Buttocks Bollox
I’m conflicted over this one. I don’t know just what time NYPD Blue airs, but I gather from the article below that it is before 10:00 p.m. Nudity is fine with me, given the right place. I don’t though think that includes network television. That said, government bureaucrats are weenies (can I get fined for that word?). Bare buttocks in and of themselves are “patently offensive?” Yes, I’ve seen a few that are. Then the sexual and excretory stuff, give me a break. Common sense is not a bumper crop these days. Keep the nudity where it belongs, don’t be stupid about categories. Anyway, here’s what irked me:
“The Federal Communications Commission has proposed a $1.4 million fine against 52 ABC Television Network stations over a 2003 broadcast of cop drama NYPD Blue.
“The fine is for a scene where a boy surprises a woman as she prepares to take a shower. The scene depicted ‘multiple, close-up views’ of the woman's ‘nude buttocks’ according to an agency order issued late Friday.
“ABC is owned by the Walt Disney Co. The fines were issued against 52 stations either owned by or affiliated with the network.
“FCC's definition of indecent content requires that the broadcast ‘depicts or describes sexual or excretory activities’ in a ‘patently offensive way’ and is aired between the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.
“The agency said the show was indecent because ‘it depicts sexual organs and excretory organs — specifically an adult woman's buttocks.’
“The agency rejected the network's argument that ‘the buttocks are not a sexual organ.’”
Associated Press.
11 comments:
It seems like "patently offensive" gives them a lot of wriggle room. Was she mooning the audience?
Way back in the Clinton administration it was mandated that all TVs have "nanny chip" installed to block programs that might offend Christians. You would think that would be the end of it.
But, no.
I'm scratching my head here.
Isn't that show off the air and didn't this all happen a few years back?
Is this a test, Dave?
I am a little conflicted about this one. Mostly because I think that what offends one may not be offensive to another.
For example - for the longest time, my sister would cringe whenever my kids would call their fannies "butts". But that didn't (obviuosly) offend me.
So, a nude fanny/butt appears on TV. As I recall, there is a warning that airs before NYPD Blue that says something like "Some things you see here may be offensive to some. If you're one of them, keep out." Not saying that slapping a warning label on a show absolves them of responsibility, but it does strike me that it puts the onus on the viewer to determine if he/she should watch it.
"But what about the kids? They might watch even if the parents wouldn't want them to..."
Dude, if the kid wants to see a bare butt, he/she will see one. It isn't that hard to obtain. But it is the responsibility of the parents in this case to know what the kids are watching.
Every television has had a feature that blocks content of this type since the very beginning. It's called the "Power" button.
If you're offended, use it.
Guys and Debo,
I started a comment responding to what you've written. When it got over a page, I decided to save it and turn it into a post. That and my thoughts on censorship are muddled when it comes to kids, but more of that in the post, coming soon to a URL near you.
I'm with debo here. I'm very confused about why they are waiting until now to fine the network.
Wait...they're fining NYPD Blue five freaking years later??? I'm pretty sure nobody was scarred by this. And yes, NYPD Blue aired at 10:00 (not that I ever watched), but they were kind of known for their edgy, adult scenarios.
To Posolxstvo - fanny is an exceptionally bad word in England and Australia. It does not mean "butt" over there, but rather female genitalia... I don't think we were allowed to say "butt" either as a kid. Fart was also not allowed. Nor Shut Up, especially to a fellow sibling.
Give me a break!
Oh, yeah, I'm gonna get it in just about one year when the next president gets to tweak the FCC and get the republican "buttocks" out of the head seat.
The purely symbolic morality of the right wing republicans is downright shameless. Their version of freedom apparently doesn't recognize or trust our freedom to use the power switch or channel changer if we don't like TV content. Big brother wears an elephant pin - toss them out on their buttocks in November!
Kathleen--Only those stations that aired the show at 9 are getting fined. That is, those in the Central time zone. The FCC says it's ok to be offensive (not obscene) after 10. You'd think the networks would understand that what's 10 elsewhere is 9 there and move their schedules accordingly ... but they don't.
Still, I think the fine is beyond crazy.
What percentage of the American public now gets basic cable, anyway? The FCC doesn't have jurisdiction over cable, so I'm sure NYPD Blue and other "edgy" shows air outside the 10-or-later guidelines.
Jim - Oh yeah, central time. But still...
I found the clip on YouTube last night, and I have to say--it did go further than I was expecting it to. At one point, the camera was on the character's naked back, then it dipped to show her butt for a few seconds--for no reason other than to show her butt, as the camera then climbed back up to show her back again. And the side view showed more than I was expecting, too.
Hmm. I'm kind of conflicted on this. The fine seems absurd. But the producers certainly showed more than I think people would expect at 9 pm.
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