Bad words on TV

[rlrose328]

We caught the last hour of "The Stand" on TV tonight... it's our favorite mini-series of all time.  It was on broadcast TV in 1994, 6 hours on broadcast TV.

We caught it tonight on cable.  Twice, they bleeped the word "bastard."  

Funny how it was obviously acceptable 13 years ago, but not now.  

Progress, eh?  :roll:

[Mister Joy]

TV censorship is getting more excessive in general, not just with bad language. The same thing's happening here, which is particularly weird because we're supposed to be extremely creatively free-thinking in terms of our media, certainly in comparison to the States. Now though there are very clear do's and don'ts.

Also, more and more bias and intellectual nannying is creeping into the BBC, particularly in its news broadcasts, and it's becoming increasingly apparent that our government, as well as yours in all likeliness, is pulling strings in there somewhere. I really don't like the way things are going.

[rlrose328]

That is certainly dismaying news, Mister Joy... I enjoy knowing that religious freedom and free-thinking media is alive and well in the UK.

[oogabooga]

I really don't understand what the powers that be are trying to achieve by such inane censorship. There's absolutely nothing a "bad word" can do. The argument about protecting children is also completely useless, since children are exposed to "inappropriate" language from a very early age in real life, and it doesn't seem to do any harm to them. This fear of words is stupid and downright crippling to any language. A well placed swearword can be used to emphasize a certain point far better than any substitute, and you can use substitutes to really, badly insult someone. Restricting a language is never a good thing.

[Tom62]

Would be funny if they would show old reruns of the british TV-Serie "Bottom" on cable TV in the States. In that case you'd hear wonderful conversations like: "You beep, beep, beep beep! I'll show you how to beep, beep, beep. Look no beep, it must be behind the beep. No it is beep".

[SteveS]

A well placed swearword can be used to emphasize a certain point far better than any substitute

Fuckin' A right!

 :wink:

[Whitney]

It really is stupid to bleep out "bad" words.  Everyone knows what is being said when it is bleeped out (even the kidos).

I think they are doing it due to overprotective parents who bitch and moan about the content of various tv shows rather than just doing their job as a parent and monitoring what their kids watch.

[Mister Joy]

A well placed swearword can be used to emphasize a certain point far better than any substitute

Personally, I don't like using certain swear words in certain contexts, or other people using them, regardless of their convenient power of emphasis. It's not a case of "aaaah a dirty word, I must cover my ears!", I just think it's bad mannered.

Doesn't mean to say I agree with 'beeping' though (that never happened. Honest. Here's an irritating high-pitched noise to prove it). May as well ban characters in programs from being anything other than the bestest of wuvy-dovey fwiends if they're not allowed to do something as mundane as be slightly rude.

I think if parents just took the responsibility of teaching their kids to be polite, themselves - rather than dumping it on the world around them, expecting it to manifest a bubble of security to keep all of the badness out - there wouldn't be an issue.

[Will]

I prefer the BBC. They have some nudity, some violence, and some language. Why? Because it's the parent's responsibility to make sure that children are watching something age appropriate, not the network. And they have really entertaining shows.

[Mister Joy]

It wasn't always like that, though it certainly progressed extremely rapidly. As I say though, it's beginning to go backwards again now. Not in terms of violence and swearing but more in terms of 'political correctness'. While I can say without a doubt that in England we're very comfortable, media wise, with anti-Christianity (but certainly not anti-any-other-religion), swearing, violence, alcoholism, drug abuse, et cetera; PC censorship is one thing we certainly have worse than you. Read and be appalled:

http://uk.altermedia.info/general/flying-england-flag-illegal_338.html

Also, it's adopting a very formulaic mind set now about what people want in terms of entertainment, which is always bad for a developing culture (just look at MTV).

I never knew you could get the BBC over there, though? Well you learn something new every day.

[Steve Reason]

I detest censorship and suppression of free speech. We have a constitutional amendment prohibiting the suppression of free speech. But does that stop the Feds from doing it? Hell no. And bleeping swear words is just retarded. I'm a goddamn adult you stupid fucktards-- I'll decide what's offensive to me. Isn't that what tv ratings are for?? And we don't need you motherfucking imbeciles raising our children. Do you really think censoring tv is going to make up for bad parenting Einstein?

I'm sorry to hear that England is becoming less free these days. I guess every citizen has to deal with such issues in their country. Governments will always be glad to take away your rights if you let them.

[Tom62]

I fully agree with Steve Reason. Trying to eradicate commonly used words is an evil act. It reminds me of Newspeak in George Orwell's book "1984" (for more information about Newspeak, see for example http://www.newspeakdictionary.com/). People know exactly what you mean if you call them lazy bastards or tell them to fuck off. I wouldn't use these words all the time, but there are occasions that they are fully justified.

[Mister Joy]

Well bloody said, Steve, & good comparison Tom. Double-think comes into it as well, of course :?  in a sort of Animal Farm corruption-of-ideals sense: "You have full freedom of expression! Small print: provided you fit a certain agenda" on top of "Suppression of religious, national or racial identity is wrong. Small print: except in this list of cases, in which case it's a good thing." It's gone totally up it's own arse & turned against itself in a somewhat perverse way.

I'm sorry to hear that England is becoming less free these days. I guess every citizen has to deal with such issues in their country. Governments will always be glad to take away your rights if you let them.

Mhm. Tragic thing is, the world is full of stupid people who, as laetusatheos very earnestly put it

bitch and moan about the content of various tv shows rather than just doing their job as a parent and monitoring what their kids watch.

and who bitch and moan and blame everyone but themselves for everything in life generally, come to that. What's particularly sickening is when they do it on behalf of other people:

"people are too fat and it's unhealthy; it's McDonalds fault... no! The governments, in fact!"

Governments response: "yes, quite right, we aren't taking over quite enough of your civil liberties, are we? Thanks for putting us straight there. We'd better introduce a fat-tax immediately."

[donkeyhoty]

All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.

[Mister Joy]

Exactement. A lot of what Orwell wrote about in Animal Farm is disturbingly reflective of reality, even though intended at the time to criticise Stalinism & revolutionary thinking, & 1984's predictions certainly aren't entirely unfulfilled either. Scary stuff; if he spent his entire life pondering these things so explicitly it's no wonder he was clinically depressed.