Failed Institutions and the Mayhem that Follows

Gangs were originally formed to help communities, not individuals. They were not involved in drug trafficking but were created to protect certain communities and provide services that the government neglected. As we are aware now, gangs are largely involved in drug trade and other illegal activity. Gangs have formed an entire economic system similar to any other business, except the activity is illicit. They provide several services to the community that the government neglects in their neighborhoods which in turn creates a community that is reliant on them.

This subject strongly resonates with the Search For Order theme present during the enlightenment period. I see many instances where a need for organization is filled by the gang. There is a demand for government in these projects, and the gang provides this structure. It isn't always the way the people want it but it is better than nothing. These problems are perpetuated by poverty that a highly segregated community engenders.

Housing Projects in Harlem

Another theme that applies to gang activity is the conflict and collapse motif of the Modernism period. While not quite as dramatic as a world conflict or the collapse of the empire, it does reflect a small-scale collapse of government institutions based off of race conflicts. These institutions quite literally fail the people they are meant to serve. Pseudo-governments commonly referred to as gangs, fill the gaps that the collapse of institutions fails to accomplish. Housing, protection, basic needs, law and order, and much more are the responsibility of the gangs. While gangs do benefit some people, it is at a steep price to the people that these needs are fulfilled. 

Image: Harlem Projects by ArtisticOperations, licensed by CC through Pixaby 2.0

Hot Spots in Public Broadcasting

• The End of Culturally Diverse Public Broadcasting- With the Trump Administration’s federal budget cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and the National Endowment for the Arts, several public broadcasting stations like radio stations could lose their major source of funding. One of the groups affected by these budget cuts are Native American communities; if these communities no longer receive the funding necessary to operate their public broadcasting systems, they would be unable to provide diverse cultural programming, including broadcast tribal meetings. (“Native American Public Broadcasting Will Not Survivewithout Federal Funding” )

• A New Beginning for Politically Diverse Broadcasting- Public broadcasting systems are no longer federally required to air contrasting political views since the end of the Fairness Doctrine in 1987, which stated that all federally funded broadcasting stations must balance their viewpoints. The blame for the demise of this law is focused on “anti-regulation republicans” who dominate the airwaves. Others argue that dominant viewpoints in broadcast media depend on the current dominant political party in the United States. (“Broadcasters Should Be Required to Air a Variety of Opposing Views”)

• Parental Regulation vs. Federal Regulation- Unlike the previous two viewpoints, this shifts the power of broadcasting to those who receive it. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a report on violent television programs and its effects on children. It was concluded that children should limit the amount of violent programming they receive. Partisans of the FCC suggested that government mandates should be in place to regulate violent media, but others strongly encouraged that regulation shouldn’t come from the government but was the responsibility of the parents with small children and their access to violent media. (“Parents Should Regulate Their Children’s Exposure to Violence on Television” )

The BYU Broadcasting Building in Provo, Utah

I have worked at BYU Broadcasting as a Broadcast Technician in the Network Operations Center (known among other BYUB people as "Master Control" or "The TV People") for a year and half. It has given me a greater appreciation for the intricacies of broadcasting. However, BYU Broadcasting is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is funded by private donors; it receives no federal funding and therefore is not "public" broadcasting. So when the government cuts federal funding for public broadcasting, i.e. media that only exists through government financial aid, several important outlets are affected negatively, such as minority groups like Native Americans who use their public broadcasting systems for much more than entertainment. I can't imagine being at the will of the government to handle such important cultural aspects of public broadcasting and I would like to explore this issue further. 

Image Credit:  BYUTV.org