This is topic FCC Bans the F-word in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 03-19-2004, 06:42 PM:
 
It's official: Get the "f*uck" outta the public airwaves.

>>> Phil
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 03-19-2004, 07:02 PM:
 
Well God damn it all to hell! I fucking love the f-word on my broadcast TV! Until now, they used it sooooooo often that I became addicted! It enhanced my life! If my free broadcast TV doesn't have the F-word, I will commit suicide![av=h]
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 03-19-2004, 07:08 PM:
 
Thats funny! Back in the late 70's when I worked in broadcast TV it was banned and any swearing/obsenitys carried heavy fines if it went out over the air. Wasn't this whay everyone had tape delays back then.......



Mark
 

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Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 03-19-2004, 07:37 PM:
 
Wow...light brown oxide on Quad.

This is all so stupid. I'm not a fan of shock jocks but the fact that they have millions of listeners who enjoy their shows seems to me a large segment of the public is accepting of this programming as is. So where does the FCC get off telling them they can no longer have these shows? I can see some value in going after someone who hits the public with something unexpected but surely the listeners of Stern and the others know what they are in for. As always, if you don't like it change the station and puhleeeze don't bring up how the little children will be damaged. That is an assertion that will never be proven because it's untrue and in any case the kids hear worse on the playground everyday.
 

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Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 03-19-2004, 08:43 PM:
 
One thing is certain:

The FCC is NOT moving to ban dick hardening pill commercials.

At any time of day, and on most channels, you can count on seeing ads for Cialis, Levitra, Viagara, Enzite, etc. I'm certainly not "Smilin' Bob" happy about this crap.

I turned on CNN Headline News this morning before going to work. In the 7:00am hour, there's some commercial on TV selling drugs to help women who are sexually frigid. Kids aren't stupid. They would see the sly grin on this red-haired lady's face and know she's wanting to get back the desire to screw.

The FCC needs to get consistent. If they are going to ban the F-word from non-premium TV channels, they need to also ban all the drug commercials that make people think about that F-word.

For that matter, they just need to ban all prescription drug commercials from TV period. If the pharaceutical industry wasn't spending many billions of dollars per year on mass advertising (especially through TV) maybe the damned drugs themselves wouldn't be so stupidly expensive. $150 for a month's supply of Advair to treat asthma? Some MBA suit needs a kick upside the head for that.
 

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Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 03-19-2004, 10:08 PM:
 
I agree. Prescription medication is only available if your physician thinks you need it (well, theoretically, anyway) and should not be advertised to the general public. The physician should be the one making the decision whether or not a patient needs medication, not the patient telling the physician what medication he wants.

Yeah, yeah, you can whine about "if the patient knows something new is available for their ailment, they'll go see their doctor." I'm not buying it. If you have problems, you should be seeing your doctor regularly anyway. Trust me, the pharmaceutical companies will let your doctor know about every medication they come out with.
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 03-19-2004, 10:40 PM:
 
I don't see anything wrong with having a few standards of decency on the public airwaves. It's not about the kids...I don't have any, don't plan to have any. But it should be possible to leave your TV or radio on and not be subjected to a bunch of random foul language. It just isn't necessary!

Anyone who can't express themselves without using a lot of obscenity is just showing their ignorance. Don't get me wrong, there's times when a good loud "FUCK!" just needs to be said, but restraint is not a bad thing.

Howard Stern should be on cable TV anyway...then he wouldn't have to put the blurry masks over the titties.
 

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Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 03-19-2004, 10:56 PM:
 
they need to also ban all the drug commercials that make people think about that F-word.

Oh come on. That's about as silly as I've heard. You're worried about words that some kids might think? How do you know they aren't thinking "making love" assuming they give it any thought at all?
 

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Posted by David Favel (Member # 1125) on 03-19-2004, 11:59 PM:
 
Bono got away with it because he didn't use it to describe a sexual act.

