The vast reach of the television medium, and its high visual impact,
             has led to a great deal of debate on the influence of television
             programming content in molding cultural and societal values. The
             controversy is particularly heated in countries such as the United States,
             which has a large migrant population from all over the world. While
             commercial television has developed into offering different population
             segments a choice of ethnic channels and programming, the fact still
             remains that an eclectic mix of culturally and linguistically diverse
             groups view mainstream television. The aforesaid fact, along with the
             current, important social agenda of eliminating all racial and ethnic
             discrimination, has raised the question of whether mainstream television
             has a responsibility to restrict its language and content in response to
             cultural sensitivities. Social activists contend that television has the
             power to communicate the norms and values of a society and to that extent,
             the medium must play its due role in bringing down social barriers by
             influencing Americans to become more open and sensitive to other cultures.
             Pro-choicers, on the other hand, point to the principles of freedom of
             thought, speech, and expression in a democratic society. Thinking about the
             issue, it is my personal view that both sides of the argument has its own
             merit, and the answer probably lies somewhere in between such polarized
             views. For after all, democracy works precisely because it expects its
             institutions, commercial enterprise, and citizens to be guided by a social
             conscience and sense of responsibility in exercising the freedom it offers.
             The argument of social activists stems from the belief that
             television media messages tend to reinforce existing cultural values and
             social differences by, for example, the stereotypical portrayal of
             culturally and linguistically different groups. While, so...