Gino
Premium Subscriber
Bob, it’s a village called…. In practice, the FCC fines for "f**k" and "s**t" but not "b**ch" and "a$$." The FCC can only fine broadcasts which means that cable television is not censored due to government regulations but due to the channel's own decency guidelines
The current fine is $7000 per infraction, which was lowered from $12,500 in 1997. This is probably because swear words are more common and less vulgar and because the fine alone was an incentive for some people to swear, and some people to listen.
The following rules apply to broadcasts in America as regulated by the FCC:
Obscene broadcasts are prohibited at all times. Obscene material meets all of the following three tests: (a) an average person, applying contemporary community standards, must find that the material, as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest, (b) the material must depict or describe, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically defined by applicable law, (c) the material, taken as a whole, must lack serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value. Basically, obscene material is pornographic or similarly suggestive sexual material.
Indecent Broadcasts Restricted to 10 P.M. - 6 A.M. Indecent is as defined by the Supreme Court in their decision: language or material that, in context, depicts or describes, in terms patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards for the broadcast medium, sexual or excretory organs or activities.
It should be noted that some uses of "***" (such as using the word as an action verb meaning sexual intercourse) can be considered obscene, but "***," being a excretory activity, cannot. Women's breasts and all genitalia are considered obscene, so you will never see that on television until "contemporary community standards" get lower.
So, although my choice of ‘ILLEGAL’ for using these words stands corrected… anytime I’m fined $7,000 or $12,500 for uttering this word on radio or television is going to be enforced…. I’ll listen to them before I listen to a bunch of wannabe designers who think it’s Okay to do this crap.
Substituting the word with another still has the same mindset when using naughty words unlike the vulgar ones, but for some reason…. that is accepted. So for those that say Oh Shoot or Oh Fudge…. You’re only kidding yourself that your kid has no idea of what’s really on your mind, but at least you’re not breaking any rules.
Now, this place, 101, is for gathering information that is for the most part…. tried and true. So, why would anyone in their right mind tell someone asking this question to go ahead and do it unless they are just trying to get the OP in hot water ?? Please do yourself and others reading this that these are only the beliefs in your own mind and not the way of our land… in our country. Had this been written by someone in Europe, the answers would be totally different.
This is the same as someone asking… can one eat glass ?? Sure, anyone can eat it. There is no reason why you can’t and there aren’t any laws on the books preventing one from doing so. Just don’t tell them the consequences afterwards. Omitting the important part of an answer is somewhat harmful to one’s health…. and in the case of this thread… possibly their pocketbook.
The current fine is $7000 per infraction, which was lowered from $12,500 in 1997. This is probably because swear words are more common and less vulgar and because the fine alone was an incentive for some people to swear, and some people to listen.
The following rules apply to broadcasts in America as regulated by the FCC:
Obscene broadcasts are prohibited at all times. Obscene material meets all of the following three tests: (a) an average person, applying contemporary community standards, must find that the material, as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest, (b) the material must depict or describe, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically defined by applicable law, (c) the material, taken as a whole, must lack serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value. Basically, obscene material is pornographic or similarly suggestive sexual material.
Indecent Broadcasts Restricted to 10 P.M. - 6 A.M. Indecent is as defined by the Supreme Court in their decision: language or material that, in context, depicts or describes, in terms patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards for the broadcast medium, sexual or excretory organs or activities.
It should be noted that some uses of "***" (such as using the word as an action verb meaning sexual intercourse) can be considered obscene, but "***," being a excretory activity, cannot. Women's breasts and all genitalia are considered obscene, so you will never see that on television until "contemporary community standards" get lower.
So, although my choice of ‘ILLEGAL’ for using these words stands corrected… anytime I’m fined $7,000 or $12,500 for uttering this word on radio or television is going to be enforced…. I’ll listen to them before I listen to a bunch of wannabe designers who think it’s Okay to do this crap.
Substituting the word with another still has the same mindset when using naughty words unlike the vulgar ones, but for some reason…. that is accepted. So for those that say Oh Shoot or Oh Fudge…. You’re only kidding yourself that your kid has no idea of what’s really on your mind, but at least you’re not breaking any rules.
Now, this place, 101, is for gathering information that is for the most part…. tried and true. So, why would anyone in their right mind tell someone asking this question to go ahead and do it unless they are just trying to get the OP in hot water ?? Please do yourself and others reading this that these are only the beliefs in your own mind and not the way of our land… in our country. Had this been written by someone in Europe, the answers would be totally different.
This is the same as someone asking… can one eat glass ?? Sure, anyone can eat it. There is no reason why you can’t and there aren’t any laws on the books preventing one from doing so. Just don’t tell them the consequences afterwards. Omitting the important part of an answer is somewhat harmful to one’s health…. and in the case of this thread… possibly their pocketbook.
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