So, it's O.K. to say "I'm fucked", but not O.K. to say "I'm fucked from all the fucking I've done"

God Bless America
 

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Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 03-20-2004, 12:39 AM:
 
I don't think it's silly at all to make demands for the FCC to be consistent.

The FCC wants to ban the F-word from use on non-commercial channels to get a little more control on shows that unpredictably jump over into TV-MA territory. That in and of itself is not a bad thing.

But I think their moral grandstanding is just bullshit when they allow every commercial break on TV to have a penis hardening commercial on it. Others may disagree, but I think all of those impotence drug commercials are TV-MA.

The F-word can be used as many parts of speech besides a verb describing sex. Viagara commercials are only about getting one's dick hard for sex. So, from one point of view, the impotence drug commercials are even more for adults only than the F-word.
 

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Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 03-20-2004, 02:22 AM:
 
Mike said:

quote:

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...about the kids...I don't have any...

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Gosh, I wish I could say that... I'm sure I have some kids somewhere...

Bobby: You seem to be really obsessed with the dick-erecting commercials. Does thou protest/speak too loud?

I personally DO NOT have any problem in that department that I need some "help" with, but I'm sure it is a benefit to others.

I see nothing wrong with those commercials.

>>> Phil
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 03-20-2004, 02:24 AM:
 
OK. The f-word has been baaned on the public airwaves. Which shows had the f-word in them that aired on the public airwaves?[av=k]
 

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Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 03-20-2004, 02:28 AM:
 

quote:

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...f-word has been baaned...

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Not sure which ones, Joe. But the FCC sheepishly thought they can dictate public morality.

>>> Phil
 

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Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 03-20-2004, 02:52 AM:
 
hey FCC, go FCC yourself!

carl
 

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Posted by David Favel (Member # 1125) on 03-20-2004, 03:45 AM:
 
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/8226184.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

"The FCC's declaration came as the commission on Thursday also announced three indecency fines for radio broadcasts - two against Infinity Broadcasting, including one for a Howard Stern show, and one against a subsidiary of San Antonio-based Clear Channel Communications.

But the commissioners did not propose a fine for Bono's expletive during the 2003 Golden Globe Awards because, they said, they had never before said that virtually any use of the F-word violated its rules.

Indeed, the commission specifically rejected earlier findings that occasional use of the F-word was acceptable, including a ruling by its enforcement bureau last October that Bono's comment was not indecent or obscene because he did not use the word to describe a sexual act.

The FCC received hundreds of complaints after Bono, the lead singer of the Irish rock group U2, said, "This is really, really, f------ brilliant," and FCC Chairman Michael Powell asked his fellow commissioners to overturn the staff decision."
 

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Posted by Floyd Justin Newton (Member # 1316) on 03-20-2004, 07:44 AM:
 
Well, this just (sexual intercourse) blows me away!

fjn
 

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Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 03-20-2004, 09:19 AM:
 
Bobby, you're now talking about ideas and concepts rather than simply indecent language. Do you really want the gub'ment sticking their nose into that?
 

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Posted by Robert E. Allen (Member # 1351) on 03-20-2004, 01:09 PM:
 
What the FCC has not banned is the right to learn to use the more than adequate English language to communicate. I find the "f" word neither mature nor offensive, just disgusting and, to me, proof of the fact that the user has never mastered the language he speaks.

Apparently the junior high acting Hollywood writers use the word constantly as they give it to characters in our films who never use the word in real life like highly educated doctors, lawyers, professors, scientists, judges, etc. and it makes them look really stupid (both the characters and the writers).

A lot is said these days about our rights, our right to do this, that or the other thing or to speak with, or listen to, a potty mouth. But it strikes me as odd that nothing is ever said about other people's rights not to be offended or exercising the right to just be a nice person and considerate of others.

Indeed, even in this thread, it seems to give some gratification to use the "f" word as often as possible without any consideration for others. IMO it doesn't speak well for one's level of maturity.
 

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Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 03-20-2004, 01:14 PM:
 
So wait a minute... I don't understand what's going on.

