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FCC Considers Fining Stephen Colbert Over Controversial Trump Joke (rollingstone.com)
FCC chairman Ajit Pai said on Friday his agency will be looking into complaints made against Late Show host Stephen Colbert for what some labeled a homophobic joke about President Donald Trump. From a report: On Monday's Late Show, Colbert quipped that "the only thing [Trump's] mouth is good for is being Vladimir Putin's c**k holster." The joke drew accusations of homophobia, a viral #FireColbert campaign and FCC complaints against Colbert. In an interview Friday, FCC chairman Ajit Pai told a Philadelphia radio station, "I have had a chance to see the clip now and so, as we get complaints -- and we've gotten a number of them -- we are going to take the facts that we find and we are going to apply the law as it's been set out by the Supreme Court and other courts and we'll take the appropriate action." Pai added, "Traditionally, the agency has to decide, if it does find a violation, what the appropriate remedy should be. A fine, of some sort, is typically what we do."
Not over the joke, over the words he used in it.
It is odd that the joke is being labeled "homophobic." Nothing in it implies that homosexuality is wrong. If Colbert had said the same thing about Hilary Clinton, it would have made just as much sense, had the same meaning, but could not be described as "homophobic."
I kind of disagree. In his search to find something to paint the worst picture of Trump that he can he chose an act that homosexuals do every day. For that matter, he's actually insulting women who give blow jobs as well because its such a vile act that only Trump would do it.
When this story broke out, I searched for the clip to see what the fuss was about. When I did find it I realised that I had seen it before, and while I did think at the time that it was an unusual type of joke for one of those monologues, I didn't see how it could be labelled homophobic. The joke doesn't say that homosexuality is bad, nor did it say anything about anyone who is gay. It merely suggested a closer relationship than has been admitted and a power dynamic that Trump is Putin's bitch. It's strong stuff, but nothing different that calling Hillary Clinton a witch ("jail the witch").
The funny thing is, a lot of the people who are complaining about this would also say that gay marriage should not be allowed. I think that if gays and lesbians had a choice they would rather be able to live their lives as they want to and put up with the odd joke or two than not be allowed to marry the person they love and be told that they are going to hell.
LOL you think it's millennial democrats filling these reports?!
Head over to 4chan/pol. They are organising a mass complaint campaign and trying to get him fired. 4chan's pol is far right, by the way. Deeply anti-Semitic and racist, but Trump is their guy.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
The Libs are eating their own now
Not really, Liberals understand that the joke was inappropriate, but not really homophobic.
The joke was inferring a relationship between two heterosexual men where the weaker one sexually submits to the stronger one for protection, basically a "prison bitch".
All the complaints are just political theatre, Conservatives don't actually care that if it's homophobic or not, they just know it sounds homophobic and that's enough to trigger the faux-outrage.
Ajit Pai is just playing the part of the establishment Republican captured by the Trump administration.
I stole this Sig
Colbert: "“The only thing [Trump’s] mouth is good for is being Vladimir Putin’s cock holster,”
FCC: Hey, you can't say that on TV. Retract it!
Colbert: "Last night I said that the only thing Trump's mouth was good for is being Vladimir Putin's cock holster. I was wrong. Trump's mouth isn't good enough to be Vladimir Putin's cock holster."
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
Fine him into the ground, but don't get him fired. The PUSA bragged about sexual assault (grabbin' PUSSY) and got elected. Colbert joked about something and gets fired? Give me a break. I agree his remarks might have been homo-offensive or even homophobic, but that's protected under free speech laws. Hate speech attacks individuals or orientations; homophobic speech is merely offensive. I'm a staunch advocate of free speech and I defend both Trump's "locker room talk" and Colbert's "homophobic remarks" because they are not meant to provoke, but rather to entertain. I find both incidents morally objectionable, but not to the point of obscenity or hate against a class. tl;dr this shit doesn't matter: fix hunger, refugee crises, nuclear threats, global warming before you shit your pants over sex jokes while the whole system fails.
Not over the joke, over the words he used in it.
That's a good description of the issue.
We don't really care that much when people insult the president, and we can think badly of such people or goodly of them. That part doesn't matter.
But Colbert's phrase was particularly rude, it's pretty-much covered in Carlin's seven dirty words, and it wasn't a sly, under-the-radar slip or emotional outburst as part of a dramatic scene, for example. It was explicit profanity.
People aren't going after him for the rest of his monologue, which was also very insulting, and they don't complain about John Oliver or Bill Maher when they face the camera and rattle off insults with no wit or insight.
It's the explicit profanity, and Colbert knows better.
