that we shall face the Columbine tragedy again. Liberal Democrats are right when they claim that it is ludicrous to assert that parents and educators could solve the problem by bringing up kids right. Free-speech advocates make a good case when they maintain that putting filters on the Internet will not stop youngsters from making pipe bombs. But all these advocates unwittingly fall into one and the same logical trap, or deliberately use half-truths, to stop us from embracing those measures that they oppose. This guide is designed to address the assumptions of our school systems that allow such tragedy to occur, and to begin painting pictures of REAL schools where the likelihood of such violence is much reduced.