Court OKs F-Word In Front of Kids, Ruling Permits Unedited Profanities to Air During Any Time

Parents' Television Council ^ | 06.07.07 | Tim Winter

[Coleus]

TAKE ACTION NOW!
Court OKs F-Word In Front of Kids

PTC Action Alert                                                                                 June 5, 2007

Ruling Permits Unedited Profanities to Air During Any Time of Day

Yesterday, in a 2-1 decision, a U.S. appeals court in New York City has cleared the way for television networks to use the "F-word" and "S-word" in front of children at any time of the day. The courts have essentially taken your property -- the broadcast airwaves -- and handed ownership of them over to the networks to do with as they please.

We urgently need you to take action today.

Please take a moment to write to your representatives in Congress and to the President of the United States to express your outrage and demand a solution that reflects the will of the people -- not the will of two judges in New York City and a handful of powerful entertainment industry executives.

It won't take but a moment of your time -- but your action, combined with the voices of tens of thousands of other PTC supporters could make a huge difference. CLICK HERE to take action, then forward this note to everyone in your address book.

When the FCC ruled that the use of the "F-word" and "S-word" primetime television broadcasts of the 2002 and 2003 Billboard Music Awards violated the broadcast indecency law, Fox and other broadcasters filed suit in federal court to overturn the ruling.

They are demanding the right to use the public airwaves to broadcast profane and indecent content regardless of time of day; regardless of how many impressionable young children are watching; regardless of the proof of the harm this content does to young viewers; regardless of the fact that there is overwhelming public support for the FCC's crack-down on indecent content; regardless of the fact that just one year ago the House by a 10-1 margin and the Senate unanimously authorized the FCC to increase indecency fines ten-fold.

Today's ruling is an insult to the American public.

Hollywood manipulated the legal system by shopping around for a court that would be favorable to their arguments, and they found two federal judges in New York City to impose their will on the nation. The Court's decision runs contrary to nearly 80 years of jurisprudence about the publicly-owned airwaves, not to mention the overwhelming sense of the nation. Community decency standards should not be decided by two judges in New York.

We believe the two judges on the Second Circuit Court are wrong, and we are urging our public servants to correct this gross injustice. If you share our outrage and concern, please tell the FCC to pursue whatever steps are necessary to remedy the misguided opinions of those judges, including an appeal of this case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Don't let this outrage go unanswered. Please speak up today. CLICK HERE now to let your voice be heard. And don't forget to forward this e-mail to everyone in your address book.

With urgent thanks,
 

Tim Winter
President
Parents Television Council -- Because our children are watching.

► TAKE ACTION! Contact Your Elected Officials Now!
► Click here to read more about the court's ruling.

[Coleus]

.

[Man50D]

Bookmark for later.

[neodad]

So I guess nappy headed ho’s is ok now?

[goodnesswins]

You would think!

[goodnesswins]

Making TV more irrelevant by the day.....

[windsorknot]

With all due respect, Your Honor, F*** you!

[sourcery]

If you really don’t want your kids to be exposed to such language, censoring the TV is closing the barn door after the horses have already escaped. To have any hope of succeeding, in addition to not even having a TV, you’re going to have to keep them out of school, and prevent them from having any non-adult companions. And even some of the adults won’t be trustworthy.

[Snoopers-868th]

Easy answer—turn off the T.V., throw it away—whatever.

[D.P.Roberts]

Glad to see Tim’s got a hobby.

[billbears]

So I’m supposed to take action how? Thanking the judges for making an unpopular stand on free speech? Don’t like the word, don’t watch the shows it’s on. I tend not to watch them but I’m not going to write Congress and definitely not the FCC (which shouldn’t exist anyway) to ask them to limit speech.

[clintonh8r]

The politicians aren’t ruining the country fast enough so the judges have to do their part.....

[Grn_Lantern]

So...uh...anyone know the style of the case or anything? Cause...those of us of the legal persuasion might want to, you know, read it before we overreact or something...

[Ken H]

Court OKs F-Word

"No, not that!"
"Yes, that."

[keepitreal]

Guess the broadcast media is getting what it wants. Time to permanently turn off the tube and radio. If enough of us do it, they will regret getting what they wished for.

