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The FCC follies

9 comments on The FCC follies

The FCC follies

: Just did an interview for ABC Radio on the absurd investigation of alleged indecency in the opening ceremonies of the Olympics (which I blogged here). Today, the NY Post reports that this came because of nine complaints.

I have a fantasy that we’re going to find out those nine complaints came from a guerrilla comedy troupe.

: If the so-called Parents Television Council can game the system, why can’t the rest of us?

Atrios suggests that we should all complain to the FCC about Rush Limbaugh using the word “dick.”

Let’s make the FCC head spin (instead of the other way around).

9 responses to “The FCC follies”

  1. HH Avatar
    HH

    Per usual, Atrios is barking up the wrong tree… Limbaugh has used this term before many times and it’s addadictamy. After the many fines Clear Channel has already endured, you’d better believe that the Atriettes are wasting their time again – there’s no violation there whatsoever.

  2. HH Avatar
    HH

    Also isn’t this the same guy who argued how satire is always protected when it came to Al Franken? I’m sorry but increasing the absurdity isn’t going to stop the absurdity.

  3. Tom Avatar
    Tom

    Can we go and see what shows Powell has been on, and then send in complaints about those specific shows?
    Force the FCC to investigate their own appearances…

  4. Richard Avatar
    Richard

    Since we’ve ceded our First Amendment rights to the government on public airwaves anyway, how about we change their charter to have them police the QUALITY of shows? It’s just as vague as “indecency” and “obcenity”, and I would much rather have crap like reality TV, “Yes, Dear” and “Judging Amy” off the air and fined, than some sex or cursing.

  5. Angelos Avatar
    Angelos

    I have to disagree HH.
    The silent majority has for years had to deal with wingnuts with nothing better to do than complain. People like the PTC actually pay people to watch TV, with the sole purpose of finding some supposedly objectionable material. Smart people, on the other hand, just change the goddamned channel.
    I also think the FCC should be as swamped as possible with nonsense. I filed my “dick” complaint, and have received confirmation, along with some PDF form explaining procedures.
    F the FCC.

  6. HH Avatar
    HH

    “The silent majority”
    You’re not actually referring to, er, Kerry voters, are you? The answer to nonsense is sense, not more nonsense, quite clearly. I’m sure a silly FCC complaint against Jon Stewart, Carville/Begala, Al Franken or Keith Olbermann would be embraced by the Atriettes wholeheartedly, right?

  7. Angelos Avatar
    Angelos

    No, the silent majority doesn’t apply to any specific political side.
    But if there are 9 people who filed complaints about the Kouros statues, of an estimated 50 million who watched the opening ceremonies, why are the 9 being heard? Wouldn’t it be great if 49,999,991 people e-mailed the FCC to tell Powells, Copps, et al that the ceremonies were aesthetically and culturally beautiful? But no, we just laugh at the letter-writing morons. Unfortunately, the squeaky wheels get the grease, as they say.
    Hey, I laughed my ass off when Stewart called Tucker a dick. But I also filed a complaint. The more, the merrier. The absurdity needs to be pointed out. We need to file thousands of complaint against every damned hour of TV.
    Something, ANYTHING, in every show can be twisted into offense, if your mind is already in the gutter, which is what these faux-religious folks are scared to admit. They’re sick, sick people, afraid of their own sexual shadow, and thus must stamp all temptation from the world, even if to everyone else it’s just normal.
    I’m also composing a letter regarding the Olympics, but in support of the show. We might as well shut down every museum and art gallery if we’re going to complain about statuary. Can a network not show a documentary about the Statue of David now? Or do they have to pixelate his package? WTF is going on here?

  8. Max Avatar
    Max

    I would recomend that we all bookmark the PTC site and use it. I took one of their polls and was happy to see that 70% of the people who had responded found that the MNFootball pre-game show was NOT offensive. Lets take it over and throw the wing nuts out.

  9. charles kohm Avatar
    charles kohm

    There is more gibberish here than substance. Most of the crap on our airwaves isn’t worth its salt.
    The right to transmit every bit of flotsam is guaranteed as it should be guaranteed. Would you shoot the soothsayer standing on the street corner with a sign proclaiming, “The world is ending!”. No, you ignore him.
    Not only do you have a choice to change the channel on your TV, you can change the channel on your politics. Who cares if a handful of zealots proclaim their zeal for Born Again TV. If they are ignored, they have no power.
    Wake up America. There is nothing worse than fear. It is the conqueror of all oppressed societies.