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Nov. 5th, 2008
Hey, You Kids, Get Out of My #@%& Nest!
Nov. 5th, 2008 09:00 amAs regular readers in this space may know, I have an academic interest in the use of profanity and obscenities. So I was quite pleased to see that the US Supreme Court discussed the use of "fleeting" expletives yesterday.
The FCC tightened the restrictions on the use of spontaneous expletives following a couple of incidents in the early 2000s, and the Fox network sued, saying that the new rules were "arbitrary" and violated the First Amendment.
Of course, this just provided an opportunity for the Justices and the lawyers to find ways to avoid using any of the offensive words.
What will come of this? I cannot predict. But despite Solicitor General Gregory Garre's arguments, I cannot see this leading to Big Bird swearing on "Sesame Street."
Oscar the Grouch, however, is another story.
The FCC tightened the restrictions on the use of spontaneous expletives following a couple of incidents in the early 2000s, and the Fox network sued, saying that the new rules were "arbitrary" and violated the First Amendment.
Of course, this just provided an opportunity for the Justices and the lawyers to find ways to avoid using any of the offensive words.
What will come of this? I cannot predict. But despite Solicitor General Gregory Garre's arguments, I cannot see this leading to Big Bird swearing on "Sesame Street."
Oscar the Grouch, however, is another story.
