Quoting:
Should the "F" word be allowed in primetime TV? No....  If the "F" word were allowed, where then would TV broadcasters draw the line?
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I agree 100%

The debate was spawned over Jermain Jackson's use of the F word a few weeks ago on CNN, and they let it slide.  And are now taking heat from it.


I agree there is no place for that word in primetime TV.

It seems like netowrks are gradually getting more and more loose on language and content, and before long, anything goes.....unfortunately.

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Well, I will answer this question in two parts.

First, I believe that the First Amendment is quite clear about this and that it should not be "illegal" to use the F-word, N-word, and any other word on TV any time you want.  I also believe that it should NOT be illegal to advertise cigarettes or liquor on TV either.  There are probably some very few circumstances in which the use of the F-word would be appropriate.  After all, we hear it all the time in real life.

Now, all that said:  The TV networks appeal to the lowest common denominator and today use just about every vulgar word other than the F-word simply to tittilate.  A show like "Will and Grace" is an example that uses gratuitous vulgarity that it really not necessary to keep the central plot going.

What I would like to see is a group of major advertisers come out and form a coalition.  The coalition would come out in public and specifically say "We no longer will advertise on shows that use gratuitous vulgarity and so on".  Money talks.

Bottom line:  It is our constitutional right to say the F-word on TV.  However, the networks should not confuse "the right to do someting" as "a mandate to do it".
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I agree with Lyric Boy. (Well, not about the cigarette/liquor thing, but about basically everything else.)

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First, I believe that the First Amendment is quite clear about this and that it should not be "illegal" to use the F-word...End Quote

I don't believe this question refers to legalities, but rather corporate guidelines and appropriateness.

If this happened, aside from networks completely and utterly lowering the general level of decency, it would greatly contribute to the continuous decay of our society in more ways than one. TV is that powerful and that much of an influence, especially in reference to the younger ones.

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..., it would greatly contribute to the continuous decay of our society in more ways than one. TV is that powerful and that much of an influence, especially in reference to the younger ones.
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Reminds me of a coworker who got a voice mail message from a VERY irate customer.  The customer used the F-word 37 times in his message, and he did not even hit the time limit on the voice mail system.   :P

My buddy recorded the message on a handheld tape recorder and it is a periodic "classic" in the office.

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(But remember, Lucy and Ricky didn't sleep in the same bed back in the 1950's, and they never showed Jeannie's navel.)   
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Actually, that is not true. Lucy and Ricky were in fact, the first couple on television to sleep in the same bed. That caused quite a stir at the time. But the fact that they were married in "real life" made it ok. But you are right about Jeannie's navel.



Cat

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I think it should be on tv, because it's only a stupid word, and I don't think it matters much.
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I think it should be on tv, because it's only a stupid word, and I don't think it matters much.
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All I meant was that if it was heard more often then people wouldn't think of it as an offensive word but as an ordinary word, and that would take away its power and nobody would have to be offended by it anymore and make a big deal about it.
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All I meant was that if it was heard more often then people wouldn't think of it as an offensive word but as an ordinary word, and that would take away its power and nobody would have to be offended by it anymore and make a big deal about it.
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true - so true.

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^In the USA, Sex and the City is only shown on the cable network HBO.  People would go crazy if they showed such a show on one of broadcast networks like NBC or ABC.

See folks, we're not so bad off afterall.  Look at Oz, Europe, Japan, etc, etc.  People always complain that we're on a moral decline and that the world is coming to an end, well just look at how loose other countries are with THEIR airwaves.

But then again, I'm not so sure a "society" should be judged by what a few in control of the airwaves decides what is appropriate or innappropriate.End Quote

I actually dont think that allowing people the option to watch and listen to whatever they want is "moral decline".  Its allowing freedom of choice.  

What I say to most people who whinge about whats on TV - have you read the instruction book that came with your remote control ?  There are (In Aus) 6 stations showing programs 24/7.  If you cant find something that suits you with a bit of channel flicking - read a book.  Every show here is introduced with its "warning" of sex, violence or language.  If either of those 3 are going to offend you - dont watch.

darnit - have yet to learn the art of multiple quoting in posts !!!!  Sorry yours hasnt got a nice white box around it Paul !!

