According to The New York Times and a number of other news sources, ABC executives have forced comedian and actor Robin Williams to abandon plans to perform a song making light of Dr. James C. Dobson’s (the President and CEO of Focus on the Family, a conservative non-profit organization) efforts to label a children’s cartoon – the popular SpongeBob SquarePants – as “pro-homosexual” for appearing in a video promoting tolerance.
CBS News reports:
The song included the lines:
"Pinocchio's had his nose done! Sleeping Beauty is popping pills! The Three Little Pigs ain't kosher! Betty Boop works Beverly Hills!"
"Fred Flintstone is dyslexic, Jessica Rabbit is really a man, Olive Oyl is really anorexic, and Casper is in the Ku Klux Klan!"
Other objectionable lines included, "Chip 'n Dale are both strippers," "Bugs Bunny's a sexaholic," and "Josie and the Pussycats dance on laps."
ABC’s decision showcases a continuation of the conservative backlash stemming from Janet Jackson’s unfortunate breast “accident” during the Super Bowl halftime show a few years ago. Stepped up and arbitrary fines by the FCC – largely targeted at radio broadcaster and self-appointed King of All Media Howard Stern – have had a trickle-down chilling effect across all broadcast media in terms of creativity and content.
When performers and artists are stripped of the ability to be risky and edgy and risqué, a decline in creativity and quality art is the natural result, to the detriment of us all. Certainly there should be some reasonable standards of decency – particularly for shows aimed toward families – but the line has been continually blurred and spilled over under the Bush Administration, propelled onward relentlessly by conservative organizations and activists like James C. Dobson and his Focus on the Family.
The inability to lampoon the very forces that are fueling the engine of censorship in the United States is disturbing indeed.
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Article comments
1 - Joel Caris
If you had asked me a year and a half ago if Janet Jackson's freaking nipple could have this much effect on our society . . . well, it would seem utterly impossible.
But whatever. I'm pretty sick of the networks not having balls, either, though I can understand the fear of big fines (particularly for local affiliate stations.) Still, this is all ridiculous.
Thank god for cable. And the internet, for that matter. The blessed, blessed internet where a person can get all the nipple and risqué humor he could want.
2 - Temple Stark
Is theis where I relate that I've never seen or even heard much about White Chicks? so when we were over at a realtives house, they put that film in. There was a 11 year old boy and two 13 year old girls in the room along with aobut eight adults.
The Dildo scene? If you saw it you know what I'm talking about (describing different ways of fellatio). It was pretty funny - but I felt VERY uncomfortable with these kids around and I wondered whether the dad, a very religious man who wouldn't let his daughter have a belly button ring, knew what the film was.
But he was one of those laughing the hardest throughout.
I asked later and the girls had already seen the film three or four times. I was surprised. Kids are way beyond some lame Spongebob Squarepants parody of idiots.
This is an America only a very narrow segment of society wants to suffer under.
3 - Eric Berlin
Joel & Temple: I think both of you are circling in on an interesting and relevant point, that FCC standards for network television and radio are completely out-of-whack with the real world.
Kids today don't distinguish between NBC, TNT, and Showtime. Most are exposed to the worst "curse words" by the second or third grade (I know I was) and playing shoot-em-up video games that literally (nearly) blow the mind.
This is where I like to get into my rant about how the US is hung up on sexuality and language, when it should really worry about violence: not just on stupid crime shows, but the sensationalism in news programs as well.
Maybe it all comes down to the fact that fixating on a breast or on a silly, not-that-great song parody will yield more votes than talking seriously about our serious problems. Maybe doing that will yield more votes.
I'm not sure -- it's a little bit bewildering though, isn't it?
4 - Joel Caris
Lord yes, it's bewildering. I'm pretty much with you on where the real problems lie. Language and nudity are not what we need to worry about. I knew all the popular curse words early on in elementary and seeing a breast? Umm, not twisting me into a monster.
Violence is certainly something to be more concerned about, though even that depends largely on the child. Ultimately, a decent upbringing and parents that instill in their kids a sense of right and wrong, of respect, of empathy and humility are a pretty damn strong defense against the viewing of senseless violence.
But yeah, the standards are stupid. When they're pulling Saving Private Ryan, there's a problem there. With cable and the internet today, any attempt to censor what kids see is going to be a fool's errand. Not that there shouldn't be attempts to place limits, but the reality is that kids are going to see violence and nudity and sex, many are going to catch some forms of pornography online earlier than they should, and they're going to continue to know all the vocabulary adults think they shouldn't.
