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FCC Levies Record Indecency Fine
Carl Bialik from WSJ writes "The FCC proposed a record $3.6 million fine against a single TV show, penalizing CBS and its affiliates for an episode of 'Without a Trace' that suggested a teenage sexual orgy, in the first batch of indecency fines proposed in more than a year, the Wall Street Journal reports. 'Overall, the FCC's action didn't provide a broad sweeping vision for broadcasters about what is appropriate for television,' the WSJ says. 'Notably, the FCC backed away from an effort to impose higher fines by holding all network affiliates responsible for a broadcast, instead of just the stations that had been flagged by a viewer in a complaint.'"
Then why is it that I keep seeing commercials for "Girls gone wild" at around 5 PM on popular channels (not premium or pay-per-view). They blur out the bare minimum and the language is somewhat more than explicit.
So, pornography is just fine, but seeing an episode of T.V. that happens to make an allusion to sex is simply too much?
-1 disagree is not a modifier for a reason. -1 troll, flaimbait, redundant, overrated are NOT acceptable substitutes.
Can the USA still be regarded as the land of the free, where any citizen san say whatever they like?
Talking of indecency, why don't the authorities shut down the Jerry Springer Show? I have seen a level of indecency I'd never imagined! Can anyone figure how a mother could compete with a daughter for a man? I watched on such episode on Jerry Springer. To say the truth, I almost fell sick!
I guess it's all about the money.
From a Google search:
"Orgy has several meanings, including "a drunken revelry", a religious rite involving ecstatic dancing, an "unrestrained indulgence" (for example, "an orgy of destruction"), or group sexual activity."
-1 disagree is not a modifier for a reason. -1 troll, flaimbait, redundant, overrated are NOT acceptable substitutes.
http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/action/withoutatrace/ content.htm
Here is a link to the clip in question.
You can decide for yourself if it constitutes a "teenage orgy" or not
I posted this in another thread, here's the clip in question, thoughtfully brought to you by the Parents' Television Council! Let's hear a round of applause for their diligence in bringing teenage orgy footage online.
/ content.htm
http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/action/withoutatrace
I yearn for you tragically. A. T. Tappman, Chaplain, U.S. Army.
South Park had it right: "Just remember what the MPAA says: Horrific, deplorable violence is okay, as long as people don't say any naughty words!"
"The bass, the rock, the mic, the treble. I like my coffee black, just like my metal" - Mindless Self Indulgence
Since when is an orgy worse than rape or murder?
Because there was no nudity in the show, no sex in the show, no foul language in the show, and nothing that anyone could have pointed to in advance and said "this is obscene content".
We're sitting in a country where people try laws like this over and over, against the internet, against computer games, against music, against movies... so this is a taste of what our future rights online hold for us should the government succeed in having a post-facto Miller Test type law regarding content on the internet.
If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
Isn't this why we have the damned V-chip?
So that should cover the "somebody think of the children" crowd. Beyond that, if you don't like what they are showing, don't watch their show/network. Last I checked, "having what you want on T.V" wasn't one of those inalienable rights from the constitution.
This isn't really a free speech issue. It's a "why is America so full of whiny-ass bitches who thing the whole world ought to cater exclusively to them" issue.
I guess they didn't object to primte time TV footage of American troops leading naked Iraqi prisoners leashed through the prison catacombs... now that is really indecent.
Makes me wonder... why are the Americans thinking of invading Iran? The two countries are equally fucked up in my humble mind, about the same attitudes toward "indecency".
Ayatollah Bush of the Intelligent Design priesthood, the leader of the world, mwahhahhahha!
on Bill O'Reilly. The issue here is not that "sex is evil" but that this scene was a violation of the stated rules. This was shown in primetime and not after 10PM. Based on the time of day, there are rules for public broadcasters. So this can turn into a big argument, but those are the rules. If you don't like the rules, then contact your congressman or congresswoman.
And btw, I love when the southpark movie is shown after 1:30 PM occasionally. There's nothing like hearing, "you butt fucking uncle fucker" to celebrate our nation's tolerance on "foul" language.
When the FCC enforces standards of decency they're just thinking of the chilren ... yeah, that's it.
It's true no man is an island, but if you take a bunch of dead guys and tie 'em together, they make a good raft.
Sounds like "advertising" dollars well spent. But seriously how is it ok to show people being blown up/slaughtered, but not ok to show some skin, or a hint at some questionable activities?
Since the USA already has a violence problem, should we continue to show people being blown up/shot at, or participating in an orgy? I vote for the later, since I'd rather be invited to an orgy, than be shot.
..........FULL STOP.
