Will Obama's FCC Give Decency Cops the Finger?
Two related news items on the TV-regulation front:
* The Parents Television Council issued a response to Sunday's Golden Globes broadcast, in which The Wrestler director Darren Aronofsky flipped his star Mickey Rourke the bird on camera: "It was disappointing that a small number of narcissistic performers placed their need to be vulgar ahead of any consideration for families and children in the viewing audience at home." The PTC chided NBC for rating the broadcast TV-PG, but also credited the network for removing the gesture from the West Coast feed and—at least so far—does not seem to be launching one of its legendary write-the-FCC campaigns.
* President-Elect Obama reportedly is on the verge of naming an FCC chair: his tech adviser Julius Genachowski. I don't know much about Genachowski (though I support the advancement of Slavs in government), but his appointment seems to suggest an emphasis on tech issues like net neutrality—as opposed to the focus on indecency adopted by Kevin Martin after the Janet Jackson Super Bowl flash nearly five years ago.
I don't know that Obama is necessarily as libertarian on broadcast-regulation issues as I am, but on the broadcast-decency front, his statements and actions so far seem to focus on parental responsibility. The PTC, for its part, is nothing if not politically savvy, and I wonder if it's going to be changing course—emphasizing advertiser campaigns and other protests (as well as, maybe, focusing more on cable a la carte options) rather than agitating for government content regulation.
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"It was disappointing that a small number of narcissistic performers placed their need to be vulgar ahead of any consideration for families and children in the viewing audience at home."
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OK, maybe I'm just sick, tired, and excessively cranky today, but those jokers can go suck a lemon. I remain completely unconvinced that a raised middle finger on a TV screen can ever do actual damage to "families and children". They sound completely ridiculous, and I do hope that there is an FCC move away from focusing on indecency, which is a huge waste of time. If that pushes a change in PTC focus, then whatever, but I can't take those folks seriously no matter what they do or don't do (although I'd definitely prefer that they push their uptight agenda through social/economic means, rather than through the government). -
Shara,
Completely agreed . . . if their children are weak, sheltered, and brainless enough to damaged by a raised middle finger in prime time, those parents have bigger things to worry about. I'm with Obama, and probably James, that it's not the government's job to police free speech when a parent can easily turn off the TV, or better yet, explain to their children why a middle finger is inappropriate/ mean/ crass/ low class. Frankly, the government has bigger fish to fry -
Completely agree - and honestly what kid is watching the Golden Globes? Good grief.
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Getting the finger is better than a wardrobe malfunction.
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Jesus H. Christ, I wish you mudda phooker wood stop with your vulgarity. It's destroying my children sensibility. They don't need this crab 16 ours a day.
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I'm fighting the urge to disagree with you guys for the pure sake of disagreeing
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As far as the middle finger is concerned, I wouldn't want my kids seeing it on TV (because seeing encourages doing, no matter what comes out of a parent's mouth). Considering the range of things that could come across my TV, I'd rather my kids see a middle finger than half-naked ladies selling them bad beer.
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At the same time, I watched about 3 minutes of the Golden Globes, and I've only got a newborn right now. I can't see us watching all that much prime time TV as the kids grow up.
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