“I’m not happy about this. Not one bit!”
Libertarians and old time conservatives are right. Keep government out of places it doesn’t belong. It should stay out of protecting the delicate sensibilities of prudes and protecting kids who know and use TV’s forbidden words before they start school.
An occasional curse word or even Janet Jackson’s infamous “wardrobe malfunction” on prime-time TV shouldn’t bring down the wrath of the Federal Communications Commission, a federal court ruled Tuesday.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit said the agency’s rules on indecency are too vague and violate the First Amendment, undermining the government’s primary tool for policing civility over the airwaves.
With its decision, the three-judge panel handed a victory to broadcasters such as Fox, CBS and ABC, that had petitioned the court to challenge the agency’s muscled-up approach of imposing steep fines for impromptu expletives and sexual content.
[…]
Specifically, the judges said the FCC isn’t clear enough on what’s permissible and what’s not. In one instance, the FCC concluded that uttering a term to describe bull excrement in an episode of the police drama “NYPD Blue” was offensive. But apparently the expression for kissing another’s derriere is permissible, the court noted.The judges said the FCC hasn’t given clear guidelines on its two main tests for indecency: whether material describes or depicts sexual or excretory organs or activities, and whether a broadcast is “patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards.”
There was an old lady from the FCC
Happy to fine you for indecency
She was taken to Court
And told “None of that Sort”
So now, trash talk is all we will see.
Limerick bad.
I fear we’ve been had.
Kill.my.landlord
What the heck
Break his neck
Kill.landlord
WNYW/Ch. 5 anchor Ernie Anastos is caught on live television saying “Keep f—ing that chicken” to weatherman Nick Gregory.
Yes, limerick is bad.
Haiku too. Form restrictive.
An apres-midi?
Because people suffer from short-term memory loss, I would like to remind you that the FCC ban occurred during the years of the Bush administration, and the Bush administration strongly supported the FCC crackdown.
“Keep government out of places it doesn’t belong.”
What, and you will be the judge of where that is? No, the place we’re trying to get to is keep the government out of most everything, and then have them ask us when they want to add something. When they get to add jurisdictions on their own, there is no end to what they’ll want to run.
Government is the protection of the Civilian/public.
from the CORP
FROM outside countries
THEY have TO REGULATE BUSINESS..
They also have to FORCE business to advance.
Every NATIONAL advancement in this nation WAS/IS backed by Gov. money…OUR TAXES
the international rail
the POWEr infrastructure
the freeways
it is HERE to control and protect the USA and EVEN small business. from UNCOMPETITIVE CORPS.
Shit, I can’t believe it. That’s fucking great news.
If you think this really changes anything, think again. Mainstream media will still regulate themselves, especially during the traditional “Family hour”. Don’t forget sponsors, traditionally, don’t like to support shows that might “offend” consumers of their products.
@9
Well … the mainstream advertisers, maybe.
Still, there are probably enough “corporate pressure elements” that things will scarcely change:
– Advertisers
– Cable networks
– Satellite networks
The above for sure have vested interests.
ReadyKilowatt said,
Great. Maybe now we can figure out what John Stewart is talking about.
The FCC doesn’t regulate cable content. Jon Stewart could have sex on camera and the FCC couldn’t do anything about it.
Of course all the advertisers would stop advertising on Comedy Central and cable companies might even stop carrying the station but that’s the reason why Comedy Central bleeps The Daily Show not because the FCC made them.
“Keep government out of places it doesn’t belong.”
Except then the states will do the same things. Imagine if each state had their own FCC. Do you think Alabama, Texas or any of the other more conservative states won’t pass the same laws or make them worse? Suddenly showing a homosexual on TV will also become obscene. Is the government perfect? No. Do I trust the government to make better decisions on the whole then some of the individual states in this country? Hell yes.
But think of the children!
That 1/8 of a second where Janet Jackson’s nipple was exposed has permanently scarred the innocent mind of the white tr- Republican kids!!
Now thanks to that negro the boys are now behaving and talking like they’re black and the girls are acting like the sluts just like their brownskinned counterparts are according to the old stereotypes.
I _like_ the censorship on broadcast TV. I wish they would extend it to violence, too.
As good parents should, I monitor my child’s TV watching but you can’t control it all.
For example, you’re watching a “family” show near the end the doorbell rings. When you come back, your kid is watching the next thing on. (Stuff like this happens ALL THE TIME.)
It’s very helpful if the “adult” TV shows have some basic standards, too.
>> Colorado said,
>> “Keep government out of places it doesn’t belong.”
You mean like the _GOVERNMENT-REGULATED_ public airways?
Remember these tea bag zingers we heard on right wing media:
“Keep your government hands off my Medicare!”
or
“Keep the government out of the military!”
or
“The federal government is taking over the Federal Student Loan program! It’s Obama fascism!!!!”
Goodness these people are stupic.
Regarding the bleeps on The Daily Show. I think sometimes having the bleeps in dirtier than not.
Classic example: Remember the Microsoft Windows 7 launch party videos that MS made? Lame ass videos. But when censored, they are hilarious because your own brain makes up the content.
http://collegehumor.com/video:1921832
GregAllen said,
As good parents should, I monitor my child’s TV watching but you can’t control it all.
That’s why (at least in the USA) they made all tvs have the v-chip in them http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-chip
I’ll admit I’m a prude. Back in ’82 I almost walked out on ET when Elliot called his brother “penis breath”. I just don’t like vulgarity.
@19,
Walking out of theater or turning off TV is FINE. Fine and commendable. Enacting laws to prevent other people access to material you don’t like is NOT FINE. It’s hideous.
@20, I agree. The result is that I don’t see many movies. I doubt it’s a big loss to the industry.