 JimBob Skeeter
Liverwurst
   
   
    
  
 
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|  #1 Posted on 14.1.11 0802.56 | http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2011/01/13/dire-straits-money-ruled-offensive-canada/
Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing" can no longer be played in Canada in its original form since the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council has deemed the song offensive.
The decision stems from a listener's complaint last year calling the lyrics — which contain the word "f----t" — extremely offensive to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
The song, which has been a classic rock staple for 25 years, earned the band a Grammy for best rock performance. The then state-of-the-art computer-animation video was also the first music video to air on MTV Europe.
"Money for Nothing" -- co-written by Mark Knopfler and Sting — will have to be edited or cannot air, the council ruled.
The council said: "The societal values at issue a quarter-century later have shifted and the broadcast of the song in 2010 must reflect those values, rather than those of 1985."
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I honestly don't know what to say about this. Part of me wants to say "Silly Canucks. This song is 25 years old.", yet part of me wonders what gay/lesbian people think about this? Part of me wonders if I should have put this in the politics forum. Part of me pictures Weird Al singing about the Beverly Hillbillys right now. Help~!
| Promote this thread! |           | KJames199
Knackwurst
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|  #2 Posted on 14.1.11 0856.35 | Instant Rating: 9.00 | I find the whole thing odd. For years, I only ever heard the edited version on the radio. It's only recently that I've noticed the version that says "faggot" being played on... well, I was going to say on "classic rock" stations, but that would imply that we have other kinds of rock stations around here. I once said that this was where music came to die, but my friend corrected me - this is where music comes to live forever.
But I digress. The term itself is offensive, yes, but if anyone is being made to look bad in this specific case, it's the person saying the word. People would be better off focusing on the intent and not the word itself. Dictionaries aren't offensive, but lots of people who never cuss are.
Will Stronger by Kanye be next to go? | hansen9j
Bierwurst
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| #3 Posted on 14.1.11 0857.30 | Instant Rating: 9.72 | I thought it was dumb and an overreaction, and then I read the lyrics quoted and realized that it was pretty blatant. I'm now just surprised it took this long to be an issue.
It is the policy of the documentary crew to remain true observers and not interfere with its subjects.
"Well. Shit." -hansen9j
Go Pack Go! (10-6, 6th seed NFC, divisionals)
Let's Go Riders! (getting pretty tired of being the bridesmaid) | Spiraling_Shape
Toulouse
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| #4 Posted on 14.1.11 0936.32 | They should make an edit and replace it with "Clampett." Those lyrics are better anyway...
"You’ve got the crazy eyes." - RAW GM Laptop, 9/27/10 | OlFuzzyBastard
Knackwurst
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| #5 Posted on 14.1.11 1033.55 | | That little Clampett's got his own ce-ment pond. | CRZ
Big Brother
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| #6 Posted on 14.1.11 1130.18 | Instant Rating: 9.75 | Let's see if it sticks. Remember when one of the BBC stations decided they didn't want to play "Fairytale of New York" without censoring it all of a sudden? That ended up not happening.
    | Mr Heel II
Bratwurst
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| #7 Posted on 14.1.11 1240.38 | | Didn't the single version completely omit that whole verse anyway? | djp
Morcilla
Since: 16.2.07
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| #8 Posted on 14.1.11 1345.49 | Originally posted by OlFuzzyBastard
That little Clampett's got his own ce-ment pond.
Bravo!
Maybe it's all a publicity stunt. They gotta milk that shit. | Peter The Hegemon
Lap cheong
Since: 11.2.03
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| #9 Posted on 14.1.11 1355.46 | Instant Rating: 0.00 | At least two Canadian stations will be airing the complete song for an hour straight in protest.
It's clear in context of the song that they're presenting the narrator character as closeminded, if not bigoted. It's still an offensive slur, but it's not being used to express bigotry. Whether that justifies its use is hard to say, but I'm glad that in the US the government doesn't get to make that decision. | TheBucsFan
TheChiefsFan
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| #10 Posted on 14.1.11 1414.15 | Instant Rating: 7.73 | Originally posted by Peter The Hegemon
I'm glad that in the US the government doesn't get to make that decision.
Uh ... it doesn't?
I mean, I guess in theory broadcasters are free to keep airing whatever they want, if they're willing to just keep paying whatever fines the FCC decides to throw at them. I'm not sure what would happen if Canadian stations were to ignore the regulations imposed on them here.
(edited by TheBucsFan on 14.1.11 1515) | Guru Zim
SQL Dejection
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| #11 Posted on 14.1.11 1637.08 | Instant Rating: 9.00 | Pink floyd has had shit in Money on every classic rock station for decades.
Legs by ZZ top says shit, at least I'm pretty sure it does. There are others.
Clearly the FCC isn't all that consistent.
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Ignorance is bliss for you, hell for me. | TheBucsFan
TheChiefsFan
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| #12 Posted on 14.1.11 1646.28 | Instant Rating: 7.73 | Originally posted by Guru Zim
Clearly the FCC isn't all that consistent.
Of course it's inconsistent. That's one of the many things that makes the FCC a waste of space and resources. That doesn't mean the U.S. government hasn't given itself the authority to tell people what they can and cannot hear over the air.
I'm willing to bet Canadians could argue that similar inconsistencies exist in their own government's enforcement of this policy.
(edited by TheBucsFan on 14.1.11 1752) | OlFuzzyBastard
Knackwurst