Quoting:


darnit - have yet to learn the art of multiple quoting in posts !!!!  Sorry yours hasnt got a nice white box around it Paul !!
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BMG

I 'reply with quote' then ctrl c and go back to the original thread then 'reply with quote' on the next message and ctrl v the first quote.  Seems a roundabout way but it works.  Not sure if there's an easier way.

Quoting:
I personally don't give two flyin' #$%%!s what they say on TV.  ::) They're already showing buttcrack, lewd drunkeness and shoving gayness down our throats, why stop there?
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Probably the worst example on TV today is "Will and Grace".  They easily could keep the main story line, and even the "gay" characters, without the:

-Continual wild-stereotype "gay" characters and behavior (that do no favors to the "gay" cause)

-Grace's painted-on blouses which leave nothing to the imagination

-Clearly foul "double entendres"

The show regularly has crude double-entendre references to anal sex!  What's that all about?  To attract 13-year-olds who get thrilled at dirty words?  ::)

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Maybe we should do the same with racial slurs?What do you think?

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Why not? Now I know some of you are going :o, but just listen:

My world history teacher used to work at some type of big prison or something as a security guard. They often messed around with the minds of the prisoners. In one particular incident, him and a fellow guard would name various racial slurs and ask the prisoners what they meant (this was before the ACLU/one of those groups found out and stopped this). The prisoners did not know what the slurs meant and only knew they were supposed to get offended when the slurs were directed towards them. I'm sure society knows no different.

It all goes back to a phrase I'm sure we all know: Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.


edited to add a detail

Quoting:
I saw debate tonight on C-NBC regarding whether or not words such as the "F" word should be allowed to air on primetime shows.


Persoanlly, I understand there might be a slip-up when someone in an interview might use such a word.  However, it is primetime, and I personally don't find any relevince for using that word.  

Do you think netowrks should allow the F-bomb to drop on primetime shows, or beep them out?


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I say beep them out. There is enough smut on tv these days, there are commercials that make my face turn red if my 12 yr old is in the room when they air, that is BAD.

Quoting:


Probably the worst example on TV today is "Will and Grace".  They easily could keep the main story line, and even the "gay" characters, without the:

-Continual wild-stereotype "gay" characters and behavior (that do no favors to the "gay" cause)

-Grace's painted-on blouses which leave nothing to the imagination

-Clearly foul "double entendres"

The show regularly has crude double-entendre references to anal sex!  What's that all about?  To attract 13-year-olds who get thrilled at dirty words?  ::)
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IMO Will and Grace is one of the trashiest shows to ever air on network television. The character of Karen literally makes me sick to my stomach. She belongs in a XXX movie, not television, she is the most trashiest character I have ever seen. That show ought to be pulled out of the NBC line up.

Quoting:

re: racial slurs

Why not? Now I know some of you are going :o, but just listen:
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Actually racial slurs ARE used on TV:

-You regularly hear black people call each other the N-word as a term of affection

-Whites are regularly called "cracker".  (By the way, what exactly does cracker mean, anyway?)

-I recall a Saturday Night Live skit in which Steve Martin (might have been Chevy Chase) was doing a word-association test with a black guy, and said words like "spear chucker", "bush boogie", "jiggerboo" and so on.

Toothpaste is already out of the tube.  :-/

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I don't think you should insult me just because my opinion is different from yours.  I wasn't being rude to you.  Perhaps my opinion is crazy and stupid and different from most of you, but I thought about it a lot.  I guess I shouldn't say anything when my opinion is different from the majority...
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Trust me, you're probably better off. :) I've been in the same position, and...well...there's just no getting through to people who are not open-minded to others' opinions. ;)

Absolutely Vile

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-I recall a Saturday Night Live skit in which Steve Martin (might have been Chevy Chase) was doing a word-association test with a black guy, and said words like "spear chucker", "bush boogie", "jiggerboo" and so on.
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That was the 70's, a completely different time. Words like that were "accepted" (for lack of a better term) on television because people of colour were still the butt of jokes just like they were in the 50's and 60's. (Anyone familiar with the Rat Pack and the jokes that were made at Sammy Davis Jr.'s expense?)

