(01-29-2004) Republicans Blast Bono - Rolling Stone.com - *

[NameOfLove19]

Of course politicians care about other things, I just think that they shouldn't care to the point of uptightness. I'm also confused about why so many people are blaming Bono when it's really the network's fault for not bleeping it out.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

If my kid started using language like that, I would start checking myself before going after Bono and Eminem, because not only do I have a trash mouth, but they'd interact with me a lot more than them.

Exactly. It is not musicians' jobs to be parents to children-they're not the ones who carried the kids for 9 months, they're not the ones who live with the kids every single day and take them to school or help them with their homework or read to them at night and so on and so forth. They are there to make music, and it is our choice as consumers whether or not we wish to buy their music, or watch any shows they're on, or whatever.

Also, Angela, I see what you're getting at with the whole image thing...but then again, even those who aren't huge U2 fans have heard about Bono at some point and time, and know he isn't anywhere near the level people like Tommy Lee are and stuff, they just see him as a "do-gooder" celebrity. But I do see what you're getting at, and I do agree with the rest of your post.

Angela

 

[nbcrusader]

Rolling Stone Magazine got the title wrong. Republican's are not blasting Bono, they are Blasting the FCC's ruling on this particular use of the word.

If the title had said, "Republicans blast FCC", no one would have read it and the article may not of even appeared here even though it would mention Bono and the Golden Globes.

Its not surprising that many Republicans are concerned about. There are millions of people in this country that do have a problem with four letter words being said on TV.

I'm not one of them though, but I also realize that it can be offensive to a lot of people regardless of how it is used.

Thank you for pointing this out. It seems like RS has a little agenda in its reporting.

 

[theSoulfulMofo]

Only if us Americans had European sensibility, a lot of this wouldn't matter.

I see Big Brother coming to dinner.

 

[nbcrusader]

Is it sensibility or resignation?

 

[theSoulfulMofo]

European sense of culture

 

[martha]

It seems like RS has a little agenda in its reporting.

Ya think.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Exactly. It is not musicians' jobs to be parents to children-they're not the ones who carried the kids for 9 months, they're not the ones who live with the kids every single day and take them to school or help them with their homework or read to them at night and so on and so forth. They are there to make music, and it is our choice as consumers whether or not we wish to buy their music, or watch any shows they're on, or whatever.

but does that mean they, or anyone for that matter, should be allowed to curse up a storm all over network television? now obviously bono didn't curse up a storm... he had one accidental slip, brought on by the excitement of the moment and a few apple martini's from the golden globe's open bar. if the FCC would have just levied the fine from the start, we would have discussed it for about a day and moved on. if the FCC would have just let it go without saying anything, we wouldn't be talking about it at all. but they made a ruling on the subject, and they baisicly gave a green light for people to curse on television as long as it's "in context."

now i don't want anyone to think i'm some anti-cursing, television is destroying our moral fiber bullsher here... but i do believe that there should be at least a few stations... your basic network cable stations... that are kept relatively curse free. and if that means giving out a fine for something that's relatively insignificant, then so be it.


just wondering... did this article juuust happen to appear in the issue with howard dean on the cover?

 

[martha]

but i do believe that there should be at least a few stations... your basic network cable stations... that are kept relatively curse free.

Who should decide which ones these should be?

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

Who should decide which ones these should be?

Good question.

And see, that's my point, Headache-the context words of any kind are in also makes a huge difference, too. Besides, the FCC didn't really say that everyone could just go ahead and curse like mad from here on out with no restrictions, they just said that that particular word uttered in the context Bono used it in did not violate their rules, because he was not describing a sexual act or a bodily function. The worst it could do in the context Bono uttered it in would be to perhaps offend a few people watching who may not personally like that word. But everyone will be offended by something at some point and time in life, we can't censor every single thing that may potentially offend somebody. If you don't hear the "f" word on T.V., you'll hear it other places. Taking it off T.V. will not solve the problem.

Anywho, so the FCC merely said that Bono did not violate their rules considering the context he uttered it in. But for some reason, certain people decided that that meant that the airwaves were going to be littered with cuss words from then on out (and really, there hasn't been some huge outbreak of cussing on T.V., has there? I mean, I know there've been a few instances here and there, but it's really nothing radically different from what I've heard on T.V. before Bono said the word at the awards show), and they felt it was up to them to suddenly decide to clean up the airwaves, even though, again, some of them have said a few things that some people would consider a little more offensive than the "f"word, and that makes me wonder where they get the room to talk about what is and isn't offensive.

Angela

 

[anitram]

Big waste of time, bureaucracy and money if you ask me.

Lots of things in this world offend me. The idea that rich people have 80 inch plasma screen TVs while poor people freeze in unheated apartments while rats bite their children is one. Getting a $20K bill for giving birth without insurance is another. Racial profiling, check. Homophobia surrounding the issue of gay marriage, yep. Disgusting, filthy SUVs driven on downtown streets for no real reason whatsoever which make it impossible for a person with a ton of allergies like me to breathe properly in the summer. Corporations filling up the air with pollutants. Water becoming a commodity.