The only way to buttress the effects of all this is to raise kids decently. That's going to be what it comes down to. If that's done, they'll be able to handle what they stumble across and they'll largely be able to parse and limit what kinds of information they take in on their own.
Regulation never worked very well before and it's not going to work now, not at all. Making that the main focus is nothing more than a mistake.
5 - Eric Berlin
Joel - Yeah, we're very much on the same page. What I think it comes down to is that it's the job of parents to raise kids, not the government (and wouldn't most traditional conservatives loudly agree with this?).
I hold out hope that the backlash against the conservative-backlash will come at some point... and I'm trying to be patient.
On a different note, I'm almost finished watching the first series of The Wire on DVD, a challenging and interesting show about drug dealers and cops in Baltimore that has its fair share of nudity and violence both. But a finer program you won't find, in my old humble opinion. Here's hoping the FCC fellas never get their hands on paid media.
6 - Joel Caris
I need to check out The Wire still. It's in my queue. I've heard good things.
It's the job of parents to raise their children? Check. With you there. And it really does just come down to that. I'm holding out hope for a backlash against this backlash, as well.
As for the FCC getting their hands on paid media, I remember reading something awhile back about some people wanting the FCC to regulate satellite radio, as well. I don't think it would end up happening, but who knows? I certainly hope not. I really don't feel the need to live in a nanny state that makes sure I never see or hear or read anything that someone, somewhere might possibly find offensive.
7 - Eric Berlin
You read my mind on the "just being there" thing with kids. That takes care of quite a lot.
Definitely check The Wire -- it's worth your time.
By the way, for more on FCC weirdness, check this.
8 - L.Cue
HA HA HA!
Maybe there is a bootleg version of it floating around somewhere!
Casper is in the Klu Klux Klan HA HA
I never trusted that little spirit.
9 - Eric Berlin
Well, see, there you go.
Someone's being deprived of thier rightful comedic fix right this very moment.
10 - bryan
I'm going to take a contrarian spin on this. Why raise the stakes? What does ABC or the Oscars gain from gigging James Dobson? Nada. Nothing but headaches, and another chance to prove how far out of step hollywood is with "middle America."
I don't fault Williams for wanting to do his skit - even though I question the timeliness of it. That is, like, so January. But I don't think ABC was necessarily wrong to say "look, Robin, maybe some other time."
11 - bryan
And another thing ...
When performers and artists are stripped of the ability to be risky and edgy and risqué, a decline in creativity and quality art is the natural result, to the detriment of us all. Certainly there should be some reasonable standards of decency " particularly for shows aimed toward families " but the line has been continually blurred and spilled over under the Bush Administration, propelled onward relentlessly by conservative organizations and activists like James C. Dobson and his Focus on the Family.
Excuse me? Since when have we seen a decline in quality art because of what we've seen lately from the FCC?
You want to castigate ABC, but then in the next sentence, you let them off the hook "Certainly there should be some reasonable standards for decency," but then want to go back the other way, talking about the "blurring line."
What line? Either you're talking about standards or not. Either we have boobs on teevee or we don't. If you want to have boobs on teevee, then get a lobbying organization together and go to congress and argue for them. Otherwise, shut up and let Dobson have his three channels three nights a week and go watch HBO. (/rant)
12 - Dave Nalle
I don't know if any of you noticed it in the Oscar broadcast, but Williams did manage to sneak in a good portio of the material from his song as part of his little speech. He kept the funnier stuff and cut out the bits that were most offensive. But you know, the original song wasn't very funny, and neither were the bits he kept in. The Ad Libs where he did little impressions of Hollywood figures were much funnier.
Dave
13 - Eric Berlin
In this instance, I'm not concerned with how funny Williams was/is (in fact, I think he peaked around 1987, but that's another story) and in any case, I didn't watch the Oscars (and haven't since I was around 9).
Bryan - Your criticism doesn't make a lot of sense to me. You seem to advocate all or nothing television, with the insinuation that it's just fine to allow Dobson/FCC/ABC to cut out content that they seem to feel is unacceptable.
What I'm actually calling for is reasonable and consistent standards, which has been anything but the case in the wake of Janet's Super Bowl. The lack of consistent standards has led to the chilling effect which I describe in my post. Because there are no standards, everyone is scared "s"-less, including the ABC execs who axed Williams' content.
So if you want to know who I have my real gripe with, it's the FCC, who is just fine with getting pushed around by Dobson and organizations like the Parents Television Council, which has received some coverage here at BlogCritics.
14 - Eric Olsen
these are very paranoid, schizo times for the broadcast media: clear, comprehensible, reliable rules and enforcement is the best answer