How can they "Ban" the F-word? Don't they beep it out on everything but Premium Cable TV? That right there is "not airing" it. Does this mean they won't even be able to beep it out? That's lame... We must protect the american public from words. Because words can strike at any time without warning. Words hide in tunnels and holes... we must smoke these words out. IMHO, they should ban the word "potty" for everyone over age 5.

On the other hand, this could just be a ploy to show the public that something's being done that's already been done. Like the War on Terrorism... were we not fighting terrorism before? Guess not... Good thing the FCC is doing something about bad language on broadcast TV at least. Just like they helped EVERYONE by putting those rating things all over the place.

And it's not like Janet Jackson was the first tit to get on broadcast TV. Hell, she did it at what... 9pm Eastern? Here's a shot of TWO TITS that made it on the air during the Republican National Convention on NBC's Today show. Hell, even Katie Couric noticed and NO ONE SAID ANYTHING....

Click here for broadcast porn.
If it's taking a long time to load, try saving it first.
Watch the girl when they say, "...we have a nice crowd of people gathered RIGHT outside our studio..."

I'd like to take the penis pill argument a step further. How about banning ads for feminine hygene products during dinner? The last thing I want to hear about while eating in front of the 'tube is how this chick stops her heavy flow days. Or any commerical for baby products that shows a child's naked ass. Especially with the parent "caressing" the lotion into it. Then they wonder why we've got a population of pedophiles. If they can show a female toddler's bare ass on daytime TV, they should be able to show a female teenager's bare ass...

But there's one major difference between programming and advertizing. Ads bring in money, programs don't. Programming is just something to keep people entertained between the network's money-making time. Once we figure out how to make the commercials equally as entertaining, we won't need programming at all. Yay, capitalism.

=TMP=
 

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Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 03-20-2004, 02:45 PM:
 

quote:

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Bobby: You seem to be really obsessed with the dick-erecting commercials. Does thou protest/speak too loud?

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quote:

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I see nothing wrong with those commercials.

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quote:

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You can't have commercials on TV to sell condoms.

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I have seen 'Trojan Man' commercials on TV...

-Aaron
 

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Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 03-20-2004, 06:01 PM:
 
Where? I haven't seen any myself. Heard quite a lot of them on the radio, however. I guess Clearchannel doesn't have a problem with it.
 

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Posted by Paul Mayer (Member # 355) on 03-20-2004, 09:34 PM:
 
The "Trojan Man" spots play late night in the LA and Las Vegas markets too, though I haven't seen any lately. I imagine regional demographics matter when deciding what markets get those ads. What you can get away with on the coasts may not be a good idea in the bible belt.
 

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Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 03-21-2004, 02:19 AM:
 
"Trojan Man" My hero!

Ummmmm... That is after Mr. Joe R.!

>>> Phil
 

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Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 03-21-2004, 02:38 AM:
 

quote:

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But it strikes me as odd that nothing is ever said about other people's rights not to be offended

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quote:

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...many very intelligent people use "foul" language...

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Fucking A, Carl!

Those that "protest" *bad* language need to just change the channel.

And to Mr. Robert Allen: Get off your righteous high horse. The title of this thread suggests what will be said here. Give US all a break and take your goodie-two-shoes speel elsewhere.

>>> Phil
 

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Posted by Robert E. Allen (Member # 1351) on 03-21-2004, 02:47 PM:
 
"And to Mr. Robert Allen: Get off your righteous high horse. The title of this thread suggests what will be said here. Give US all a break and take your goodie-two-shoes speel elsewhere."
_________________________________________________________________

Wow, Phil! That's a really well thought-out, mature response.
 

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Posted by Mark Ogden (Member # 43) on 03-21-2004, 04:52 PM:
 
What needs to happen to this thread:


 

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Posted by Greg Anderson (Member # 235) on 03-21-2004, 06:21 PM:
 
Um... anyone who's been raised in the United States speaking English (along with many others who were raised outside the United States and/or not speaking English) knows that "the F word" is considered offensive by society. Even if you think it might be "beautiful" sometimes you can't ignore the obvious. So anyone who deliberately uses the word in a broadcast pretty-well knows what he's doing... so it makes that person look rather ridiculous if that person pretends to be surprised that other people take offense.
 

