Law and Order: Obscene

                 The episode ends with Casey Novak remarking that “No one is forcing you to listen,” to BJ’s radio show.  I believe this ideal fits within Plato’s quote that “Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws.”  Good genuine people with “good” morals probably do not want to listen to things that BJ is saying.  In this case, BJ is a bad person with corrupt morals given the way he speaks about women and anyone who does not agree with him.  He finds ways around the law, protecting himself with the First Amendment.

                 Jefferson said “A strict observance of the written laws is doubtless one of the highest virtue of a good citizen.”  This episode is titled “Obscene.”  I think that fits accurately because all the characters involved (ie. Jessie, Franco, Danny, and Danny’s Mom) all participate in indecent acts.  While only some of these acts violate Jefferson’s statement on the virtue of a being good citizen by obeying the written law, they all violate Plato’s idea of law. 

                I believe that instilling morals and values should be the job of those around you who are raising you and it is their job to make a good person.  By Plato’s statement, this good person will not try to do anything that would violate the laws, and therefore they do not need them.  Inherently bad people will do bad things, whether the law is there or not.  This is evident in the episode when BJ evades the law by not directly telling people to hurt Jessie, but only talking about her and those actions, finding ways around the law.  Danny’s Mom does the same thing by ignoring the law and shooting BJ anyway.  Also, Danny ignores the law and breaks into Jessie’s trailer and rapes her.  All these actions happen regardless of the law because they are bad people.

                Personally, I have had the freedom to listen to the radio and watch television in my room from a very young age and in the car since I could drive.  I have never felt the need to listen to or watch anything similar to the BJ show.  If I heard a show similar to this, I would change the channel.  It is not something that I would enjoy or want to hear.  As Ms. Novak said, “No one is forcing you to listen.”