Hey, not all homosexuals. I bet there's at least a few that don't even like Vladimir Putin, much less want to give him blowjobs every day...
I think you're wrong about this. He wasn't suggesting Trump would give or has given a blowjob to Putin. He was drawing a word picture of Putin pissing in Trump's mouth, which is a) not a common sexual act and b) something that is in keeping with what we know about Trump.
You are welcome on my lawn.
The difference is that the FCC is a government agency.
You are welcome on my lawn.
You're projecting a bit, he never suggested it was a vile act. You can only see it as a homophobic insult if somehow a blow job is a bad thing, which is what that argument hinges on. The joke works because it implies a consensual servitude on the part of Trump towards Putin, as well as the fact that Trump is pretty terrible at talking. Talk of homophobia is a diversion.
It's not always homophobic to mockingly refer to someone as a homo, or even a submissive bottom homo. Not every pejorative homosexual joke is homophobic or offensive. Sometime it's just boys being boys.
CowboyNeal enjoys ruggedized USB sticks up his bunghole. See, it's all good.
your thin skin doesn't make me a troll
In what universe is this story news for nerds?
I disagree. He was looking for a way to depict Trump as sexual partner for Putin -- a way to paint him as literally "in bed together" with the Russians. If either Putin or Trump had been female, it could have been any other sexual act... or possibly one with a strap on or other phallus.
Just because it was a homo or bi sexual act doesn't place the negative on the act -- the negative is on the improper relationship -- especially Trump's desire to please Putin.
Or he means to imply that Trump and Putin really, really like each other. The terms like 'being in bed with' have existed for a long time to describe ties like the one Trump is accused of having with Russia (e.g. Senator Johnson opposes Bill X because he is in bed with Big Oil!). To me this simply seems like a more crass variant.
That said, even if it was homophobic, a fine for a joke is absolute bullshit. What is this, Germany? Besides that, since when has the Trump administration given a shit about homophobia? Do they realize who the VP is?
Colbert "Trump's only use is as Putin's cock holster"
Trump: "Romney would have dropped to his knees for my endorsement in 2012"
This is political, Colbert has been nailing Trump on issue after issue.
This was a fucking hilarious attack monologue, on Trump's 100 day interview, where he insulted the man interviewing him, then refused to repeat his "Obama wiretapped me" claim, then sat down behind the deskl and did a sulk.
Trump was a dick, and Colbert used rephrased versions of TRUMP's insults into a sharper attack. TRUMP. Watch it if you haven't already, it's comedy at its finest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaHwlSTqA7s
Ajit should not be attacking free political speech, he is already in trouble killing Net Neutrality. He needs to apologise.
He was looking for a way to depict Trump as sexual partner for Putin ...
Or Putin's bitch. No matter, that picture has been painted and no amount of therapy is going to make it go away. #ThanksColbert
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
SCOTUS needs to strike down the profanity exemption to free speech. It was always bullshit. This should've been settled with Lenny Bruce.
Corruption is convincing someone that the selfless ideal is the same as their selfish ideal.
All the complaints are just political theatre, Conservatives don't actually care that if it's homophobic or not, they just know it sounds homophobic and that's enough to trigger the faux-outrage.
Exactly. Someone complained on Twitter that if Rush had said that about Obama, Liberals would have freaked out. Perhaps that's true, but I contend that, had that happened, the guy who tweeted that would have simply checked "Like".
People get bent out of shape (or pretend to) way too easily these days - or do so not really understanding why.
For example, during a preview for the movie, "An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power" when it showed Trump saying he'd shutdown the EPA, I heard my mother say, "Good". I thought to myself, "What the fuck has the EPA every done to her?" (Answer: Nothing. Mom is 75 and watches a LOT of Fox News - sigh.)
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
It's worth looking at what's happening while we're distracted with this. Because what's happening is just not funny:
Russian violated the mid range missile treaty. Trump said nothing.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/14/world/europe/russia-cruise-missile-arms-control-treaty.html?_r=0
Russian flaunted the artic military base treaty, Trump said nothing.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/russia-flaunts-arctic-expansion-military-bases/story?id=47091750
When Trump bombed the Syrian airbase, he informed Putin ahead of time, Putin told Assad. Assad removed all his fighters and bombers from the base. US blew up a bit of tarmac as a result. If Trump did that with ground troops, Assad would have ambushed them.
Not funny I know, but that is why we need Colbert.
This whole tempest in a teapot is an attempt to punish criticism of the government in general, and criticism of Trump specifically. Colbert did nothing to apologize for.
Trump sucks Putin's cock. Come at me, FCC!
