There has always been a controversy about cussing. I live in a border state in the Deep South and that’s what we call it. Cussing.
When a nation completely freaks out about Janet Jackson’s infamous slip of her blouse during a Super Bowl game, we can see the United States is completely not ready for some things for prime time television, however, the BBC and other international television are letting more slide than ever and some people are questioning it. The occasionally foul word is dropped in live broadcasts and it used to be a stern “talking to” by network executives about entertainers or sports figures watching their p’s and q’s on the tube.
On a side note, I’m always amazed that ESPN’s Sportscenter will always show the footage of a game where it is very clear what a coach or a player is saying which usually rhymes with Mitt (as in Romney) or Duck (which of course is a very popular hunting season.) We are a family blog here. I guess you get my point though.
With that said, the Federal Communications Commission has a set of guidelines in this country regarding “obscene, indecent and profane” laws that mainstream broadcasting must follow. In Britan, the rules are much more lax. An example would be Gordan Ramsay’s American broadcast of “Hell’s Kitchen” is much tamer than his shows across the pond, where you will hear an expletive a minute. Another example would be the international hit “Torchwood” where what you see on BBC America is much tamer than what is being broadcast abroad.
A debate is going on in Great Britain now about the increased swearing in television programming. And there’s a mixed reaction.
Swearing, Cussing or whatever you want to call it, is becoming more prevalent. Is it because people talk this way in their non-cyber worlds. The answer is most likely.
Tags: Cussing, Swearing, Television, BBC, Gordon Ramsay, Torchwood, FCC
