First Contact Censorship?

[Robert Maxwell]

Carcazoid wrote:

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Broadcast media got a little jumpy after the Super Bowl "wardrobe malfunction" incident several years ago. The FCC threatened to fine not only the network, but every affiliate that aired that halftime show. Cooler heads prevailed but that's when network censors tightened things up, including song lyrics.

It still amazes me that broadcast TV is full of shows about murder and other bloody violence, and nobody bats an eye at that, but a brief flash of a nipple is enough to bring down the wrath of the censors. What century are we living in?

[JarodRussell]

Robert Maxwell wrote:

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It still amazes me that broadcast TV is full of shows about murder and other bloody violence, and nobody bats an eye at that, but a brief flash of a nipple is enough to bring down the wrath of the censors. What century are we living in?

The better question is what country are you living in.

[Robert Maxwell]

JarodRussell wrote:

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The better question is what country are you living in.

God's own, apparently!

[Maurice]

I totally get that "Money for Nothing" is being ironic. My point was that THAT word is just as offensive as the n word to a lot of people, as it's almost always used as in invective. Some words are so loaded that using them in a pop song context—where most people don't get subtlety, let alone even understand most of the lyrics—is arguably a questionable choice. In fact, regarding this very topic...

"In fact, I'm still in two minds as to whether it's a good idea to write songs that aren't in the first person, to take on other characters."
—Mark Knopfler

from the article
Fearless Leader
Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler Takes Command
21 November 1985 Rolling Stone Magazine
Review by Ken Tucker and David Fricke

[Sindatur]

Maurice wrote:

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I totally get that "Money for Nothing" is being ironic. My point was that THAT word is just as offensive as the n word to a lot of people, as it's almost always used as in invective. Some words are so loaded that using them in a pop song context—where most people don't get subtlety, let alone even understand most of the lyrics—is arguably a questionable choice. In fact, regarding this very topic...

Eh, "Faggot" doesn't upset me anymore than the acceptable "Gay" which for me conjures up images of a prancing limp wristed princess shouting "Hey Girl"

I've never noticed, do they edit John Lennon? Everybody talk about Faggots, faggots...

[Nerys Myk]

Sindatur wrote:

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Eh, "Faggot" doesn't upset me anymore than the acceptable "Gay" which for me conjures up images of a prancing limp wristed princess shouting "Hey Girl"

I've never noticed, do they edit John Lennon? Everybody talk about Faggots, faggots...

In Give Peace A Chance? I recall Bagism, Shagism, Dragism, Madism, Ragism, Tagism but not Fagism.

[billcosby]

I'm not 100% but I think 'bleeping' out cursing or otherwise has something to do with the time of day the station airs it.

I can't bear to watch the bastardized version of Casino that AMC sometimes broadcasts!

[JarodRussell]

Sindatur wrote:

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Eh, "Faggot" doesn't upset me anymore than the acceptable "Gay" which for me conjures up images of a prancing limp wristed princess shouting "Hey Girl"

I've never noticed, do they edit John Lennon? Everybody talk about Faggots, faggots...

And in some countries, a "fagott" is a musical instrument.

[Gov Kodos]

The Mirrorball Man wrote:

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Yeah, sorry, I don't want to derail the thread. Just wanted to point quickly out that the US constitution doesn't actually guarantee freedom of speech, it just prevent the government from putting limits to it. In a world where corporations are the gatekeepers to the media, that provision is meaningless and private ownership effectively trumps the first amendment. In such a system, where actual freedom of speech is not guaranteed, corporate censorship can and does happen and there is nothing one can do to prevent that from happening.

Of course, I realize that this may not be the right place to talk about that kind of thing, so feel free to ignore what I've just said.

The owner of the press gets to decide what he prints, broadcasts, or says. He isn't obligated to print, say, or broadcast what someone else has to say. The person with the objectionable material isn't being censored by the denial or conditions of the owner of the press. He is free to buy his own press or other means to convey his message. With the Internet, and other means of technology today, that's pretty easy.

[Squiggy]

billcosby wrote:

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I'm not 100% but I think 'bleeping' out cursing or otherwise has something to do with the time of day the station airs it.

I can't bear to watch the bastardized version of Casino that AMC sometimes broadcasts!

Not really on cable channels. They have the one edit that's "safe" for all day. Not that it really matters, since cable channels can legally air whatever they want, whenever they want. FCC can only regulate over-the-air channels...which these days only really includes the major networks.

[MacLeod]

Carcazoid wrote:

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Broadcast media got a little jumpy after the Super Bowl "wardrobe malfunction" incident several years ago. The FCC threatened to fine not only the network, but every affiliate that aired that halftime show. Cooler heads prevailed but that's when network censors tightened things up, including song lyrics.

It might just be me, but watching the fallout from this side of the pond. It seemed an over reaction.

[Dale Sams]

MacLeod wrote:

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It might just be me, but watching the fallout from this side of the pond. It seemed an over reaction.

Don't the Brits regularly feature topless models in their tabloids?

[MacLeod]

Yep, in The Sun on Page 3. Though another paper is as bad if not worse The Sport.

And yes the debate about this feature does crop up from time to time.

[Christopher]

Squiggy wrote:

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Not really on cable channels. They have the one edit that's "safe" for all day.

Actually I've already given an example where it is apparently the case on cable. Just five days ago on Syfy, they censored the uses of "sh*t" in Continuum at 8 PM, but allowed its use in Lost Girl just two hours later. Similarly, their sister network USA allows the word through in their 10 PM show Covert Affairs, but doesn't use it in shows aired at 8 or 9. Which does lead me to believe it has more to do with time slot than content rating, since Covert Affairs is rated TV-PG while Lost Girl is TV-MA.

[E-DUB]

Of course, censoring of minor obscenities runs the risk of people thinking of worse obscenities. I remember seeing Glenn Campbell once on the old Dick Cavett show and he says he's got a joke but it's kind of off-color. Cavett says, well go ahead if it's too much they'll just bleep it. Well, Campbell tells his joke and they censor the punchline. Not the whole joke, mind you, but the punchline. And you just know that what you're thinking at that moment about the ABC censors is a dozen times worse than anything that would come out of Glenn Campbell's mouth.

Some message boards censor certain words, even when used in a totally innocent context. Such as the first name of the last Vice-President! I suggested using the proper anatomical term, such as Penis Cheney, Phillip K. Penis, or that noted comic actor Penis Van Lesbian.