[diverteach]

http://emuse.ebaumsworld.com/flash/play/750/

[TornadoAlley3]

http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov:8080/isysnative/RDpcT3BpbnNcT1BOXDA2LTE3NjAtYWdfb3BuLnBkZg==/06-1760-ag_opn.pdf#xml=http://10.213.23.111:8080/isysquery/irl2db4/8/hilite

the ruling

[Bobalu]

This is just so f**kin wrong!

[Reaganesque]

Well, they had to OK the use of the F-word. Liberal commentators and political activists would have no way of expressing themselves if they couldn’t use the F-word.

[ozzymandus]

F***in’ A, man!

[dfwgator]

So I can Nickolodeon can now remove the dolphin chirps from this classic SpongeBob episode:

Patrick: Hmm... #$%%#! Uh, hey! I think I know what that word means. That’s one of those sentence enhancers.
SpongeBob: Sentence enhancers?
Patrick: You use them when you want to talk fancy. You just sprinkle it on anything you say, and.. Wham-O! You’ve got yourself a spicy sentence sandwich!
SpongeBob: Oh, I get it! Here, let me try. Umm.. hello Patrick, what #$%#%$^ weather we’re having, isn’t it?
Patrick: Why, yes it is, SpongeBob. This $%#$^%& day is $%#%^&% lovely!
SpongeBob: How $%#%#%^ right you are, Patrick. Patrick: %$#^$%#.
SpongeBob: %$%#%#%.
Patrick: %#$%^#$.
SpongeBob: You’re right, Patrick, my lips are tingling from the spiciness of this conversation.

[Riverman94610]

Go to any public school today and you will hear enough F and S words to last a lifetime.
And,in a complete reversal of my growing up in the Fifties,if you want to hear a certain racial slur describing black people,don’t hang out at a suburban school,hang out at one in the hood.

[Constitution Day]

IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD!

Don’t you know you’re s’posed to run around screaming and gnashing your teeth?

[cammie]

That PTC press release spins the case so badly it’s unrecognizable. What the decision actually said was that it was that television stations could not be fined for profanities uttered DURING LIVE BROADCASTS. The 2nd Circuit QUESTIONED whether the FCC could regulate indecent speech on television, but the case was not nearly as broad as the PTC tries to spin it.

[Coleus]

that’s what I always say, don’t like the show turn it off.

[billbears]

Oops sorry. I have these flashbacks where I remember Republicans believed in limited government. I keep forgetting ‘conservatives’ now believe the federal government should interfere in every little thing if it offends their sensibilities, even words on TV.

[Constitution Day]

I keep forgetting ‘conservatives’ now believe the federal government should interfere in every little thing if it offends their sensibilities, even words on TV.

You and I disagree on the GOP a lot, but I hear you on the "conservative" business.

Certain people hate big government and bash it at all costs — until their particular ox is gored.
At that point, intervention (and, let's not forget, legislation) is a MUST.

[squidward]

“So I can Nickolodeon can now remove the dolphin chirps from this classic SpongeBob episode”

My favorite episode of all time.

[RFC_Gal]

The dolphin sound isn’t used to hide a curse word - it is the curse word. The end of episode when Mr. Crabs, SpongeBob and Patrick mistake the sound of Mr. Jenkins car horn for Grandma Craps cursing supports this.

Besides - don’t genisus live in a lamp?

[dfwgator]

[djf]

Descent into Gomorrah.

The worst thing is, when His wrath is upon is, we will actually deserve it...

[greeneyes]

I have not read the ruling yet. I saw part of the question and answer period. It appeared that the judges thought there was profanity. But the networks lawyer was better than the FCC lawyer and was successful in pointing out that the FCC had been arbitrary in it’s application of the rules. Saving Private Ryan was one example where the expletives were OK because there was “artistic merit”.

Other examples were given where expletives were repeated several times without being bleeped. I am not surprised the FCC lost. They needed a better lawyer.

[Otaku6]

So we can call Edwards a Fagg on national TV?

