I, for one, would like to see Clear Channel get themselves a backbone. They certainly have enough money to buy one, perhaps they could do that and get it surgically implanted. They are walking on eggshells and cringing in fear of the FCC, and now the NAACP.
I, for one, would like to see Clear Channel get themselves a backbone. They certainly have enough money to buy one, perhaps they could do that and get it surgically implanted. They are walking on eggshells and cringing in fear of the FCC, and now the NAACP. Some shock jocks on a show called The Monster in St. Petersburg, Florida have now said some offensive things on the air and Clear Channel is running with its tail tucked between its legs again. Apparently their list of offenses includes the use of the words “spic," "nigra," "jigaboo" and "fag."…
Article comments
26 - Mac Diva
You now say you really don't have a double standard for your bogeymen and that you aren't really opposed to the FCC regulating broadcasters, whiteguy. I don't see how that leaves any content for the entry. Unless. . . you meant to write an accolade to the FCC and became confused. Bingo! I knew there had to be an explanation.
Typo in Comment 24 = after all.
27 - Evilwhiteguy
Well, I'm tired of repeating myself over and over. If you can't grasp:
1. If it's a legal problem, the Feds will take care of it.
2. If it's not, the market will.
then there's nothing more that I can say. And since you are putting words in my mouth that I didn't use and then based on that, insinuating I'm something that I'm not, I have nothing further to discuss.
28 - Eric Olsen
Context is everything and without hearing the actual bit it's impossible to know if there was any mitigating context here, but it sure sounds like Clear Channel let them off easy.
I favor clear and unambiguous enforcement of FCC regulations as they now stand, or however they freaking stand, but enforcement should be regular, impartial and across the board.
I am completely against the FCC regulating the content of the Internet cable TV or radio, satellite TV or radio for the reasons Evil states.
And having also followed the link mentioned in comment 1, I want to see Boom, Evil and Mac Diva march hand-in-hand.
29 - boomcrashbaby
I want to be in the middle!
30 - Evilwhiteguy
I get to be on the right :)
31 - Eric Olsen
you guys are both funny
32 - bhw
The difference is that in the Slim-Fast case, it was customers complaining. With Clear Channel, the story did mention wary advertisers, but it's the government and a political organization putting the main pressure on.
That may be true. But it also might be true that Clear Channel has decided it doesn't like the language the DJs used. That's possible, isn't it? I mean, it's not like the words weren't offensive to, say, most people.
When I went out to your web site, it seemed like you definitely had a problem with Whoopi's recent commentary. I get concerned about free speech -- as Mac and Boom can tell you -- when people are less worried about some messages being stifled than others.
Personally, I think that the FCC should stop regulating what's on TV because we have the technology to lock out shows we don't want children to see. But the radio is a harder case.
And there's no way the FCC should get involved with cable or other pay services. Ugh.
33 - Mac Diva
This reminds me that it is time to revisit public libraries and censorship of the Internet on computers. There's some new case law. You might also want to consider whether the new rules, which go the 'carrot' route are a good idea, bhw.
I will march with the two fellas, on the left, but insist on wearing a glove on my right hand.
34 - Evilwhiteguy
If they don't like the language used on their radio stations, they have every right to fire the guys, it's their company. Although I imagine that would probably stem from anticipation of FCC fines and/or advertisers leaving more than a corporate sense of values.
And yes, I had a problem with what she said, but I think she has every right to say it. Frankly I wish there had been video of it so people could have seen her saying it. That would have had more of an impact than just reading what she said. I may not agree with what people say, but I will always defend their right to say it, provided it doesn't break any laws.
35 - boomcrashbaby
No problem, MD. Since I would be in the middle, just make sure those gloves are elbow length and bright blue, so they don't clash with my hotpants.
36 - bhw
MD, can you elaborate? I'm not sure what you mean by "carrot" rules. Thanks!
37 - Mac Diva
A great tableau, Steve (Boom). Whiteguy walking through his neighborhood with a gay man on one side and one of 'some people' on the other. I might break out a halter top and show the Ds for that-:).
bhw, we were a test case for the minors and Internet access controversy here. The Multnomah County Public Library won the first round, but lost the second. There will be some censorship. I haven't gotten around to reading the later case yet. But, you can familiarize yourself with the issues here.
Which reminds me I need to renew books. There is a reason I always have library fines.
38 - Evilwhiteguy
Sounds great to me, let me know when you're ready to go and I'm there.
39 - Justene
Strange. If a quasi-public industry isn't to be policed by the government agency empowered to do so, why should advertisers do the policing? Is there some reason to believe, say, McDonalds, is a better protector of the public interest? Seems perverse.
The basic premise of free-market theory is not that McDonalds can be trusted more than the government. That would be perverse. The theory is that the people, who truly hold the power, can control McDonald's with their buying power just as much and probably more than they can control the government with their vote.
Now there are a whole lot of criticisms to that, notably that the rich have more dollars than the poor, but unionism in this country has shown that the poor can use their economic power too.
Here's what I see as a critical problem, and I do mean critical. Most Americans are economically illerate and haven't the slightest idea how economics work. I have had that problem for a long time and would now say I have maybe a proper elementary level education. Start talking about something like the importance of the federal reserve and my eyes glaze over.
Most Americans understand enough about government and politics to form an opinion that matches their values. Teach the poor and disenfranchised economics and watch real change happen. If you believe the rich have too much power or if you believe that money rules in this country, you are doing them a disservice when you don't give the poor the knowledge of economics.
40 - bhw
Thanks for the link, MD. If anything, I think there should be opt-in filters only. In other words, the parent should have to ask for it to be turned on at the library computer the kid is using.
Why aren't the parents responsible for what their kids see? If your younger-than-thirteen-year-old child is going to the library to do an internet search, it's your responsibility to monitor them, not the library's.
And what's so magic about the age of 13? Seems very arbitrary to me.
41 - bhw
Oh, and Justene, excellent point about getting truly educated in economics. I wish I'd taken one or two courses in it in college, because I really don't understand most of it.
42 - JR
I'm not sure how much power an education in economics will give the average consumer. If I object to, say, China's political policies, the problem is in finding shoes or CD players made somewhere else; otherwise I can't really make any kind of statement. How is understanding the Federal Reserve going to increase our consumer options?
Bueller? Anyone?
43 - Justene
JR,
1. If I had a clue about the Federal Reserve, I might be able to guess.
2. It's not helping the consumer, it's helping the citizen. THere's not a whole lot the average voter can do about whether Bush or Joe Wilson lied but they deserve to have the info and as much explanation necessary to understand the info. I am asking for the same treatment of economic info as political, government, civics info.
3. Voters wield power as a group. Consumers wield power as a group.