Censorship and thought control in Canada

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Compared to recent events, this is small potatoes, I realize that, but dammit, it pisses me off no end. To summarize for those who don't follow the link, a non-elected, industry self regulatory body has tried to forbid the playing of the album version of Dire Straits famous song Money For Nothing due to the heinous use of the word "faggot" in it -- 3 times no less! The horror!

The CBSC did this after receiving a complaint from one -- count it, one! -- fricking person. The song has been around since 1985, I believe, and has never been linked to an act of violence against homosexuals. In fact, anyone who has half a brain can clearly see that the song is actually a searing indictment of redneck reactionary attitudes.

Going back several decades to find a song to censor reminds me of my good buddy Winston Smith's job in 1984, wherein his job was to alter newspaper stories from the past to bring them into line with current orthodoxy. Un --fricking believable. I am right pissed off. So are a lot of other people, including a number of homosexuals, who feel that there are bigger fish to fry.

Fortunately, the CBSC has no real teeth (similar to the Comics Code folks) and so my local radio station played the unedited song for 1 solid hour on Friday night.

So, tell me folks, should western society expend energy to censor songs that have been around for 25+ years? Is this the world that civil rights activists envisioned? Or should I be more sensitive tot he feelings of minorities and recognize their right to never be offended ever?

 

I think, if the minorities themselves disagree with the censorship, it's a lost cause. It was before it was begun. Seriously, this is just plain ridiculous.

 

People will often find reasons to be offended over something.

I'm more amused that someone has sat down, listened to a song and gone "Wait, did they say faggot? ... Yes, they said it again... surely not... a THIRD time?! Oh my delicate sensibilities! I must alert the media! Twenty five years and how did they miss this atrocity?!"

Reminds me of something Kev mentioned about an advert banned because a ten year old complained about it. One ten year old. I didn't really believe it to be honest so don't have the link. Seems strange that one complaint can get something banned.

If I complain I get a pat on the head and a "that's nice dear" in a condescending tone

 

Reminds me of the movie Kick @ss. Some folks been complaining about child actor Chloe Moretz's character had been swearing profanities all over the film. But none of them ever noticed that her character brutally killed dozens of people. I guess some people just have brains the size of a pea.

 

Yep, completely misses the point of the song.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money_for_Nothing_(song)

 

I hear "Money for Nothing" song occassionally on the radio (usually on a classic rock station). The last couple of times I heard it, the entire part using the word faggot is edited out of the song. They just make to whole song about 40 seconds shorter, by deleting the entire lyrics from that section of the song. So in the US, they didn't ban the entire song, just the lyrics - which aren't that bad IMO. The deleted part of the song has the following lyrics:

That little faggot with the earings and the makeup
Yeah buddy, that's his own hair
That little faggot got his own jet airplane
That little faggot, he's a millionaire

There was also another older song where I noticed lyrics were changed when I heard it in the car last week. It was Aerosmith's "Janie's Got a Gun". I remembered liking the song a lot when it was released - probably close to 20 years ago, and so I knew all the words to the song. I was surprised to see that the lyrics:

She had to take him down easy, and put a bullet in his brain

were changed to:

She had to take him down easy, and left him underneath the train

WTF?

 

I find it ironic that everyone is always worried about the "Tyranny of the majority" when in actuality it will be the "Tyranny of the minority" which brings our society crumbling to its knees.

 

So who had the problem with the Ice-T song getting a warning in Hungary because of broadcast before 9 PM, eh? That song didn't include "faggot" but included the words f*** and many others that the SP forum auto-filters too. Are homosexuals more important than children?

Very true. Off-topic, but this is what the Hungarian Prime Minister will hopefully prevent in Hungary, i.e. that some left-liberal minority is going to tell what values must be accepted by the conservative majority.

It's horrible, I just read in a Hungarian news site that in the USA some official forms (I don't remember exactly) will now contain the fields "Parent 1" and "Parent 2" instead of "Mother's name" and "Father's name". Where is the world going to?!

 

No it's what the religious right has envisioned, only "faggot" would probably be OK with them.



I actually live in Montgomery County. This is what I have to live with.

 

Oh the irony. Seeking to ban a book, in which one of the cetral themes contained is an anti-Utopian society and the dangers of banning certain reading material.

Talk about missing the point.

 

...
*sigh*
She objects to the burning of the Bible in the book... which is all about the wrongs of burning books (Bible included). Idiot!

 

Taluntain, you derailed my thread! This is about Canada, says so right in the tagline. I demand an apology or else I'm gonna talk to the . . .site . . . . . . .admin. . . is . . tra . . . .

Oh, never mind!

 

THAT WAS THE FINAL STRAW

(Okay, now there's something for everyone.)

 

For anyone who cares about freedom of expression and artistic expression, the CRTC, the government department that really does have regulatory weight (a Canadian FCC, as it were) has asked the kangaroo court pieces of caribou feces at the CBSC to review their decision regarding Money for Nothing.

As you can tell, I am totally neutral in this matter.