(captcha: quoted)
What's actually happening is a bunch of alt-right dipshits are pretending to be offended because they can target a liberal by doing so. It's essentially a false flag operation. Moreover, they lack the self-awareness to tell the difference between what Colbert said and actual homophobic slurs, so it's no wonder they're labeling it inaccurately.
"[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
No, this is the leftwing liberal playbook from the last 50 years being turned on a leftist for one of the few times, in only a tenth the strength. Turnabout is *always* fair play. Deal with it.
People complained to the FCC about Colbert's joke, so the FCC is supposed to review the case. This is the FCC's job, and they would be remiss if they didn't investigate. The FCC isn't investigating because they have a problem with Colbert criticizing Trump, but because it's their job to investigate complaints. The FCC regularly gets complaints about SNL, including a sketch last year in which Dave Chappelle used the n-word on the show. They investigate those complaints, just like they have to investigate the complaints against CBS and Colbert. It's their job. There are a number of factors that go into the FCC's decision, including the context of the objectionable content, whether it was live or not, and the time at which the program aired.
I don't think Colbert's comments merit a fine from the FCC, but that would be the typical penalty for objectionable content on broadcast TV. I don't believe Colbert's comments were homophobic, but they do refer to the act of oral sex, and content relating to sexual acts can still draw a fine from the FCC. There wasn't anything graphic about what Colbert said, and there's a long history of sex-related jokes on late night TV going back at least to the days of Johnny Carson. There were far more objectionable things that aired regularly when Conan hosted Late Night, including characters like the masturbating bear. Then there's all the things Sean Connery has claimed to have done with Alex Trebek's mother on SNL Celebrity Jeopardy, which, by the way, is hilariously funny. I think it would be strange if the FCC issued a fine, especially given that this is late night TV where such content is pretty common.
That said, I didn't find Colbert's comments funny. There wasn't anything particularly clever and I just didn't find it amusing. Personally, I think Colbert is the least funny of any late night TV hosts in recent memory. I didn't really like Conan when he was on Late Night, because I felt too much of his humor was toilet humor. He did have some really good sketches, though, like the recurring In The Year 2000. To his credit, he's gotten a lot better since moving to the Tonight Show and now to TBS. Leno didn't quite measure up to Carson, but he was more in the style of Carson than other hosts. I really enjoyed Leno's Tonight Show, though Fallon is also really good. I didn't find Letterman particularly funny, though he was better than Colbert. James Corden has his moments on the Late Late Show, and Craig Ferguson was pretty good at times. That said, I prefer Seth Meyers, who I think is quite amusing and does a great job with interviewing his guests. I really liked Meyers when he did SNL's Weekend Update, and he's gotten a lot better at hosting Late Night.
No, I don't think Colbert's comments were homophobic or merit a fine. As late night TV goes, Colbert's comments weren't particularly pushing the envelope, though the FCC has to investigate these complaints. They should investigate and hopefully decide that no further action is warranted. I don't think Colbert should be fired over this, but I wouldn't mind seeing him replaced because he's just not that funny. My opinion has nothing to do with these comments, but rather my overall opinion of him as a late night TV host.
By the way, the lameness filter shouldn't be preventing me from using the n-word. Dave Chappelle has a long history of using it in his sketches, including the classic Black White Supremacist, and it's on-topic because he used it in the same time slot on SNL. I know, trolls use it on a regular basis, but it's actually on topic here in providing some context for other content that's been aired on late night TV and why I don't think Colbert's comments merit a fine from the FCC.
Putin said emphatically: "I did not have sexual relations with that man"
My ism, it's full of beliefs.
Same people who wanted FCC to "treat the internet like a public utility" are aghast that there's an FCC investigation into Stephen Colbert.
Somewhere on the internet, someone is crowing over their world class wit, not realising even for an instant that they have just made exactly the opposite point from the one they intended.
The best part is, no matter how many times they read this reply, they're still not going to see the problem. But they'll spend the rest of the day vaguely anxious that maybe they really are the idiot that everyone knows them to be.
Crumb's Corollary: Never bring a knife to a bun fight.
Well, I heard the reason Melania doesn't sleep in the white house with Donald is because Putin snores.
So there are better and wittier ways of making the same point.
...Except when it is on TV.... Then some word are less free than others.
C. Sagan : A demon haunted world:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345409469/
visit randi.org
The "joke" was more than inappropriate. It was obscene and not in keeping with established broadcast standards. The writers wrote it, the actor spoke it, the network censors decided to allow it, it was taped and not scrubbed from the tape. Therefore it was also a conspired effort to defame and denigrate. A big fine is in order and probably some censures.
You're meaning is unclear.
