Friday, July 15, 2005

IT WAS SIMPLY. DISGUSTING. SIMPLY. DISGUSTING

People with nothing better to do, the Parents Television Council, have completed playing through the ABC coverage of Live 8 and found something to be upset about - not for them the thought that it was all well-meant, and everyone was working to a quick turnaround, and if the odd rude word slipped through - well, compared with the obsecenity of people dying for want in a world of plenty, does it really matter that much? Oh no, the PTC has fired off a demand for ABC to be fined for missing a single "fuck" in the lyrics of a Who song:

"The program was aired on a tape delay, which should have given ABC ample time to edit all obscenities from the concert prior to broadcast," said Tim Winter, executive director of the PTC. "ABC took steps to edit other profanity from the broadcast. But given the time of day that this program aired, the broad family appeal of the Live 8 event, as well as the program's PG rating, ABC should have been more diligent."

The broad family appeal of Live 8? But surely a parent who didn't mind their younger children watching Snoop isn't going to freak with a barely audible fuck tucked away in the Who set? Added to which, what sort of family appeal does the fifty-something Who actually have? Were preteens really begging Mom and Pop to let them watch the tubby guys in M&S shirts and reading glasses.

Of course, nobody at all is that bothered; even by the PTC's own admission ABC caught all the other sweary bits so this was clearly just a small error - one might say a fuck-up - rather than any knowing attempt by the network to upset people by pumping sexspeak into their living rooms. The site of a supposed Christian organisation using an attempt to do something worthwhile as an excuse for their ongoing, mind-numbing attempt to force us all to live by their narrow standards isn't exactly edifying; the question remains: if you dislike TV so much, why do keep watching it so closely? Get rid of the TV, sell the VCR and spend the rest of your days playing Jenga and reading the less racy parts of the Bible. Don't try and force the rest of us to live by your own narrow moral code.


2 comments:

What I Did On My Summer Vacation said...

I saw the Live8 in coverage in Canada and not an obscenity was edited out. I watched with my little ones, but turned off the gangsta rappers and actually turned off Madonna after her gratuitous use of the "F word."

But please notice parents! I'm not on the phone to the CBC nor the Canadian equivalent of the FCC. I'm actually *gasp* taking responsibility for what my kids watch on TV!

Anonymous said...

Amen to this post

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