xxx 2 Posted March 21, 2004 Share Posted March 21, 2004 Whats his show like? Seems hes in some trouble... Link to post Share on other sites
badmigraine 0 Posted March 21, 2004 Share Posted March 21, 2004 It's fairly sarcastic with a healthy sprinkling of sexual and bathroom-type humor. Some find it funny, others don't like it. Same as any other show. The real issue is the politicizing of the FCC (the government agency that controls broadcasting), and the vagueness/lack of definition in FCC regulations of what is "indecent". As for the politicizing of the FCC, the current chairman is Colin Powell's son. Now how do you think he got THAT job? The current administration has strong ties to the Christian right and Bush is a born-again Christian who speaks to Jesus in the White House. Therefore, it's no surprise that many accuse the Bush administration of using the FCC to play up to Christian conservatives and other pollyanna types, for votes, in this election year. As for the vagueness in the regulations, it is sad and true. There is no clear definition of what is "indecent", so broadcasters have to try to guess. If they guess wrong, then after the fact they face huge fines, often amounting to millions of dollars. This has a chilling effect on free speech. If the government is going to censor certain speech over the airwaves with the threat of millions in fines, then there needs to be a clear definition of what is obscene, or the right to challenge the FCC determination of obscenity in court. As it stands now, there is no definition (the one now being used by the FCC was struck in another context as unconstitutional due to vagueness). Underneath all of this is the fact that the FCC does not currently regulate cable TV or satellite radio. So shows on those channels are free to say whatever they want. The practical result is absurd. A broadcast company like Infinity or Clear Channel may have to pay $3M in fines for broadcasting the F word, whereas you can hear it 50 times on cable TV or satellite radio and it is perfectly legal. Also, the standard of indecency that is favored by most of the Americans who would impose it is very uptight and priggish by international standards. MY OPINION Frankly speaking, dirty words and breasts on TV should not be grounds for million-dollar fines. If people don't like it or find the content unsuitable for their kids, they can just turn off the TV or radio, or change channels. And if there are going to be laws prohitibing certain kinds of speech, why then we need to amend the US Constitution, which sets up "freedom of speech" as one of the most amazingly great things about the US, a country formed by people who fled government oppression of religion and personal viewpoints. Link to post Share on other sites
Plucky 0 Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 Amen! wait..... totally agree with all you said man. If the US gets anymore right and Bush gets re-elected, well....Vancouver looks like a spiffy place to live. It's gotten ridiculous. Howard Stern is an easy target. One of the most popular radio shows out there and he shoves his shit straight into the face of the religious right. No qualms about it. I didn't necessarily find his show to be all that great, but millions of Americans did. Now some blowhard who got pissed by seeing a quarter second shot of a covered nipple is changing the laws and deciding what Americans can and cannot see. Free speach my ass. The land of the fat and the home of the gags. America is getting so pussified it's starting to make France look rebellious. Link to post Share on other sites
dancing_barefoot 0 Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 Nice on badmigraine Having said all that, is Stern viewable here in Japan at all? Link to post Share on other sites
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