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Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 03-22-2004, 06:16 AM:
 
Thanks Robert!

Greg: I agree!

And I might add, I find it hilarious that people complain about this thread knowing full well that it would contain the "F-word" based on the thread title. DUH!

>>> Phil
 

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Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 03-22-2004, 06:28 AM:
 
Being that this is an election year, nothing surprises me.
 

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Posted by Greg Anderson (Member # 235) on 03-22-2004, 11:24 AM:
 
Is it possible to have a discussion about obscenity in broadcasting without gratuitous use of obscene language or images? Yes, of course. Is that likely to happen at Film-Tech? Nope. If a Film-Tech member is disappointed by that fact then I can sympathize. Then again, I've been familiar with these forums for years, so the specifics of this discussion don't surprise me at all.

I guess the dialog in our world is changing so that, today, it's less and less likely to find a place where you can have a "dignified" discussion about issues like this. Even in a "high-minded" University setting, I doubt they'd discuss this stuff without using explicit examples which probably aren't necessary. So, I can sympathize with anyone who finds that disappointing.

It's funny how this whole Janet Jackson "flap" (no pun intended) energized this "crackdown," but for several weeks before the Super Bowl I was getting chain e-mail about how the FCC was approving the use of "the F word" on TV and we should all be upset about it. The Janet Jackson prank wasn't the most offensive thing I've seen on TV but it turned out to be "the last straw." Guys like Howard Stern are decrying President Bush and calling for his removal from office over this one issue. But they ought to be more upset with Janet Jackson. She's the one whose stupid stunt and poor timing "spoiled" things for all the shock jocks in America.
 

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Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 03-22-2004, 01:41 PM:
 
I think we need to remember the old adage that 'sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me'. Yes, the f-word is often used by those who simply don't have the vocabulary to express themselves any more inventively. In the right hands, even that phenomenon can be exploited for humour, e.g. the 'comedians' in the South Park film. But 'bad' language can sometimes be deployed to genuine comic and dramatic effect, and for that reason I wouldn't like to see any blanket bans. And I'd far rather that someone under stress uttered a few obscenities to relieve it than resorted to the more harmful alternatives, e.g. violence.

A while back I went to a lecture on TV content regulation put on by Ofcom, Britain's equivalent of the FCC. Most of it consisted of screenings of video clips of broadcasts which had attracted complaints, followed by an explanation of why they had been upheld or rejected. My favourite was from a chat show aimed at 10-15 year olds, in which the host was trying, with great difficulty, to get a conversation going with a Californian rock star (sorry, forgotten who it was), who would only give monosyllabic answers, if that. After having miserably failed to elicit any meaningful information about his forthcoming album, the host changed tack.

Host: 'So why have you got that bandage on your arm? Was it an accident'?

Singer: 'My iguana did it.'

Host: 'Your iguana?!'

Singer: 'Yeah. A bull-nosed one.'

Host: 'So, err, are you into exotic pets?'

Singer: 'Yeah, sort of. I've got several, like, lizards and stuff.'

Host: 'So then, what happened with this iguana?'

Singer: 'It escaped.'

Host [desparately trying to get him to open up a bit]: 'Gosh, that sounds exciting. How did it escape, and did you catch it?'

Singer: 'Yeah.'

Host: 'So, err, what happened when you caught it, then?'

Singer: 'It bit the fuck out of me.'

At this point (remember, this is a children's programme, being broadcast live), the host's face went as white as a sheet - she virtually had a heart attack in front of the camera - and the programme instantly cut to a pop video. Apparently (the lecturer explained), this celebrity is notorious in the US for pulling this stunt, so much so that no-one dares risk broadcasting him live. A very basic amount of research would have tipped the British producers off about this, and so they were given a rap on the knuckles. Me, I hadn't laughed so much in ages...
 