I say, why not use the "F" word on primetime TV? We do here, especially on the CBC, and definitely from 10 p.m. onwards. CTV (a Canadian network) has shown both seasons of The Osbournes uncut and uncensored at 10 p.m. and the same with The Sopranos.

And you know what us anti-censorship people say: If you don't like it, turn it off or change the channel!!

Absolutely Vile

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That was the 70's, a completely different time. Words like that were "accepted" (for lack of a better term) on television because people of colour were still the butt of jokes just like they were in the 50's and 60's. (Anyone familiar with the Rat Pack and the jokes that were made at Sammy Davis Jr.'s expense?)

I say, why not use the "F" word on primetime TV? We do here, especially on the CBC, and definitely from 10 p.m. onwards. CTV (a Canadian network) has shown both seasons of The Osbournes uncut and uncensored at 10 p.m. and the same with The Sopranos.

And you know what us anti-censorship people say: If you don't like it, turn it off or change the channel!!

Absolutely Vile
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I think the point of that SNL skit in the 1970's was to show how unacceptable those words had become, and they were not making fun of the Black guy, but of the racist White establishment.  The 70's was nowhere near as bigoted as the 50's.  

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Do you think netowrks should allow the F-bomb to drop on primetime shows, or beep them out?End Quote

F**k no, censor it out.   ;)

Quoting:
Sometimes you just gotta say "What the F ?"   :P
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Yeah,What The F is going on here? :D

Howard

Quoting:
All I meant was that if it was heard more often then people wouldn't think of it as an offensive word but as an ordinary word, and that would take away its power and nobody would have to be offended by it anymore and make a big deal about it.
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I always think it's odd that it's such a widespread swearword, there seem to be versions of it in many languages. Just strikes me as odd that the mainstay of swearwords are sex-related, I feel this must have something to do with social taboos regarding sex. A question- Does anyone know if, in societies which are not male-dominated, if the "c-word" carries the same level of offence as it does in the West? Certainly in the UK it's regarded as one the most offensive swearwords, but we have a historic culture of oppression, rather than veneration, of the female. In Hindu culture, for instance, do they use terms for female body parts as insults?

Quoting:Should the "F" word be allowed in primetime TV?End Quote

No. Why? Because it isn't polite. It would set a bad example for yung'uns.

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No. Why? Because it isn't polite. It would set a bad example for yung'uns.
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That's a good point.  Now, what else can you think of on TV that's a bad example for yung'uns?  Anything?

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That's a good point.  Now, what else can you think of on TV that's a bad example for yung'uns?  Anything?
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Certain TV commercials.

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Certain TV commercials.
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I'd say TV commercials in general. Heck TV in general is a bad influence on the yung'ens, but at least it shuts 'em up for a while so you can get some frickin' peace!

Quoting:
Should the F-word be allowed? Sh*t yes!
OK, ha ha ha, that one's getting a little stale.

Offensivenes is subjective.  I'd rather hear the F-word than see Jay-Z grab his thing, or Donald Trump point his finger and say "You're fired."  Oh no, I'm not going to start in with that again!! :-X

Anyway, there are dozens of things accepted on prime time that I find more harmful than the F.
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you can always use others in lieu of bad words.


Howard

Quoting:

you can always use others in lieu of bad words.

Howard
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Yes.  I used to work with a woman who substituted "fudge" for the F-word and "sugar" for the S-word.

Gotta say though, she sounded pretty silly.  If the use of swear words is considered a "lack of vocabulary", the substitute word approach will not fix it.

Quoting:

I'd say TV commercials in general. Heck TV in general is a bad influence on the yung'ens, but at least it shuts 'em up for a while so you can get some frickin' peace!
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I know someone famous said this but I don't remember who...

"Television is a vast wasteland."

Quoting:


Yes.  I used to work with a woman who substituted "fudge" for the F-word and "sugar" for the S-word.

Gotta say though, she sounded pretty silly.  If the use of swear words is considered a "lack of vocabulary", the substitute word approach will not fix it.
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fudge
heck
son of a bee
gosh darnit
son of a gun
;D

Howard

Quoting:


I know someone famous said this but I don't remember who...

