Seven words you can never say on television

Among the manifold responsibilities of the FCC are the policing of broadcasters to ensure their programming isn’t offensive or obscene to viewers. Over its nearly seventy years of existence we’ve seen examples of this oversight and control in various humorous or absurd forms. Take these examples: the parents in "Father Knows Best" and "Leave it to Beaver" slept in separate twin beds, Lucille Ball in “I Love Lucy” was expecting, not pregnant. Fast forward some forty years and Madonna says on TV the word that rudely describes how Lucy became pregnant. The irony of the FCC’s prudish waffling is compounded when they determine that cable television is exempt from such monitoring (since its not licensed by the FCC) and also has no jurisdiction over satellite based broadcasting (XM, Sirius & Dish TV). The core problem lies less with the FCC’s authority to police content and more with the arbitrary nature of their censorship policy.

When George Carlin passed away last Saturday, a comedy revolutionary took his last bow. Born and raised in New York, Mr. Carlin started comedy after a stint as a disk jockey, but he wasn’t very successful at first. He styled his work after other staid humorists like Mort Sahl. However after he saw the (in)famous underground comedian Lenny Bruce, Carlin’s world was turned upside down. Bruce coupled a raw, inflammatory, confrontational comedic style with social commentary and political criticism. Carlin instantly knew this frankness was what he needed in his act. Since Carlin was most comfortable with the oddities of the English language, he integrated all aspects of humorous metaphor and alliteration into his act. It was only a matter of time before offensive words also made their way in.

Carlin was arrested, ironically, for resisting arrest (obstruction) at a Lenny Bruce concert. Bruce had used obscenities in his act and was arrested by the local police. When Carlin refused to answer police questions, he was taken in too. Soon after, Carlin introduced the “Seven words you can never say on television” material into his act (1972). It was an instant success and soon after while performing it he was arrested and charged with obscenity. The court dismissed the charge citing first amendment protection. In 1973 his album was broadcast uncensored on radio and the FCC filed a complaint. Years later, the Supreme Court ruled (5 to 4) that the FCC has the authority and right to prohibit obscenities on the air. But while broadcast television and radio remained bounded, the tide of alternate electronic media was turning into a tsunami.

With the advent of private cable television, comedians, musicians and filmmakers now had an alternative distribution medium. They could broadcast their content without the limits from the FCC. The explosion of talent propelled growth of cable networks and other broadcast media as they became economically feasible. Now, congress is investigating options for controlling offensive and obscene content. But in a comedic twist of irony, congress has contradicted itself with the looser restrictions of the internet and the more restrictive ones for broadcast TV and radio. No doubt, free speech advocates and artists may ultimately have the last laugh if congress and the courts try to standardize the definition of obscene and offensive content. Perhaps they should ask a comedian for advice.