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Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 03-22-2004, 03:05 PM:
 
Further proof that the FCC is full of it- if there's anything that should be banned, it's the continuous onscreen station and network logos that render TV unwatchable as far as I'm concerned, and can also potentially cause screen burn-in. THAT is indecent and offensive.
 

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Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 03-22-2004, 03:26 PM:
 
Decode at your own risk:

<rot13>
Shpx! Gubfr shpxvat shpxref ner shpxvat shpxrq! Jub gur shpx qb gurl guvax gurl ner shpxvat jvgu? Fbzr xvaq bs shpxurnq? Shpx gurz! Gurl'q orggre abg shpx jvgu zr! V'z gur znva shpxre nebhaq urer! V'yy shpx gurz hc! Shpxvat trg vg? Qba'g shpx jvgu gur shpxre be lbh'yy or shpxrq!
</rot13>
 

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Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 03-22-2004, 03:29 PM:
 
Un!
 

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Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 03-24-2004, 04:41 AM:
 
Gosh Daryl! You're reply makes me sooo hot! Whew!

>>> Phil
 

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Posted by Chris Hipp (Member # 1788) on 03-24-2004, 07:06 PM:
 
So what is this F-word everyone is talking about? I must not have been informed of its obscenity.
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 03-24-2004, 10:15 PM:
 
Didn't you ever see the movie "Johnny Dangerously?" The word is fargin', as in "Get out of here, you fargin' bastidges!"

One of my favorite "network TV edits" was in the original Police Academy movie, where they changed "Drop that stereo before I blow your goddamn nuts off, asshole!" to "Drop that stereo before I blow your goshdarn knees off, eggroll!"

2nd place goes to Used Cars, where "Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ almighty!" became "Cheese and rice! Cheese and rice almighty!"
 

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Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 03-25-2004, 09:06 AM:
 
One of the cable channels that airs commercials was showing "Repo Man" a couple days ago. I thought it was pretty funny to hear Harry Dean Stanton and others use the word "flippin'" instead of the F-bombs I remember being used in the unedited version.
 

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Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 03-25-2004, 09:07 AM:
 
On a recent TV broadcast of Beverly Hills Cop, there were plenty of 'flippin' mothercrushers'.

My favourite act of TV bowdlerising, though, has to be in Robocop. The original contains a scene in which an armed robber attempts to hold up a grocery store. Robocop bursts in, and the robber repeatedly shoots him, with absolutely no effect, defiantly screaming 'fuck you!' before letting off each shot. When he runs out of bullets Robocop eventually beats him up, of course, and his last words are a murmered 'fuck you!' just before losing consciousness.

In the censored version, the defiant 'fuck you's are replaced with desparate, plaintive 'why me?!', thereby changing the whole meaning of the scene. Both versions work, in their own way.
 

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Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 03-25-2004, 01:50 PM:
 
I'd buy that for a dollar! Yarrharrgh!
 

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Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 03-25-2004, 02:51 PM:
 
Back in 1986, before TV started to really suck, one of the independent stations here showed Repo Man completely uncensored, with all hundred or so uses of The F Word intact. They cut off the backwards-scrolling end credits though, which pissed me off. I still have an off-air recording of it.
 

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Posted by Chris Hipp (Member # 1788) on 03-25-2004, 03:30 PM:
 
I jsut had a shocking realization, this means that they wont be able to play the southpark movie uncensored again on Comedy Central. In the words of a clown "I'm sure I'm alive, but why?"
 

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Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 03-26-2004, 12:28 PM:
 
Logo Central is cable, not TV.
 

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Posted by Dwayne Caldwell (Member # 417) on 03-26-2004, 04:16 PM:
 
Not to sound like a stickler for detail, Leo, but I believe the phase used repeatedly by the convenience store robber in Robocop was "Fuck me." I guess the writer really wanted to drive home the fact this guy was not only vulgar but ignorant or at least grammatically challenged. Or maybe he was so impressed by Robocop he didn't know what else to say.
 

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