"Television is a vast wasteland."
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That was FCC chairman Newton Minnow, in a speech to the National Associate of Broadcasters, May 9, 1961.

But I prefer Gore Vidal, "Television is a barrel with no bottom."
Not that I don't love it!
:-/

Quoting:

That was FCC chairman Newton Minnow, in a speech to the National Associate of Broadcasters, May 9, 1961.

But I prefer Gore Vidal, "Television is a barrel with no bottom."
Not that I don't love it!
:-/
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Ah yes, thank you. My dad says that all the time. He's not famous though. My dad that is...

Anyway, I watch too much TV myself. I think they put something in it to make you watch, like the cigarette companies...  :P ;)

Quoting:


Ah yes, thank you. My dad says that all the time. He's not famous though. My dad that is...

Anyway, I watch too much TV myself. I think they put something in it to make you watch, like the cigarette companies...  :P ;)
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There may be something to that.  Some studies have shown the light rays and shifting images emitted by television to have a hypnotic and addictive effect.  I'd have to do some research to cite specifics.  I know it acts like a drug in my case.  Like alcohol or marijuana, it helps forget about my problems and procrastinate on unpleasant obligations!
;D

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fudge
heck
son of a bee
gosh darnit
son of a gun
;D

Howard
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You forgot the cowboy's favorite:

Dad Gum

;D

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That was FCC chairman Newton Minnow, in a speech to the National Associate of Broadcasters, May 9, 1961.

:-/
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I wonder if this statement is what prompted the shipwreck on Gilligan's Island to be called The Minnow.  ???

Actually Newton's last name is spelled "Minow"

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I wonder if this statement is what prompted the shipwreck on Gilligan's Island to be called The Minnow.  ???

Actually Newton's last name is spelled "Minow"
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Hey, LyricBoy, check this out:
http://www.rcboatmodeler.com/RB/plans/ssMinnow_1.asp

I've always seen his name spelled with two N's.

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Hey, LyricBoy, check this out:
http://www.rcboatmodeler.com/RB/plans/ssMinnow_1.asp

I've always seen his name spelled with two N's.

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Hmmm... I did a Yahoo! web search on "Newton Minnow" and came up with 512 hits, many referring to the vast wasteland speech.  But then I did a search on "Newton Minow" and got 2500 hits.

I then did a search on his daughter, "Nell Minow" and got 30,000 hits.  A search on "Nell Minnow" got only 292 hits.  Nell is a shareholder activist who fights for better corporate governance.  If she knocks at your office door, you are probably in trouble.  ;)

So I believe it is "Minow" with one "N".

Nevertheless, it is WAY COOL to have the Gilligan's Island boat named after you, even if the name is misspelled!  8)

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Hmmm... I did a Yahoo! web search on "Newton Minnow" and came up with 512 hits, many referring to the vast wasteland speech.  But then I did a search on "Newton Minow" and got 2500 hits.

I then did a search on his daughter, "Nell Minow" and got 30,000 hits.  A search on "Nell Minnow" got only 292 hits.  Nell is a shareholder activist who fights for better corporate governance.  If she knocks at your office door, you are probably in trouble.  ;)

So I believe it is "Minow" with one "N".

Nevertheless, it is WAY COOL to have the Gilligan's Island boat named after you, even if the name is misspelled!  8)
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On Google--
Minnow: 607
Minow: 3050
So that settles it.  Minow it is!

Quoting:


You forgot the cowboy's favorite:

Dad Gum

;D
End Quote

nah,too frackin'old! ;D


Howard

Quoting:
I saw debate tonight on C-NBC regarding whether or not words such as the "F" word should be allowed to air on primetime shows.


Persoanlly, I understand there might be a slip-up when someone in an interview might use such a word.  However, it is primetime, and I personally don't find any relevince for using that word.  

Do you think netowrks should allow the F-bomb to drop on primetime shows, or beep them out?


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I don't think it should be allowed, in primetime OR daytime TV. (Or anytime on TV, for that matter.) That's all I'm gonna say.

Quoting:


You forgot the cowboy's favorite:

Dad Gum

;D
End Quote

What about Mom Gum?


Howard