WB Censors Its Own Drama for Fear of F.C.C. Fines – New York Times
WB Censors Its Own Drama for Fear of F.C.C. Fines – New York Times
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President Prissy-Poo and his FCC — I’ll refer to them collectively as “Friends of Jesus’s Loin Cloth” in the future — have now taken the chilling effect to depths approaching subzero.
I’m beginning to think God really did want Bush to be president. Because He knows, in His wisdom, that humans only learn to recognize the smell of their own shit once they’ve had to eat it.
March 23rd, 2006 at 3:17 PM
In the novel Breakfast of Champions, Kurt Vonnegut wrote himself into the story as a godlike presence and gives his lead character a chance to literally meet his maker. Vonnegut’s sympathy and affection for his characters didn’t stop him from doing terrible things to them, even when he put himself in the position of having to answer to them. And of course, more than one comic book has shown characters meeting the writer of the comic; you may have affection for Howard, but that wouldn’t stop you from heaping senseless troubles on him for a good story.
Now, if there’s any possibility that we ourselves are characters in a fiction created by God, we have to consider the possibility that things happen not because God has some “lesson” for us to learn, but because they make the story more interesting. God wouldn’t necessarily have our best interests at heart. Having an insane fundamentalist president as a character may simply be a plot device, full of suspense and the promise of lots of things getting blown up…
March 23rd, 2006 at 8:10 PM
Wait’ll they go after cable and other pay services. There’ll be nothing left. Nothing.
Well, nothing good.
March 24th, 2006 at 7:23 AM
I have XM Satellite radio and I love being able to listen to talk shows were people talk like, well… people!
Is the word ‘fuck’ that controversial anymore? How can something that’s in such common usage be offensive anymore?
I can’t wait for books to get ratings. It’s for the children!!
March 24th, 2006 at 7:43 AM
Now the FCC head has come out in favor of tiered pricing for ISPs, which means the internet as we know it will be well and truly fucked in short order.
March 24th, 2006 at 5:32 PM
Brian- Yes, it is, because some people find it still offensive. I myself bemoan the fact that it IS so common that it DOESN’T have the impact it used to.
March 25th, 2006 at 1:39 AM
OK, let’s review:
AMENDMENT ONE:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peacefully to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievences.
Now, someone tell me how FCC fines are not a blatent constitutional violation?
March 25th, 2006 at 3:18 AM
Leviathan- I have often wondered that same thing and the only answer that comes to mind is the golden rule. He who has the gold makes the rules, so if they don’t see that they are in violation of the constitution then they aren’t.
March 27th, 2006 at 7:47 AM
Puh-Leeze! This is nothing more than WB trying to create some buzz for their new (probably crappy) show called ‘Bedford Diaries’. Don’t be a sucker and fall for this bullshit.
March 27th, 2006 at 10:19 AM
But you admit to its common usage. How can someone justify a multi-million dollar fine for using a word that’s very common? I would think that most audiences know what types of programming would have foul language and which types wouldn’t. The f word is in tons of great books, and they’re not fined.