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People actually took the time to complain to the FCC about David Ortiz's post-bombing speech
By adamg on Mon, 07/08/2013 - 9:37am
You know, this one. Deadspin posts copies of all the complaints filed with the FCC over both the speech and the FCC commissioner's subsequent affirmation of Big Papi's words. They don't all have addresses attached, but of the ones that did, there were none from Boston (one from Westfield, though).
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I'm surprised it wasn't more
I'm surprised it wasn't more than that actually. Conservative moral groups like Focus on the Family at least used to have form letters on their web sites which would allow people to send complaints to the FCC with a few clicks and just a line or two of information instead of having to do up individual complaints.
For swear words though?
Groups like that aren't as interested in reasonable standards of decency, because there are decent people and normal mainstream groups who care about things like swear words*. FOTF is pretty much just a hate group and spends their energy being "offended" by the existence of people other than their demographic.
(*For what it's worth, I don't really care about swear words used as modifiers rather than being used to attack, and I certainly wouldn't sign a petition about such a thing, but I do understand that some reasonable people might prefer not to hear swear words.)
It might not have been Focus
It might not have been Focus but yeah some of these conservative "family" type groups were concerned about profanity and sex on tv. It wasn't about trolling portrayals of gay people on tv (although they did that too) but more general moral complaints. For example, IIRC a lot of the complaints about the Janet Jackson "wardrobe malfunction" incident were form generated from these groups members
Are you flocking kidding me?
Are you flocking kidding me? The horse is out of the barn already. The nuns said heck was a swear word at one time , and now I hear prime time tv news people saying suck like it was appropriate. These are different times , and as Orto was carried away with the emotions of the time, and conveyed his heart felt spontaneous inspirational battle cry, amen brother. Flux them ,and the horse they rode in on !
Casual swearing is
pointless, tasteless, and just plain unnecessary. It is also totally unprofessiona and inexcusable for amy anchor or journalist to use it in their reporting.
And excusing the practice with "justifications" like your "there are different times - get used to it" comment only demostrates how self-serving we as a society have become.
I'd hate to be your panties
Let them up for air already, Miki!
The reality is what it is, no
The reality is what it is, no excuse just hard fact.There aren't enough nuns around any more to do anything about it.My man, there are a lot of things in today's world that have changed that I can do nothing about. Change what you can change , accept what you can't , and be wise enough to know the difference. And if you think for one millisecond that the shame of the whole thing was Orto said the flux word on tv, and not the infamy and evil what happened, you need your tv antenna adjusted.
PTC and Wingnuts
Quickly looking though the posts it seems like most people writing letters are the normal anti-everything wingnuts. It's well know that the "Parents Television Council" are often behind these sorts of complains. (More info about them on Wikipedia)
One of the defenses against broadcast indecency is that the language is NOT against community standards where the broadcast is directed towards. Seeing as how the packed Fenway park crowd and all of Boston went nuts in support of Papi and his sentiment, I think it's clear it dosen't violate Boston's delicate sensibilities.
"Parents Television Council"
"Parents Television Council" huh! Well maybe said parents should unplug the tv and get their kids to do the homework , and when done with that , get outside and get the fresh air by perhaps walking a paper route, or if the council has issues with the ozone layer , maybe get the lads and lasses jobs filling the grocery shelves, or perhaps uttering that famous line ' paper or plastic ? ' Orto , what do you have to say about all this , my man?
If you also remember
the day after 9/11, the New York Post's cover was a picture of the flaming towers with the word "BASTARDS!" across it.
On any other day, in any other city, that would have been wildly inappropriate. On 9/12/01, it felt too weak.
The FCC only has jurisdiction over broadcast channels
I am surprised at how little this fact is reported: the FCC does not have jurisdiction over NESN, a cable channel. The FCC's tweet didn't help since it seemed to imply jurisdiction but a choice not to act, which was not the case. They cannot do anything, just like they can't fine AMC when Don swears on Mad Men nor Showtime when a girl drops her top on Californication.
http://theweek.com/article/index/243064/why-the-fc...
but ... but ... butt ...
BLACK GUY SAID FUCK!
Just like when Janet Jackson mammaled up and THAT WAS CRIME but naked pasty brit guy's floppin weenie at the beginning of the second half weren't no thang.
This has to be a joke, right?
This has to be a joke, right? Right?!?
Is there anything that can't be made into a fucking race issue?
Swearing is all about privilege
Ask any child who hears dad or mom swear a blue streak but gets popped for doing the same.
Think for a minute about why we even have language that we decide isn't or is vulgar, appropriate, inappropriate and how that varies according to who uses that language.
If the f-bomb hadn't been
If the f-bomb hadn't been pointed out, I don't think I would have heard it. I could barely understand what he was saying, which I think was probably part of the reason that the FTC let that one pass.
Without the complaints to the
Without the complaints to the FCC by the more "saintly" of our population, the airwaves would be filled with more vile and crude "entertainment" that so controls our culture today. I understand Oritiz's emotion, but I doubt Babe Ruth would ever have used that word, Wade Boggs, too. I imagine Ortiz lacks the ability to articulate his thoughts well, but in a time when a hateful bomb explodes at an event that brings out the best in people, I would have applauded words that live up to the power and goodness of the marathon and not a reflection of his locker room speech.
HAHA Funny
You almost had me. In Babe Ruth's day men were expected to wear hats as well.
Won't someone PLEASE think of the children!
Dear old Babe
How his sainted ears must have burned when mean old Ty Cobb sad naughty words around him.
And I don't know what Wade Boggs you were watching back in the day, but I seem to remember TV coverage cutting to commercial really quickly a few times when Wade would express his disappointment in a call to the umpires, using primarily words of one syllable and of Anglo-Saxon derivation. I think they even invited him to go inside to continue the conversation, alone in the shower, once or twice.
Or were you thinking of a different Wade Boggs?
Shows what you know
Babe Ruth was basically abandoned by his parents at age 7 because he was a hellion who had grown up in his father's saloon most of the time learning swear words, drinking, and chewing tobacco. Because he looked different than the other kids in his Baltimore Catholic boarding school, they called him "Nigger Lips" because his lips and nose were bigger than the rest of theirs. When he grew up, people around baseball would question whether he wasn't some kind of half-breed because of his appearance. His response:
You don't think Ortiz can articulate his thoughts well? Why would that be? Because he's not from here? Because he's Dominican? Or maybe it's because you haven't chose to give him a chance by reading something where he's formally interviewed.
Back In The Day
Are you the same person who complained to the FCC that Ortiz's comment would offend members of The Greatest Generation, who never swore in their lives? Because that was equally hilarious.