We're all offended about something. But to go and make a mountain over a molehill, over one word that one individual said in one second on one show one year ago? Bizarre.

The whole thing is simply bizarre to me.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

Big waste of time, bureaucracy and money if you ask me.

Lots of things in this world offend me. The idea that rich people have 80 inch plasma screen TVs while poor people freeze in unheated apartments while rats bite their children is one. Getting a $20K bill for giving birth without insurance is another. Racial profiling, check. Homophobia surrounding the issue of gay marriage, yep. Disgusting, filthy SUVs driven on downtown streets for no real reason whatsoever which make it impossible for a person with a ton of allergies like me to breathe properly in the summer. Corporations filling up the air with pollutants. Water becoming a commodity.

We're all offended about something. But to go and make a mountain over a molehill, over one word that one individual said in one second on one show one year ago? Bizarre.

The whole thing is simply bizarre to me.

.

Angela

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

it's the ole' pushin' a snowball down a hill theory... when the snowball's at the top of the hill, it's small and insignificant. ya roll it down a mountain, it keeps picking up more and more snow, and by the time ya get to the bottom you've got yourself one big ass snowball.

bono dropping F bombs on tv is an insignificant thing... but if you start letting one thing slide, that inevitably leads to another thing, and another, and another... and before you know it, you've got yourself quite the mess. why not address the issue now when it's petty and insignificant as opposed to 10 years down the line when every other word on your network primetime "family" hour is four letters long..

 

[martha]

Headache, you didn't answer my question.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

that's because i think it answers it's self... the basic cable stations... the ones ya don't pay for... abc, nbc, cbs, fox, etc. etc.

 

[Swan269]

Of course, the title of the article should really say "Some Republicans Blast Bono" (along with some conservative Democrats like the Liebermans), but Rolling Stone is too busy painting all Republicans with a broad brush in between putting guys like Al Gore and Howard Dean on their front cover to offer any kind of objective view of the situation.

agreed. the media likes really long broad strokes to generalize everyone.

 

[edelphi]

How is the TV media going to report on this? "The FCC today declared that seven allegedly dirty words would now be banned from the airwaves. You'll have to visit our website to find out what they are, however, since the new statute prevents our reporting them." Or maybe they will list them onscreen with dashes: f--k, etc.

Really. fucking. brilliant.

BTW, I was amused by the unenlightening headline, "Republicans Blast Bono" -- my first thought was, aha, they've finally noticed he's a liberal and they're running smear ads about how that "latte-drinking, sushi-eating, Volvo-driving, New York Times-reading" freak Bono should go back to where he came from.

 

[martha]

that's because i think it answers it's self... the basic cable stations... the ones ya don't pay for... abc, nbc, cbs, fox, etc. etc.

These aren't cable stations; that's why the FCC has something to say about what goes on with them. They're broadcast stations, and they use what are considered "public airwaves."

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

it's the ole' pushin' a snowball down a hill theory... when the snowball's at the top of the hill, it's small and insignificant. ya roll it down a mountain, it keeps picking up more and more snow, and by the time ya get to the bottom you've got yourself one big ass snowball.

bono dropping F bombs on tv is an insignificant thing... but if you start letting one thing slide, that inevitably leads to another thing, and another, and another... and before you know it, you've got yourself quite the mess. why not address the issue now when it's petty and insignificant as opposed to 10 years down the line when every other word on your network primetime "family" hour is four letters long..

Again, though, I haven't seen an outbreak of swearing on network T.V. ever since Bono uttered that word. There hasn't been much change between the time before Bono said that word and the time after, at least not from what I've noticed.

Besides, if we must target somebody, wouldn't it make more sense to go back and target the very first person who ever swore on T.V.? Bono's not the first guy to have done it. These words have been around, and have been used on T.V., long before Bono uttered one of them.

Again, the FCC did not say that everyone had free reign to swear up a storm on network T.V. without any restrictions from now on. All they said was that Bono's utterance of the word did not violate their rules, which is true-it didn't. So I highly doubt there'll be some "snowball effect". If a word uttered violates any of their restrictions, they will let it be known and will take care of it. If it doesn't, then they leave it alone.

But planning on flat out banning certain words completely, whether they violate FCC restrictions or not, is dumb anyway, 'cause once again, if you don't hear them on T.V., you'll hear them other places.

