Roadtoad
Bufo Caminus Inedibilis
Okay, as a former broadcaster, and current full time adult, I would like to take a moment of everyone's time for this brief rant.
I realize there has been a great deal of complaint of late regarding the content of television programming. Certainly, we've seen it degraded over the past few years, not only in what was allowed on, but what was canceled. (I personally find it offensive that one of the funniest shows on TV, "Buffalo Bill," with Dabney Coleman, was canceled. Man, that was a far worse move than NBC's cancellation of "Star Trek.")
The current furor, as we recall, was brought about as a result of Janet Jackson's "Wardrobe Malfunction." (Geez, did she get a job with the government?) Justin Timberlake removed part of her costume, and we got a glimpse of Janet's rather unremarkable breast. Naturally, we should have expected the backlash. People who do stupid things and make excuses for them provoke it.
But, then, we now find there are new targets in the gunsights of the Moral Myrmidons. Yup, that nasty ol' Howard Stern is facing fines. DJs in other cities who leave the microphone open while a porn star describes sex acts, ("Gee, we thought it was CLOSED!"), and God only knows what else. Kind of reminds me of the time a station nearly lost its license because they played one of the funniest recordings ever made, George Carlin's "The Seven Dirty Words You Can't Say on Television." (Extra point if you remember the album it originally came from. Double due if you can list the "two-way" words.)
Okay, folks, let's all come around the ol' Roadtoad while he explains a fact of life to all of you:
We are supposed to be the GROWNUPS. In other words, we are the ones who are supposed to decide, "Hey, maybe there's other things I can do with my time. I could read a book, or spend a little time on a certain computer Forum I know of, or spend a little time with my family, or, go for a walk." If television is that bad, you can change the channel or turn the damn thing OFF.
So the Super Bowl show came across as a surprise? Not to me. It's been bad for the past few years, so I just don't watch it. If I want to see a football game that means something, we have a high school just down the street. Why would I spend my time watching a bunch of overpaid, halfwit ogres when I could support a bunch of kids who are learning something about themselves and about life at large? (Well, at least that's what they're supposed to be doing.) I decided some time ago that my time was too valuable to waste watching drivel. Why bother even with the reruns.
The thing that really got to me is that I was in Susanville, CA last week. Spent the night with a load of box culvert, and we were put up in the Super Eight in town. Damn funny, a Reno station was demanding that we call our Senator in Washington, and help clear the way for a station to refuse to carry offensive material. (Currently, if a station chooses to not carry such material, they can lose their contract with a network.) I was almost sucked in. I was going to call my senators when I got home...
...Except the syndicated programming they were running was every bit as offensive as the network feed. Yeah, I'm gonna call Washington to bitch about this. Not likely.
Come on, FCC. We have better things to worry about. So do you. You're telling me there aren't stations running too hot? Or that there's transmitter towers with burnt out lights that you can't inspect? Are you telling me that there's not MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT THAN IF SOMEONE SAYS THE "F" BOMB? I mean, for God's sake, GET A FRIGGING LIFE!!!
I realize there has been a great deal of complaint of late regarding the content of television programming. Certainly, we've seen it degraded over the past few years, not only in what was allowed on, but what was canceled. (I personally find it offensive that one of the funniest shows on TV, "Buffalo Bill," with Dabney Coleman, was canceled. Man, that was a far worse move than NBC's cancellation of "Star Trek.")
The current furor, as we recall, was brought about as a result of Janet Jackson's "Wardrobe Malfunction." (Geez, did she get a job with the government?) Justin Timberlake removed part of her costume, and we got a glimpse of Janet's rather unremarkable breast. Naturally, we should have expected the backlash. People who do stupid things and make excuses for them provoke it.
But, then, we now find there are new targets in the gunsights of the Moral Myrmidons. Yup, that nasty ol' Howard Stern is facing fines. DJs in other cities who leave the microphone open while a porn star describes sex acts, ("Gee, we thought it was CLOSED!"), and God only knows what else. Kind of reminds me of the time a station nearly lost its license because they played one of the funniest recordings ever made, George Carlin's "The Seven Dirty Words You Can't Say on Television." (Extra point if you remember the album it originally came from. Double due if you can list the "two-way" words.)
Okay, folks, let's all come around the ol' Roadtoad while he explains a fact of life to all of you:
We are supposed to be the GROWNUPS. In other words, we are the ones who are supposed to decide, "Hey, maybe there's other things I can do with my time. I could read a book, or spend a little time on a certain computer Forum I know of, or spend a little time with my family, or, go for a walk." If television is that bad, you can change the channel or turn the damn thing OFF.
So the Super Bowl show came across as a surprise? Not to me. It's been bad for the past few years, so I just don't watch it. If I want to see a football game that means something, we have a high school just down the street. Why would I spend my time watching a bunch of overpaid, halfwit ogres when I could support a bunch of kids who are learning something about themselves and about life at large? (Well, at least that's what they're supposed to be doing.) I decided some time ago that my time was too valuable to waste watching drivel. Why bother even with the reruns.
The thing that really got to me is that I was in Susanville, CA last week. Spent the night with a load of box culvert, and we were put up in the Super Eight in town. Damn funny, a Reno station was demanding that we call our Senator in Washington, and help clear the way for a station to refuse to carry offensive material. (Currently, if a station chooses to not carry such material, they can lose their contract with a network.) I was almost sucked in. I was going to call my senators when I got home...
...Except the syndicated programming they were running was every bit as offensive as the network feed. Yeah, I'm gonna call Washington to bitch about this. Not likely.
Come on, FCC. We have better things to worry about. So do you. You're telling me there aren't stations running too hot? Or that there's transmitter towers with burnt out lights that you can't inspect? Are you telling me that there's not MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT THAN IF SOMEONE SAYS THE "F" BOMB? I mean, for God's sake, GET A FRIGGING LIFE!!!