Do you mean we know President Trump has praised and complemented President Putin?
I believe we do.
Do you mean we are not unaware that President Putin has ordered the assassination of leaders critical of Mr. Putin?
I believe we do know that.
Do you believe we are unaware of President Trump's financial interest in in the Russian block?
I believe we are aware of it.
I think the discernment here is to observe President Putin's actions, and to measure it against the freedoms our founders thought important. If they are congruent, then your view is correct. If they significantly diverge, then perhaps you'd like to explain to those "too stupid" to understand how killing people for expressing their opinion is just dandy and OK.
Since this departs from your own willingness to use your mouth as a cock sock for President Trump, I'm sure you'll disagree with these points. I'm simply devastated by that.
Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.
Trump: "Romney would have dropped to his knees for my endorsement in 2012"
Irony and Hypocrisy are both dead.
The media cleaned up Trump so people didn't realize how much worse he talked in public- they edited out the best they could while retaining a lot of the stupid and inflammatory statements... which mostly served to distract from the lack of any detail on positions (which he is flip flopping at record levels anyway.)
Democracy Now! - uncensored, anti-establishment news
Plenty of Republican homosexuals would disagree with you, you left wing bigot.
It wasn't a joke, it was alternative facts!
Disclaimer: I have four hens, but no cock.
You must be married.
You Tighty-Righties have been getting away with this shit for decades. But NOW you're offended?
Phuck you!
Every day? After 20 years of marriage, I'm lucky if there's a BJ in it for me on Christmas or my birthday.
I disagree, it wasn't the worst thing that could be painted about Trump. I'm sure there are many much worse things he could come up with. It was the least appropriate thing he could come up with for describing what Trump's mouth is good for. There's a clear difference here.
He's saying that the only thing Trumps mouth is good for is performing sexual acts. This could be considered highly complimentary.
I have never given a blow job, but I have received a few from different women over the years... though only one in the last 20 (in case my wife is reading) and I must say that the best blow jobs I've experienced were from women with exceptional endurance and exceptional lung capacity.
In fact, with how much pride Trump takes in his incredible physique and personal fitness,
I'd say it's an incredible compliment that Colbert has paid him by saying that Trump almost certainly would be a person in such amazing condition that Trump would be a suitable match for performing this act on such a powerful man as Putin.
I would certainly imagine that while Trump and his supporters might be offended by the fact that Colbert doesn't place a high value on Trumps words, speech or thoughts, but he does highly respect the president for his self proclaimed excellent health and physical prowess.
So, I don't really see what the issue is here. In fact, even as a straight man, I'm damn near tempted to play the other side of the fence to try and get myself one of these amazing Trump (registered trademark) Blow Jobs. I bet they're the biggest and I mean the best and most amazing blow jobs anyone could ever receive. And I mean huge, you'll just have to wait and see. It's cumming soon... did I spell that wrong?
If the homophobia complaints were coming from gays, then there would be something to it. The fact that it's coming from Trump supporters shows that it's insincere. You can't be outraged on behalf of another group when that group doesn't care, and especially when that group is one that your side goes out of it's way to marginalize.
I demand that parent poster be fired for this homophobic joke.
I'm living in Europe and I bet tomorrow morning in Church, people will be laughing not at the joke but at how America is still arguing left wing and right wing when most of the free world sees it as far right wing and further right wing.
Out of curiosity, what exactly is the definition of right and left in America anymore? Should we start calling it team red and team blue or team elephant and team donkey? This has so little to do with left and right or conservative and liberal that people simply make fools of themselves saying these things.
It's a competition of who can pretend to claim the high ground more than the other by declining into the deepest and darkest pits to do so. Good people don't choose sides. Good people treat everyone with kindness, dignity and respect... even the people they don't like. Good people don't say "it's ok to talk badly about this person because someone on the news does... or because he said something bad first".
Agreed.
This is just a crude way of stating that Trump is essentially "Putin's bitch".
If either one or both of them were female, similar crude statements could have been made without any homosexual connection.
As it stands though, both are male and thus such a crude statement requires describing a sexual act between two males.
Labeling this as homophobic is nothing more than trying to find a justification for wanting to punish Colbert.
There are plenty of statements disdainful of homosexuals uttered on TV that are much clearer and cruder, including statements by Trump.
Slashdot social media options: AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber and Mobile Text. Why no MySpace?
The accusation got worse, it was upgraded from slander to betrayal of state secrets.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Then you should say in "bed together" or in cahooots but NOT "cock holster".
You're trying to make the case for being politically correct?
...grab 'em by the pussy.
rotflmao. That ship sailed a long time ago.
etc.