Angela

 

[Angela Harlem]

I kinda agree with both sides and what you guys are saying, and while I dont think either of you really have a problem with swearing in general, it is not a deluge so to speak which is the issue. It's more letting one occurance slide, then another until it reaches the point where swearing on tv is as common place in every day conversation. Still most of us have no problem with swearing in everyday conversation yet should that mean tv should be no different? A few channels declared swear free zones so to speak? Some people do get a bit offended and whatever by this. Is it really that much of a censorship issue to do this?
I'm not trying to direct this entirely at you by the way either Angela lol, so sorry if it seems that way - though your last post made me ponder some of this
I dont think even Headache has a problem with Bono specifically at this stage of the discussion, though he'd have to answer that. This whole thread started with Bono because that is our common interest but now it seems to be more of a general swearing issue. I think in general, I agree with you completely that it is no big deal but no one really seems to want a free-for-all, but...like you said even, swearing exists everywhere else...so then why not ban it on a few channels/time slots/whatever? It wouldn't be any skin of anyone's nose surely?

 

[verte76]

It's what philosophers call a "slippery slope", also known as a "domino theory", which was popular during the Cold War to try to fight communism. It's crazy to think that swearing on public TV is going to proliferate because of one incident. The media is more graphic and invasive by its very nature these days. Gone are the days when the President could have a heart attack and White House operatives got away with telling the press he had the flu (that actually happened when Eisenhower was President). Haven't these guys ever heard of reality TV??? 24-7 news? Everything a celebrity does, or says, from the ridiculous to the sublime, is in the press these days. Even if they tell the press to get fd.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

I kinda agree with both sides and what you guys are saying, and while I dont think either of you really have a problem with swearing in general, it is not a deluge so to speak which is the issue. It's more letting one occurance slide, then another until it reaches the point where swearing on tv is as common place in every day conversation.

I honestly don't think there'll be some slippery slope. Again, the FCC has its restrictions, and will take care of anything that violates those restrictions. They've done a pretty good job overall so far, I think, so I really don't see there being much difference.

Originally posted by Angela Harlem
Still most of us have no problem with swearing in everyday conversation yet should that mean tv should be no different?

I would think it shouldn't be any diferent. If people can handle these words in everyday conversation, and use the words themselves, why does it suddenly bother them when they hear those exact same things on T.V.? What is the difference?

Originlaly posted by Angela Harlem
A few channels declared swear free zones so to speak? Some people do get a bit offended and whatever by this. Is it really that much of a censorship issue to do this?

I got offended by the religious zealots that they have on some of those religious-themed channels. I got offended by what Bill O'Reily says. Therefore, I don't watch those people's shows. Again, everything out there is likely to offend somebody in some way, shape, or form, hence why I think some of those people trying to flat out ban certain words from the airwaves is pointless. We can't ban things because a few people might possibly be offended, otherwise we'll get to the point where we'll never be able to say anything for fear that what we say could offend someone.

Besides, again, if it doesn't violate the FCC rules, then it is able to stay on the air, whether people are offended or not. I can live with the FCC having restrictions, 'cause at least they'll still allow words to be said in certain contexts. But I don't agree with a flat out ban.

And there are a lot of channels that are swear-free zones, or for the most part free of them, at least. For the most part, you'll hear less swearing on network channels than you will on cable channels. And channels designed for kids will obviously have no swear words involved there. And there's even some movie channels, like the ones that show classic movies, that you'll very rarely ever hear swear words in.

Originally posted by Angela Harlem
I'm not trying to direct this entirely at you by the way either Angela lol, so sorry if it seems that way - though your last post made me ponder some of this

LOL, it's okay. Like I said, I love debates like this, anyway. And that's good to hear that my post has made you ponder some stuff...all your guys' posts have done the same for me.

I do see what some of you are getting at...it's not so much that I get offended, but if I watch something where every other word is a swear word and there's really no point to it, it just seems stupid and pointless to me, and I think you'd all agree. But then I would just change the channel if it bothers me so much.

And I know a lot of families want to have channels where their children can watch innocent things. But then again, most children will be watching kid-oriented stuff up until bedtime, anyway. Most young children will have little or no interest in shows that are more adult-they'll want to watch "Spongebob" instead. And older kids might take a little more interest, but then again, they're mature enough by those ages to understand what's going on.

Originally posted by Angela Harlem
I dont think even Headache has a problem with Bono specifically at this stage of the discussion, though he'd have to answer that. This whole thread started with Bono because that is our common interest but now it seems to be more of a general swearing issue.

Mmhm. And I agree, I don't think Headache was bothered by what Bono said, because he knows that Bono did not mean it in an offensive context to begin with.

Originally posted by Angela Harlem
I think in general, I agree with you completely that it is no big deal but no one really seems to want a free-for-all, but...like you said even, swearing exists everywhere else...so then why not ban it on a few channels/time slots/whatever? It wouldn't be any skin of anyone's nose surely?

There already are some channels that are swear-free zones, or at least, much less likely to have swear words heard on them than others. Even people who don't have cable can manage to find some show on some network that will be either completely free of or relatively free of swearing.

I guess I'm not watching the right network programs or something. Most of the shows I see on those channels seem pretty clean to me, and if I hear any swear words, for the most part it's either "hell" or "damn", which most people don't even flinch at when uttered anymore. Very rarely do I hear the "f" word.

Angela