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| #13 Posted on 14.1.11 2032.47 | Eddie Vedder's mush-mouth has kept the "harmless little fuck" line in "Jeremy" played uncensored for about twenty years* now.
*: OH GOD I AM OLD | KJames199
Knackwurst
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| #14 Posted on 14.1.11 2146.33 | Instant Rating: 9.00 | I've only ever heard "harmless little [ ]" on the radio here.
Back to the Dire Straits issue, it should be noted that the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council is NOT a government agency - it is an independent body which oversees the content of privately-owned radio stations, established by said stations.
It's also worth nothing that according to Jian Ghomeshi (who non-Canadians probably know best as the interviewer during that whole Billy Bob Thornton flap), the radio edit of the song is the version on Dire Straits' own greatest hits album. | djp
Morcilla
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| #15 Posted on 14.1.11 2153.12 | Originally posted by Guru Zim
Legs by ZZ top says shit, at least I'm pretty sure it does. There are others.
I think the album notes say, '...said I got to have her ...', but yeah it sounds like shit to me.
Maybe the difference here is that the word is more heavily weighed as offensive instead of just dirty like it these other examples. | Peter The Hegemon
Lap cheong
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| #16 Posted on 14.1.11 2254.53 | Instant Rating: 0.00 | Originally posted by TheBucsFan
Originally posted by Peter The Hegemon
I'm glad that in the US the government doesn't get to make that decision.
Uh ... it doesn't?
I mean, I guess in theory broadcasters are free to keep airing whatever they want, if they're willing to just keep paying whatever fines the FCC decides to throw at them. I'm not sure what would happen if Canadian stations were to ignore the regulations imposed on them here.
(edited by TheBucsFan on 14.1.11 1515)
In the US, the government regulates indecency, but not slurs or bigotry. I can certainly see not wanting to have this sort of slur on the radio, but it should be up to the broadcaster. | Leroy
Andouille
Since: 7.2.02
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| #17 Posted on 15.1.11 0042.27 | Originally posted by Peter The Hegemon
In the US, the government regulates indecency, but not slurs or bigotry. I can certainly see not wanting to have this sort of slur on the radio, but it should be up to the broadcaster.
And also obscenity, which, legally, is much harder to define than indecency. But Peter is right - you can utter all sorts of hateful, racists, homophobic, etc... slurs you'd like on broadcast radio/TV without any violation. But talk about sex or bathroom-ing, and now you're in dangerous territory.
But the real issue is that the FCC has no capacity to understand artistic value beyond these two terms (indecency and obscenity). Coupled with the fact that it doesn't actively monitor the airwaves, but operates "by complaint" (hence the power of the PTC), these rules are so ambiguous that it either takes and act of Congress or a court judgement to define violations. We're still not seeing the full effect of the legal implications of the Janet Jackson-Justin Timberlake Superbowl debacle.
And there was this ruling:
Court Throws Out FCC Fine Against ABC For 'NYPD Blue' (broadcastingcable.com)
Keep in mind that this show aired over 7 years ago... oh and the FCC appealed. So.... yeah, everything is totally clear. | RYDER FAKIN
Six Degrees of Me
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| #18 Posted on 15.1.11 1334.35 | Instant Rating: 9.17 | I've never heard this, so I guess I don't know. I've has Sat Radio for the past 5 years. I do remember most of the songs as listed above, but the one that always stuck out was "Who Are You", by the Who, of course. "Hey who the fuck are you" has never been edited
On the other hand Dire Straits has alawys been edited. They just skip that part. In concert, Knopler has changed the line to "Queenie", so maybe it cost them a tough of dough in fees
One that I do hear quote a bit when listening to the rock stations is "Bitch" by RS and crew
Another one is that seemed to escape editing is anything by Chuck Berry. That the Oldies station. He wrote the foulest dirty lyrics of anyone and he gets a free pass. Little Richard too.
"We boogied in the kitchen, we boogied in the hall, I got some on my finger so I wiped in on the wall" CB - FOUL
"Good Golly Miss Molly, she sure likes to ball" LR - ball meant fuck back then
Not sure if Janet Jackson's tit had anything to do with this, But Them songs are great and harmless
FLEA
(edited by RYDER FAKIN on 15.1.11 1435)
Demonstrations are a drag. Besides, we're much too high
Due to not believing IN THE LAKERS, Frosty is walking around with $20 of my money! | odessasteps
Scrapple
Since: 2.1.02
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| #19 Posted on 15.1.11 1445.10 | When the song came out originally, I seem to only remember hearing the radio edit version.
I was shocked the first time I heard "fuck" at the end of Who Are You on the radio. I believe it was during 'safe harbour' hours.
And I don't recall hearing Elton John's "the bitch is back" ever bein edited.
(edited by odessasteps on 15.1.11 1545)
Mark Coale
Odessa Steps Magazine
ISSUE FOUR - OCTOBER 2009 | TheOldMan
Landjager
Since: 13.2.03
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| #20 Posted on 16.1.11 0057.42 | There's also the Steve Miller Band's "Jet Airliner":
"'Cause I don't want to get caught up in any of that.. funky kicks goin' down in the city".
I think I'm OK with editing Mark Twain for young audiences, but not for college prep and up. So I suppose you can make an argument for wanting to keep 'f----t' off radio play since you have a general audience.
But when it comes to something you'd never get on (network/basic cable) TV today, I say the undisputed champ is "All in the Family". Both on language and storylines.
(I remember tut-tutting to myself when gramps would freely use the "n" word in conversation. Despite teaching me better, Dad would still toss the word into jokes from time to time, while I figuratively rolled my eyes. And even knowing not to use the word, I came to realize that I did some rather ignorant disrespecting of black colleges to a business colleague a number of years back.)
(edited by TheOldMan on 16.1.11 0059)
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