Politics and Standards

Indecency?

What is sweeping through the media today has nothing to do with indecency and everything to do with POLITICS and a lack of STANDARDS.

The political side of it is obvious. After the Janet Jackson exposed-breast at the Superbowl fiasco, Clear Channel and Viacom (among others) temporarily crack down on indecency in order to give the appearance of concern, but they're only doing so because they want further deregulation - which they won't get if the government decides to regulate indecency.

It's like bringing roses to your wife after she caught you cheating on her. The gesture is far from genuine. Aren't the same people who today tighten the ropes the ones who yesterday created The Power Pig? Howard Stern? Bubba The Love Sponge? Nudity on network television? Vulgarity on network television? Think about what's really being said in a typical Bob & Tom bit. Does talking about oral sex with code words make it any less indecent when the code words are clearly understood? It's not the word that makes something indecent.

So called 'dirty words' are considered foul because we know the meaning behind the words is foul. Look at someone and say "Fag" and that person will be insulted. Do the same thing in England and you'll be handed a cigarette. It's not about the word.... it's about the meaning.

I saw a promo on the W.B. recently where a little kid - a kid in elementary school - referred to a woman by saying "I'd hit dat". And you know he meant 'fuck' (even if he himself didn't know what that meant). Is that indecent, or is it a sign of the times? Is it both? At 8pm on network television, I dare say it is both. But who am I to decide?

We are not in the business of dictating morality, no matter how much some suggest we are or should be.

The media is a reflection of our society. When we step out of line, we are punished by the public as they turn us off. Does this mean there should be no repercussions for indecent broadcasting? Not at all. Accountability is key.

...A-HA! Therein lies the root of the problem. Accountability. Currently, there is none. Opie and Anthony had listeners fuck in a church to win a prize in a radio bit. If that doesn't get a station's license taken away, what will?

And that brings me back to my initial discussion of politics and standards.

We're well aware of the political angle. Deregulating broadcasting creates media empires, while creating millionaires and billionaires in the process. But would the political angle even be relevant if we had a set of standards to serve as a guide? No. Without fear of repercussions, there has been no need to run a delay on live broadcasts during which we entrust the fate of a broadcast license to Joe Shmoe listener or artist. The biggest fear most ever had was of a caller shouting Babba Booey on the air.

We put people live on the air. When those people screw up, we say "oops!" I didn't even know Bono was aware of a word like Fuck. Right? He's practically Mother Theresa for chrissakes! Put him on live. That's fucking brilliant - ("really, really fucking brilliant", to quote Bono himself during last year's Golden Globes). What's the worry? There were never any repercussions to concern oneself with. Why worry?

The real blame rests solely on the shoulders of the FCC itself. The FCC has no clear guidelines for us, and there are no relevant repercussions against broadcasters or broadcast entities which fail to serve the public good. How can those at the FCC not see that they themselves created the problem of indecency on American airwaves?

When the FCC levies a fine of a few thousand dollars on a station that bills millions, owned by a corporation that generates billions... I ask you: What's wrong with this picture? "Do you want that fine in fifties or hundreds?"

Here's a relevant fine: Knock the offending broadcast property off the air for a week. And yes, I am damn serious. Remember people, we don't own these airwaves.

Again, using Opie and Anthony as an example: These guys had listeners fucking in a cathedral for public entertainment. A few heads rolled, but the company that created a culture in which programming such as this thrived is alive and well.

WHY?

Because we have no standards to go by, and no relevant repercussions to worry about.

If the FCC intends to point any fingers at all, I hope they're standing in front of a mirror when they do because the blame begins there.