[HungarianGypsy]

If you really don’t want your kids to be exposed to such language, censoring the TV is closing the barn door after the horses have already escaped. To have any hope of succeeding, in addition to not even having a TV, you’re going to have to keep them out of school, and prevent them from having any non-adult companions. And even some of the adults won’t be trustworthy.

That's the logic some guy on the bus had when I asked to please stop swearing around my children. Every other word was F-- this and F--in' that. Of course, it was actually his friend who said children hear it everywhere. Right after his friend cussed me out. How sad that less than fifteen years ago people had a little more respect than to consciously swear in front of other people's children.

[Political Junkie Too]

Apparently, they will be repaced by the G-word and the J-word as words you can't say on the air anymore.

-PJ

[Oztrich Boy]

The courts have essentially taken your property -- the broadcast airwaves

Before you respond, ask yourself how they became "your property" - you didn't make them, you didn't buy them.

[freekitty]

Don’t tell me I am reading what I am reading. Am I living in a real world or in Alice in Wonderland. This goes without saying. Why in the world do we have to legislate good common sense away. Oh, I forgot, we have those lawyers to thank for this along with some very strange thought people.

[ConsistentLibertarian]

The FCC relied on a ridiculous argument — that every use of the word “fuck” was sexual and ever use of the word “shit” was in reference to excrement. (Note, I didn’t use bad words, I quoted them, just like the FCC Chairman in his press release).

There might be good arguments for limiting the use of those words on public airwaves during certain hours, but the argument they gave was astonishingly bad.

I mean, really. Does anyone buy that argument?

[Paperdoll]

My rep Brian Baird, and Sens Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell are all DINOcraps. They are probably all for it!!!!!! This is at least the third or fourth outrage of the day. What are the parents in that court’s state going to do about this one?

[Paperdoll]

My rep Brian Baird, and Sens Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell are all DINOcraps. They are probably all for it!!!!!! This is at least the third or fourth outrage of the day. What are the parents in that court’s state going to do about this one?

[Clara Lou]

I will never forget the first time I heard the F-word in children’s entertainment—I’d taken my very young son to see “E.T.” I couldn’t believe that Spielberg thought that language between pre-teen characters in front of pre-teen and teen audiences added anything to the movie. It’s been all downhill from there.

The other night, I was surfing past the FX channel, and there was a naked woman sitting in a naked man’s lap having sex as the audience watched. This was prior to 9 o’clock CT.

Then there are the music videos. Almost without exception, they’re musical sex with the singer who is dressed up like a prostitute. Don’t even get me started on “Girls Gone Wild.” Those women have their behavior preserved digitally for all of posterity—their personal posterity, included. ~shudder~

I feel very sorry for the young women of today. But more to the point, American entertainment is a balled up, unholy mess. The F-word, foul as it is, is way down on the list of problems.

[BlackbirdSST]

I don’t do much teevee these day’s, find it most unappealing, but having seen a few “made for teevee” movies recently, has anyone noticed how they are bleeped to death? Made for teevee? No, this has been in the works for some time now and the SciFi channel is one of the worst. Blackbird.

[Drawsing]

I agree wth your sentiments. In addition, I say to the whole posting forum, the "just turn it off" argument is very limited in its effectiveness. I do turn it off. We never watch TV except when the tornado siren goes off. That doesn't stop the rest of my city and nation from watching it and being influenced by it. And please don't tell me that media doesn't influence the culture. Tell that to advertisers.

The "everybody's doing it" mindset, as infantile as it is, is very, very effective on the majority of human beings. Those who produce and design the media are consciously and subconsciously aware of this and are trying their darndest to bring the whole nation down to their level by pounding the airwaves relentlessly with their message. "Everybody shacks up...everybody uses profanity...everybody says "oh, my God' all the time..."Homosexual behavior is natural and wonderful."... "all the cool, hip women wear tight tops and show cleavage" .... "Learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all." etc....

[Sloth]

Strawman argument.

[ExGeeEye]

That were one funny sketch.

[Erik Latranyi]

The FCC ruling:

Hollywood stars and athletes can say what they want on TV.

The rest of you just shut up!

[gcruse]

“”No, not that!”
“Yes, that.”’

The F-word, the N-word, the C-word.
We’re well on our way to spelling
France.