I think a big part of this fine is because the show in question aired at 9:00 in the Central and Mountain time zones. Considering the climate, I think CBS would have been wise to tone it down or move it to a later slot. I personally am quite anti-censorship. If you don't want to see it, don't watch it. If you don't want your kids to watch it, then you need to take parential initiative. But I watched the clip and read the description, and I can understand where people who are very offended by that type of material are coming from. If I had young kids, I don't think I'd want them stumbling across that, especially if I weren't there to discuss with them the consequences of teenage orgies. Still, I can't say that I agree with the FCCs actions.
I know you were modded 'Funny' and I get your 'Joke'.
Sex in itself is not immoral, but perhaps a group of teenage sons and daughters (who likely do not understand the responsibilities that come with sex) having an orgy is. Of course, if there is a problem with teenage orgies in America, ignoring the problem is not the answer either.
Meanwhile, in Holland
Man, the Dutch are so far ahead of us it's not funny.
Just think about this one.. If you've got the cha-ching, and a dry sense of humor, the possibilities are about unlimited. Buy a block of network airtime, and just say any old god damn thing that amuses you. You could say things like shit, fuck, cunt, or even "I shit your fucking cunt lol!1!1". Just pay the fines on the way out the door, and you are gold.
Take a guy like Gates.. he could sing "Uncle Fucker" from the South Park movie, quote highlights from "The Aristocrats" and finish up with an 8mm snuff flim, and the fines would be below the noise floor on his balance sheet.
But no.. it's all about the medicine for African childern. If they're really so poor, why are they living in Africa? I can't even afford to visit that place..
Sorry, what was I saying?
There's a Starman, waiting in the sky / He'd like to come and meet us, but he hasn't got the time.
From here:
On Wednesday, President Bush announced his intention to nominate Deborah Taylor Tate and Michael Joseph Copps to serve as commissioners on the Federal Communications Commission.
So yes, we can actually thank Bush personally.
I'm not sure if I'd go this far - have you seen this episode of "Without a Trace"? I don't neccessarily agree with the ruling, but to say that "...there was no nudity in the show, no sex in the show, no foul language in the show, and nothing that anyone could have pointed to in advance and said "this is obscene content"" is stretching it a little bit. The scene was basically a teen-age orgy - and while "the naughty bits" weren't shown, there were plenty of bare backs (both male and female), side shots, and groping. Add in the girls clad only in bras and panties grinding their hips on the guys, and well... Color me not surprised. I don't *agree* with the ruling, but I'm not surprised, either.
Fundamentalists of any stripe are a problem in society.
Fundamentalists with power are the root of dictatorships, police states, and government control.
Fundamentalists are people who made a decision a long time ago and stopped thinking about the possibility that they could be wrong.
The decisions made so long ago are rarely based on a thorough education or understanding of the material. Most of the time it's rote and ritual, and damnation for those who question "the way" -- the same as any cult.
I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
If you're living in a free society, that society does not restrict 'offensive' or 'indecent' speech. This is Christian fundamentalism, right-wing Republican bullshit, and is actually one of the telling signs of Fascism, not Democracy. By the way, there is no such thing as 'indecent' speech. This was an FCC fabrication to suit their purposes.
By the way, the FCC was established to govern the FREQUENCIES that over-the-air broadcasts and electrical devices use. In today's age of cable and satellite, the FCC should be little more than a VERY small government organization that tries to make sure that your cell phone doesn't interfere with your TV set, and that the government can jam any consumer electronic device they choose. They should not be involved, in any way, in censorship, broadcast licensing blackmail or fining anyone for content.
I am an American, and I'm ashamed at what our society and government have become.
The complaint form should include a box that asks, "Are you aware of the V-Chip parental access controls and it's operation?" or something to that effect. If the answer is "no" the complaint should get tossed and if the answer is "yes" then an automated reply should be sent to the effect that the viewer should tailor the V-Chip controls to suit their particular tastes.
No one ever mentions the V-Chip anymore because it's not their own viewing habits that concern them, but their neighbor's.
The authority of the FCC of censoring broadcasting companies stands legally on shaky grounds and is subject of increasing controversy. This case is just another one in which the FCC has not only come up with some arbitrary and insane fees but it seems to have clearly overstepped its legal boundaries. Hopefully CBS takes the matter to the Supreme Court so that the right-wing conservative censorship in our country can be finally put to rest and the constitutional right of Free Speech and Expression reinstated again.
The old money in the US that really governs the country is made up of families that had their roots in a lot of quirky religions that were run out of Europe. Hence you can have tits in a margarine commercial in Europe, but if a shrouded nipple shows up in a TV show it is chased down by investigators. Ironically, it is pretty much only in the fundamentalist whacky Muslim sect countries where you will find the equivalent of a Pat Robertson and his ilk claiming god kills millions for considering gay marriage and teaching evolution. You wonder why youth is violent, but consider that the unintended message is that American society prefers extreme violence to demonstrative physical love between people. The reality is each one of us is here because two people got laid. If they had been killed...
