C'mon Washington Post! Bono's Speech Was Obscene, NOT Profane!

Profane language is irreverent; taking the Lord's name in vain is profanity. To damn someone is a profanity. George Carlin's seven words that cannot be said on television triggered the Supreme Court decision in the 1974 George Carlin "Seven Dirty Words" case, FCC v. Pacifica Foundation (the original Carlin monologue that was the subject of the case was actually called "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television".) This decision established indecency regulation in broadcasting, and for over two decades has established the FCC as the largest censorship body in the world. This case is essentially one of the forebears of the "Communications Decency Act". George Carlin would make this point, too. Bono's f-word was obscene, not profane! If there must be censorship, at least recognize the difference between profanity and obscenity. The words are not interchangeable. Carlin's 7 words were all obscenities. Listen for yourself:

Carlin's 7 Words.

Note, however, that no one is force to follow the link to the audio file from Carlin's monologue. That is WHY there is a power button on all TV sets. No one is forced to listen to George Carlin. No one is forced to listen to Bono. However, Bono's lapse was unintentional. When W used the f-word in his assault on Al Hunt, it was intentional. It was obscene. It was uttered in the hearing of Al Hunt's wife and children. So, if it's good enough for W, it's good enough for Bono. As I recall, an open mike caught W using another obscenity during Campaign 2000. W's running mate laughed at the remark. W would understand every single word uttered by George Carlin. He probably has said many—if not all of them—during his lifetime. People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.

If this be (fair & balanced) obscenity, so be it.

[x Washington Post]
FCC Chairman Seeks Reversal on Profanity
By Frank Ahrens

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael K. Powell asked his four fellow commissioners yesterday to overturn a heavily criticized agency ruling that found a profanity uttered on network television by rock-and-roller Bono was not indecent.

If passed by the five-member FCC commission, Powell's proposal would outlaw Bono's profanity in almost all instances, singling it out as the one word that would nearly guarantee an FCC fine if uttered between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. on radio and broadcast television. Exceptions would include if the profanity is used in a political situation; the FCC's indecency rules include no mandates that might chill political speech.

During the January Golden Globes Awards broadcast on NBC, Bono -- frontman for the Irish rock group U2 -- received an award and exclaimed, "This is really, really [expletive] brilliant!" using the profanity frequently used to describe sexual intercourse.

In an October decision, the FCC's enforcement bureau -- charged with judging whether television and radio broadcast content is indecent -- ruled that Bono's exultation was not indecent because it did not describe a sexual function. In other words, it did not violate the rules because he used the profanity as an adjective.

A firestorm of public and lawmaker criticism followed, with bills and resolutions introduced in Congress blasting the ruling and spelling out which words, in law, should be considered indecent. The FCC was pelted with e-mails from outraged viewers and was lampooned on television shows for its hair-splitting logic.

In Powell's request, he does not seek fines against NBC, its 12 stations or dozens of affiliate stations, saying that the profanity was uttered before the latest proposed policy was developed, an FCC source said.

The FCC's two Democratic commissioners, Michael J. Copps and Jonathan S. Adelstein, have railed against broadcast indecency and, with Powell, would give the chairman the majority he needs to overturn the ruling. The other two Republican commissioners, Kevin J. Martin and Kathleen Q. Abernathy, have been less vocal on the subject, but they likely would follow the Republican chairman's lead.

Powell's action likely will be regarded by some, chiefly Democrats, as a reversal of field from his long-held and widely stated opinion that the FCC should generally not be in the business of policing content. Though he insists his own teenage sons not listen to profanity-laced rap albums, Powell has said the best response to indecent language on television is to "turn it off," which will result in lower ratings for shows airing such content and ultimately drive them from the market.

Powell, however, telegraphed his desire to overturn the enforcement bureau's decision in October when he wrote to the Parents Television Council: "Personally, I find the use of the 'f-word' on programming accessible to children reprehensible."

Copps hopes the agency gets even tougher on future indecency.

"I have been pushing for strong action on indecency since I got here," Copps said yesterday. "I'll know this commission is serious when it starts assessing meaningful fines and having truly filthy broadcasts lead to license-revocation hearings."

During a live December awards show broadcast on Fox, Nicole Richie, one of the stars of the Fox show "The Simple Life," uttered two profanities that were heard by viewers across most of the country. The FCC's enforcement bureau sent a letter of inquiry to Fox last week about the incident, which is the first stage of an investigation.

Some lawmakers predicted that broadcast indecency would be a prominent topic in the upcoming Congress. Reps. Doug Ose (R-Calif.) and Lamar S. Smith (R-Tex.) introduced a bill in December that lists eight words and phrases that would not be spoken on broadcast television without punishment.


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