What's all the "bleepin" about?

Posted Tuesday, June 8, 2010, at 6:31 PM

Before I get started here, yes I'm aware it's been a long time since I've posted. I keep telling myself I'll do better and then I get tied up and forget, so, once again, I'll do better. HAHA

OK, so I have the evening off and I'm sitting here on the couch flipping through channels and we passed the MTV Music Awards. While under normal circumstances I wouldn't pay it any attention, but yesterday I read a story about how many "bleeps" there were this year. Apparently, in the first 120 minutes, there were more than 100 bleeps and numerous instances that should have been bleeped.

So far, I've watched for 10 minutes and we're 11 bleeps into it.

What my question is, is does a bleep really make a statement less vulgar? I mean, we all know the words and what they're saying and a bleep doesn't change the context of anything. As much as I think we have no shortage of regulation, I have to say that this is something that should be watched more closely and if you're going to bother censoring something, then censor it. Maybe a good whopper of a fine might help to line some of this out.

MTV isn't the only one. Comedy Central is probably the worst channel on cable television as far as this goes. Cartoon Network isn't much better.

My point is, without the bleeps, the show would have been rated R without a doubt, and been subject to different guidelines, like editing out portions of movie.

A few bleeps, in my humble opinion, doesn't make it any less garbage than it already is.

At the risk of repeating my parents, this has really gotten much worse in the last 10 years. Who knows what we'll see on television by 2030.

Ok, I'm hopping off my soap box now.

Comments
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MTV is a 'bleepin' joke and never been more 'bleepin' 'bleep' 'bleepin' 'bleep' 'bleep' irrelevent. Just more ultra liberal feel good holier than 'bleepin' thou 'bleepin' propaganda.

Turn the 'bleepin' channel.

-- Posted by shannonhoon on Wed, Jun 9, 2010, at 10:25 AM

I agree, Corey and Hoon.

I remember when MTV first came on the air. Sure has changed since then. Back then it was just some cool VJ's and videos...no commercials or junk of any kind. It was good back then.

-- Posted by BarbaraNTexas on Thu, Jun 10, 2010, at 4:59 PM

I would call Karma Chamillion and Wake Me Up Before you GO-GO junk, but other than that I would agree Barbie. Oh, and maybe dorky instead of cool when describing the VJ's. Except Neena Blackwood was HOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTT!!!!!

-- Posted by shannonhoon on Fri, Jun 11, 2010, at 8:53 PM

I was always taught that the use of profanity was a sign of a weak mind trying to sound strong.

-- Posted by mythought on Sun, Jun 13, 2010, at 1:53 AM

Jeeze... I wonder if you'll read this, since your story is old, but the fact is that your entire premise is wrong.

Cable networks like Comedy Central, MTV, etc. are not beholden to FCC and have no legal content standards.

The power of the FCC to enforce decency standards comes from the fact over-the-air television broadcasts are making use of public property: their slice of the radio spectrum. That authority does not apply to cable television because it is transmitted using cable or satellite connections that are private property.

You may wonder then why Comedy Central and MTV censor themselves if they aren't legally obligated to. The answer is that their advertisers limit what they televise. If MTV began to show pornography, you wouldn't see many Walmart or McDonalds commercials on the channel.

The trend is toward a decrease in censorship for cable television. Look at Comedy Central's late night Secret Stash movie showings, which air uncensored rated R movies. Or look at shows like Breaking Bad on AMC that contain violence of the sort we used to see only on HBO.

Also, calling for more censorship is a shameful and shortsighted way to fight the problems you see. Censorship is usually an unconstitutional infringement of our civil liberties.

It would be much better to fight this from the other end with a substantially higher budget for education. Let's teach these chimps not to worship Paris Hilton rather than trying to control her instead.

-- Posted by thebackwardx on Mon, Jul 5, 2010, at 3:47 PM

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Corey Noles, staff writer for The Daily Statesman and Editor of The North Stoddard Countian, is the author of a regular baseball/St. Louis Cardinals column and also uses his blog to sound off on various happenings in sports. He also operates a weekly baseball mailbag column.

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