Frankly, it would appear, the Europeans had the right idea with these whack-jobs.
Give it time, my friend. Give it time.
Microsoft is to software what Budweiser is to beer.
Particularly if you happen to be a male who failed to plan ahead and insist on a prenuptual agreement. If you are such a person, you have little to gain and much to lose by entering into such a contract as marriage. Especially when you consider that women rarely marry a man who earns less money than they do, (that need for "security") and when you consider that the courts tend to be heavily biased against men in the case of divorce (child custody and most especially, alimony). This bias, by the way, originates from a time when women were second-class citizens who would have had a very difficult time earning their own living alone. Apparently I am unique in believing that equality does not mean you get to retain special privileges. Either way, consider the divorce rate and ask yourself how lucky you feel.
Please forgive me for the off-topic post. The subject came up via the A.C. and I honestly feel that few men consider the implications of choices like this. Thankfully I have not had to learn any of the above the hard way; I was fortunate enough to be able to learn this by simple observation. Remember guys, if she really loves you and it really is "always and forever," she will have no problem signing that prenup.
It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. - Einstein
The scene was basically a teen-age orgy - and while "the naughty bits" weren't shown, there were plenty of bare backs (both male and female), side shots, and groping. Add in the girls clad only in bras and panties grinding their hips on the guys, and well...
So basically they showed the inside of a club?
Congratulations! You have likely invested the work necessary in selecting a good match as your mate and all the subsequent work in keeping the relationship healthy. One day I may be so lucky...until then I'm in this never ending cycle of dating various women, many of whom could have been a quickie character on Seinfeld.
But don't delude yourself, your utopia is not the norm. I'll keep it real short and simple. When I met my accountant to help me out of some tax problems some years back, he had a little talk to me about marriage and divorce. He said marriage can be about a lot of things, true love, insecurity, combining efforts, companionship, social status, etc. but he made it clear on no uncertain terms that divorce was always about money. He probably has the right position in our society to make the observation, being an accountant and all. I think he's right.
cat
I could not agree more. After watching the teen orgy from Without A Trace, I had to wonder what was so offensive about it. I mean, its a night time drama, aimed at adults. It's not like they had little dancing, beeping, cartoon characters advertising this show. If there were children watching it, they were most likely watching it because the parents were watching.
I'm sure they were so offended by that clip because they were actually aroused by the idea, and this caused a bit of double think, which turned it into sexual repression. Maybe they were jealous they didnt think of it when they were kids?
Heres the clip of the 'teen orgy' that won CBS this fine.
If they decide to block direct linking to the video, go to "parents tv". The link to the video will be in the middle of the page inside the little box saying something like WARNING TAKE CAUTION
This way, you can not only view the clip, but see how over-the-top upset they were about it. we also have the added benefit of sucking their bandwidth dry.
Any organization willing to focus so much time trying to decide what I, as an adult, get to watch on TV in the name of protecting THEIR children, makes me a bit nervous.
Libertarians are free-market fundamentalists who want everyone to be slave to the rich rather than the government. In a libertarian utopia, nothing will stop those with money from trampling your rights as much as they want, only the government (which at least in theory has some obligations to you) is not allowed to do so.
Trying to solve every problem with the same tool - free market - is the mark of a fundamentalist. Do you honestly think that free-market fundamentalism is any different from christian fundamentalism or islamist fundamentalism or communist fundamentalism ? It isn't.
In a libertarian utopia, the poor will starve in the streets since there is no social security to feed them. The companies will happily form cartels since the government doesn't have the power to stop them. Your employment contract will force you to spend your "free" time by guarding your place of employment - and no, you cannot simply refuse to sign, since nothing stops the cartel from agreeing that every potential employer will require such conditions. Public libraries will cease to function, since they are funded by the state - if you can't pay for all the information you want or need, too bad.
Libertarian utopia is a heaven for the rich, since nothing limits their ability to exercise power over everyone else anymore. It is a hell to everyone else, since nothing limits the ability of the rich to trample on them anymore.
There's a reason why communism was born. That reason is that life for a worker during the unfettered capitalism of industrial revolution was a living hell, with 16-hour work days, child labor, and the absolute lack of any kind of safety regulations leading to regular mutilation of machine operators, after which they would simply be thrown out to starve and replaced with new victims. Compared to that, the Soviet Union really was a workers paradise, where you at least had to be sent to Siberia before the hell would begin. By trying to repeal all labor laws (since they interfere with their free market utopia), the libertarians are working for the return of those conditions.
Don't vote libertarian, unless you are filthy rich. You are going to hate to live under them otherwise.
Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.