Every once in a while, sanity prevails. Americans are pretty hypocritical about many things, but at the top of the list is sexuality. And a subset of that is language about sexuality. To me words are just words, but to the F.C.C., words can cause everlasting damage. Obscenity by its very nature is subjective. It supposedly can't be defined, but the authorities know what it is when they see or hear it. But a U.S. Court of Appeals, said to Bush's F.C.C.—and I paraphrase—"Fuck you, buddy."
The opening paragraph of the New York Times article says it best:
"If President Bush and Vice President Cheney can blurt out vulgar language, then the government cannot punish broadcast television stations for broadcasting the same words in similarly fleeting contexts."
Both fuckwads have uttered swear words or "fleeting obscenities." So why do television networks have to pay $325,000 when Bono (a good Catholic by the way) or Cher utters a swear word? The Bush administration feel they are above the law, of course, but this time the courts grew some balls and said no.
The F.C.C. hack gave his rebuttle:
“I completely disagree with the court’s ruling and am disappointed for American families,” he said. “The court says the commission is ‘divorced from reality.’ It is the New York court, not the commission, that is divorced from reality.”
Nice touch about the families. Won't someone think of the children? I also like how he noted that the court was from New York. That's conservative code for Eastern liberal elites. I'm always amazed how people can do the most amoral things and then get heated up over words like cock, cunt and shit. It's as if they can accept the bad stuff they do, if they don't use words deemed offensive. It's also worth noting that words like nigger, faggot, chink, and the like are not deemed obscene only rude. You can be racist but not sexual or scatological.
Of course, like most moral controversies, the swear words are a distraction for the real problem: media monopolies. Bush's F.C.C. has been gutting regulations and now there is no local radio. Here in S.F. we are lucky enough to be a big market, so our D.J.s are local and talk about local issues. But smaller towns or even cities listen to D.J.s who aren't even in their own state. Music genres are rapidly expanding, but you wouldn't know it by listening to the radio. No wonder internet radio is so popular.
Strangely enough I believe that swear words should keep their power to shock, but not through fines. I'm sure the F.C.C. will take this to the conservative Supreme Court and the networks will lose. And in the end we'll all lose, although we'll keep on swearing. Fucking A, yes we will.
The opening paragraph of the New York Times article says it best:
"If President Bush and Vice President Cheney can blurt out vulgar language, then the government cannot punish broadcast television stations for broadcasting the same words in similarly fleeting contexts."
Both fuckwads have uttered swear words or "fleeting obscenities." So why do television networks have to pay $325,000 when Bono (a good Catholic by the way) or Cher utters a swear word? The Bush administration feel they are above the law, of course, but this time the courts grew some balls and said no.
The F.C.C. hack gave his rebuttle:
“I completely disagree with the court’s ruling and am disappointed for American families,” he said. “The court says the commission is ‘divorced from reality.’ It is the New York court, not the commission, that is divorced from reality.”
Nice touch about the families. Won't someone think of the children? I also like how he noted that the court was from New York. That's conservative code for Eastern liberal elites. I'm always amazed how people can do the most amoral things and then get heated up over words like cock, cunt and shit. It's as if they can accept the bad stuff they do, if they don't use words deemed offensive. It's also worth noting that words like nigger, faggot, chink, and the like are not deemed obscene only rude. You can be racist but not sexual or scatological.
Of course, like most moral controversies, the swear words are a distraction for the real problem: media monopolies. Bush's F.C.C. has been gutting regulations and now there is no local radio. Here in S.F. we are lucky enough to be a big market, so our D.J.s are local and talk about local issues. But smaller towns or even cities listen to D.J.s who aren't even in their own state. Music genres are rapidly expanding, but you wouldn't know it by listening to the radio. No wonder internet radio is so popular.
Strangely enough I believe that swear words should keep their power to shock, but not through fines. I'm sure the F.C.C. will take this to the conservative Supreme Court and the networks will lose. And in the end we'll all lose, although we'll keep on swearing. Fucking A, yes we will.
2 comments:
your pen leaves a stain on society, but perhaps the big gay bomb will save us all
My pen only stains my pocket; I lost my pocket protector. Again with the gay bomb. Why don't you marry it?
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