Plenty of Republican homosexuals would disagree with you
Well if you vote for a party that blatantly hates you, you're pretty much the poster child for irrationality. So, frankly, who cares?
SJW n. One who posts facts.
The "joke" requires an assumption there is something wrong with being what was said. Many would interpret that differently for a man than a woman while many would not. It's not really odd that many see it as homophobic. It clearly is, though that's not its primary problem.
The real problem is that the joke crossed the line, the entire section of the monologue did. It was not funny, just hateful. Very unlike Colbert and I'm surprised anything like that material ever made it to air.
Trump is not personally anti-gay, his party is. Trump in office is not good for gay issues, but probably not as bad as Pence assuming his office would be.
Stephen Colbert Hits Best Ratings Since 2015 Premiere
It would seem the people enjoy this kind of thing.
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
He said he had no sympathy, BECAUSE the snowflakes have been filing FCC complaints about all sorts of conservative stuff for years, on grounds much weaker than this.
[citation needed]
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
If the FCC takes any action against Stephen Colbert for speaking out against Trump, then that's a clear violation of his 1st Amendment right to Freedom of Speech, plain and simple.
Is THIS the country we're living in now? Where you can't criticize POTUS without being OFFICIALLY censured? If so then we're one step closer to living in a dictatorship. Is this the United States of America, or is it somewhere like Syria, or Turkey, or Malaysia?
Saying that Hillary won the election because she had the most popular votes is like saying a team won a football game because it gained the most offensive yards (without scoring the most points). Contests have rules, and you can't change these when the contest is over because you lost. You say "Hillary really won!" I say "Trump would have won the Popular Vote by campaigning differently, if he knew that is what was needed to win." Nobody, Left or Right, disagrees that Hillary ran a terrible campaign and that her managers should never work again. Democrats need to focus on fixing their organization if they plan on bouncing back.
You conveniently forgot to mention that this particular monologue wasn't actually about Trump's policies but rather about him calling the journalist interviewing him 'fake media' and referring to his show as 'deface the nation'.
It was Colbert reciprocating the name-calling Trump is famous for, and while you might find it distasteful Colbert would stoop to that level, one is a television comedian while the other is supposed to be the president.
and that "wrong" would be the idea of a president bending over backwards (or just over) to please the leader of russia, a man guilty of assassination, violating human rights, and the illegal invasion of other nations (2 out of 3.... no wonder republicans like him so much). pleasing that sort of evil man is not something the "leader of the free world" should be doing.
that's what is wrong.
and thats why Merkel is now the LotFW.
the US has abdicated.
The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
The FCC should never have been given any power to punish anybody for what they say.
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
His signing an executive order (the Religious Freedom Restoration Act), allowing people to discriminate against same-sex couples, and their children, says otherwise. Obviously the last person he talked to that day was against same-sex marriage, and he always goes with the last person he talks to, or the latest thing he's seen on Fox News. He's a follower with ADD, not a leader.
His support of ANY rights except for the rich and powerful is certainly not "baked into" his character.
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
So why did he just sign a religious freedom executive order that allows gays and lesbians, and their children, to be discriminated against? He's a cock-sucker of the religious right and the nra.
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
For those of you that don't get it, this is what authoritarianism actually looks like.
Colbert's comment was absolutely NOT homophobic, unless you consider associating Trump with gays to be insulting to gays (which, I would grant...).
What this is ACTUALLY about is the Trump administration not being happy that a prominent celebrity made a negative comment about Trump, and so they will do whatever they can to prosecute him, even if it means redefining the english language.
And by the way, THIS is what first amendment is for. Like it or not, Trump IS government. That means he is *required* to suck it up if people criticize him, just like every gov't body has done before him.
It's truely scary how you Americans are not just fucking yourselves over, but you're doing it with eyes wide open and cheers.
The irony of this story is that a decade ago some Americans argued Russia didn't have speech freedom because of Vladimir Rakhmankov story, a man fined for writing a newspaper article in which he called Putin a "Russia's phallic symbol".
Now I can respond to the allegations of the past. Where is your speech freedom, America?
Why are you sharing your porn collection with all of us here? Can't you jack off in privacy?
"Gays for Trump" complaints don't count. The complaints need to be about homophobia, not anti-trump sentiment. Find a gay non-pro-trump complaint and we'll talk.
Allowing children to be discriminated against based on who their parents are and that they're adopted is okay with you? That's hardly "detailed minutiae of issues and concerns." There's almost half a million children in foster homes in the US on any given day. They need a home, and friends who they can share experiences with such as going to school together, far more than they need pinheads like you.
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.