WASHINGTON (CNS) -- In an effort to explore the youth culture of the early 1980s, The Washington Post interviewed several people, some famous, some not.

Perhaps the most telling quotation came from rock photographer Mark Weiss, who covered Van Halen and Bon Jovi in the Eighties.

Weiss said, "I think the sexual revolution peaked in the '80s. The videos were just like the movies. Without a rating system. It kind of pushed the limits a bit on screen."

Let's parse that.

Did the sexual revolution peak in the 1980s? An argument can be made that it did, especially in the early part of the decade, when there was little, if any, knowledge or fear of AIDS, and for those who thought they knew about AIDS, largely believed it was confined to gays.

It was possible, therefore, to believe that engaging in sexual activity had no life-changing physical consequences -- at least, nothing that a visit to the doctor couldn't help fix. But what was missing from that equation was the prospect of life-changing psychological consequences.

Even after "protection" became the watchword, there was -- and remains -- no prophylactic on the market to protect against the emotional effects of sex without commitment.

Weiss also said, "The videos were just like the movies. Without a rating system."

The only place to watch videos in the early 1980s was MTV. While MTV was short for Music Television, it was since its debut the best example of lifestyle television, encapsulating the aspirations of its young audience. For the young women, there were plenty of rock and pop stars with matinee-idol looks. For the young men, there were scads of scantily clad women appearing in videos for no other apparent purpose except to appeal to those guys.

As more cities and towns settled on cable TV providers in the early 1980s, residents and cable subscribers complained about MTV more than any other cable offering than perhaps the Playboy Channel. But for all Playboy's faults, at least a subscriber had to make the conscious choice to pay extra to get it. MTV was on virtually every cable system's basic package, take it or leave it.

And if one basic cable channel could get this racy and get away with it, why not others? That hews closely to Weiss' concluding comment, "It kind of pushed the limits a bit on screen."

Within 10 years of MTV's debut, Congress was holding hearings on the sexual and violent content of TV. By this point, a majority of U.S. households were wired for cable.

In painful, halting steps -- not to mention the prospect of government intrusion into what had been broadcasters' heretofore-sacrosanct First Amendment free-expression rights -- the TV industry started policing itself.

First came the V-chip, which allowed users to block shows they deemed unsuitable. The V-chip came hand-in-hand with the TV Parental Guidelines, which gave content advisories on dialogue, language, violence and sexual situations as well as age-appropriateness. The guidelines aren't perfect, and self-policing can leave something to be desired, but it was better than nothing.

But some Americans still weren't satisfied. The cable bills were going up, and viewers were enjoying it less. This gave rise to cries for "a la carte" cable. If it wasn't MTV -- which, ironically, has gotten nearly totally out of the music-video business -- or its progeny, it was an eighth sports channel when one was plenty.

It took a lot of yelling -- and a lot more people "cutting the cord" and dropping their cable service for other viewing options -- but now many cable operators offer a choice of bundles. True, the per-channel cost may be more, but it's also reflected in fewer customer headaches.

So, yeah, thanks, MTV. I guess.

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Pattison is media editor for Catholic News Service.

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When you keep your eye on TV, what do you see? What are your likes or dislikes? What are your concerns and criticisms? Be as general or as specific as you wish. Send your comments to: Mark Pattison, Media Editor, Catholic News Service, 3211 Fourth St. NE, Washington, DC 20017.