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Decency Group Says "$#*!" Is Indecent 821

The Parents Television Council says the "$#*!" in the title of the upcoming CBS show $#*! my dad says is indecent. From the article: "'CBS intentionally chose to insert an expletive into the actual name of a show, and, despite its claim that the word will be bleeped, it is just CBS's latest demonstration of its contempt for families and the public,' declared PTC President Tim Winter. 'There are an infinite number of alternatives that CBS could have chosen, but its desire to shock and offend is crystal clear in this decision.'" By this logic Qbert was the filthiest game ever made.

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Decency Group Says "$#*!" Is Indecent

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  • by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 25, 2010 @12:19PM (#32338172)

    Fuck the fucking fuckers!

  • by FudRucker ( 866063 ) on Tuesday May 25, 2010 @12:19PM (#32338176)
    no matter what you do some bed-wetting crybaby is going to bitch about it, so just ignore them and continue with what you want to do.
    • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Exactly. That is why I still strangle kittens.
    • by MrHanky ( 141717 ) on Tuesday May 25, 2010 @12:25PM (#32338290) Homepage Journal

      No, it would be better to subtly taunt them to make complete fools of themselves and lose whatever credibility they still might have.

      • I definitely concur with you. Ignore them and they become increasingly annoying until you can't ignore them any more; pester and ridicule them, and they throw a hissy fit and shut up.

      • by interkin3tic ( 1469267 ) on Tuesday May 25, 2010 @01:01PM (#32338894)

        it would be better to subtly taunt them to make complete fools of themselves

        This may be what has happened, since after all, this group DID just make complete fools of themselves.

        I'm hoping this is what happened

        -CBS execs try to decide what shows to put on the air next, cause they're scraping the bottom of the barrel
        -Out of the blue, this idiot group approaches them and pre-emptively warns that if they were to make a show with an obviously censored word in the title, they'll protest it.
        -CBS execs find this hilarious (and realize an opportunity for free slashvertising), scramble to find a show that uses a censored word as part of the title
        -CBS execs realize that the only way to make this even funnier is if they make the show based on, of all things, a twitter feed [twitter.com]
        -Censorship advocates rebel in exactly the braindead way they said they would, execs and the rest of us get a good laugh and hopefully a few more people realize that there's no point in getting offended at words (or symbols standing in for words).

        As Justin's dad's most recent quote, probably on this very topic: "They're offended? Fuck, shit, asshole, shitfuck; they're just words...Fine. Shitfuck isn't a word, but you get my point."

        Seriously, I object to a show being based on a twitter post, but at least they picked the best one and did the title well. The rest of it might be a trainwreck, but it's off to a great start.

    • The vocal minority of folks with too much time on their hands and no dignity beg to differ.

      Go to any public meeting (especially if it's during working hours) and see what I mean.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Hoi Polloi ( 522990 )

      I learned long ago that any organization with the word "Parent" in the title has little to do with 99.999% of parents. They will however account for 99% of the complaint form letters sent to the FCC.

    • by aaandre ( 526056 ) on Tuesday May 25, 2010 @01:45PM (#32339646)

      Here's a little dose of understanding and compassion to balance your frustration:

      Babies usually cry because of discomfort or pressing need for something.
      Bed-wetting is not a choice.

      Finding someone else's otherwise harmful behavior intolerable reveals severe discomfort to an internal reaction to said behavior. That's usually caused by severe conditioning. The results are fear, anger, ignorance and damage. I can imagine this is intolerable I can understand the overwhelming need for controlling others.

      Of course, in a free society, allowing damaged minds to change everybody else, instead facing their own discomfort, is too high a price to pay. It is letting a mentally unbalanced individuals to dictate the reality for everyone. No need to re-enfoce this millennia-long tendency.

      Unfortunately they are also very determined and violent as a result of their sickness.

  • Fuck right off. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Pojut ( 1027544 ) on Tuesday May 25, 2010 @12:19PM (#32338182) Homepage

    CSI shows chest cavaties that have been ripped open. Law and Order discussed horrible sex crimes. But heaven forbid you say a naughty word!

    Didn't South Park already cover this [wikipedia.org]?

    • Re:Fuck right off. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Kenoli ( 934612 ) on Tuesday May 25, 2010 @12:22PM (#32338248)

      But heaven forbid you say a naughty word!

      Heaven forbid you imply a naughty word.

      • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

        4655434B494E604D4F524F4E53

      • Re:Fuck right off. (Score:4, Interesting)

        by infinite9 ( 319274 ) on Tuesday May 25, 2010 @01:44PM (#32339636)

        Heaven forbid you imply a naughty word.

        (disclaimer: i'm a christian)

        My grandfather was really "out there" as christians go. He forbade his kids (my father included) from saying words like "heck" or "darn" because when you say that, you mean the other word.

        I think he was nuts. Profanity is something that's a part of the language. People are going to use it no matter how much you complain. So it's silly to get all upset about it. I've taught my kids not to abuse profanity (with varying degrees of success). Mainly because spewing profanity makes you look like an uneducated dolt.

        But turning it into some huge no-no and making a big deal out of it only leads to kids wanting to use it more so they can be "bad". It's like the drinking age. If you stop people from drinking until they're 21, they do it anyway, and maybe go a little crazy on their 21st birthday. Remove the stigma of being "bad" and no one cares about it anymore.

        I'm far more concerned with the nudity, violence, child-targeted advertising, mindless "culture", and raw stupidity. But I don't care what they put on tv. Almost none of it is worth watching anyway. So we simply don't have cable.

        • by cHiphead ( 17854 ) on Tuesday May 25, 2010 @02:27PM (#32340176)

          I feel bad for you. My grandfather was fucking awesome and would occasionally even use fancy curse words like 'shitass' and 'fuckered' around us grandkids.

          Note: He was a sailor in WW2.

          (disclaimer: I once considered myself a christian then woke up one day and realized it was all goddamn make-believe bullshit) (subdisclaimer: you can thank the baptists for my initial realization of the truth behind 'the Word')

        • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

          by StikyPad ( 445176 )

          He forbade his kids (my father included) from saying words like "heck" or "darn" because when you say that, you mean the other word. I think he was nuts.

          That's the problem with a ban on profanity. If you take it to its logical conclusion, then implying the meaning of profane words is no different than using them explicitly.

          That said, I don't have a problem with people who don't want their kids to use certain words, though my reasoning isn't moral; it's practical. It's important to be able to communicate

      • Re:Fuck right off. (Score:4, Interesting)

        by pilgrim23 ( 716938 ) on Tuesday May 25, 2010 @01:47PM (#32339654)
        As someone who has read English literature for the last 400 years, (and I do mean the last 400 years; I collect antiquarian books and read them) I can say the language has gone through various evolutions. At times profanity is suppressed at times used. Today it is abused. Go ahead, such does reflect our culture (or lack thereof). My choice is to read and not to watch the networks nor, by the way the commercials. As I said: I read.
    • Didn't South Park already cover this [wikipedia.org]?

      Simpson's did it too

    • Re:Fuck right off. (Score:5, Interesting)

      by commodore64_love ( 1445365 ) on Tuesday May 25, 2010 @12:45PM (#32338630) Journal

      Replace the Anglo-Saxon word "shit" with the Frankish word "poo" and then everything will be a-okay. (Yes our US FCC really is that stupid and inconsistent.)

    • Re:Fuck right off. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by phantomfive ( 622387 ) on Tuesday May 25, 2010 @12:53PM (#32338766) Journal
      This sort of thing happens a lot in government. Two sides fight it out, and then end up with some kind of compromise that is inconsistent, but it gives each side something. Then other people come along and say, "That's inconsistent! It's so dumb!" but in reality those people just don't understand how government works.

      In this case, most people who are opposed to sex and certain words on TV are also opposed to violence on TV. For various reasons, that's how the compromise ended up. And they will continue the fight to reduce violence, and others will continue the fight to get swearing and sex on TV. That's how politics, and society, works. We wouldn't survive without compromise.
    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by 2obvious4u ( 871996 )
      Even worse than that was watching the Grey's Anatomy season finally. I was so not expecting that girl to get shot in the face. I was shocked. What was worse was we had already put the kids to bed, but one of them got up to get a glass of water and saw it. She freaked out a little. It is amazing how much violence is shown on television, god forbid you see a boob or hear a naughty word.
  • by KingSkippus ( 799657 ) on Tuesday May 25, 2010 @12:20PM (#32338184) Homepage Journal

    Kids should never be exposed to the symbols $#*!. They should have &^@%ed those symbols out.

  • WTF ? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by daveime ( 1253762 ) on Tuesday May 25, 2010 @12:20PM (#32338202)

    Are these people so repressed that even the suggestion of a "naughty word" is enough to get them complaining ?

    Have they really got nothing better to do with their time ?

    I thought the Puritan movement died out in the 17th century, obviously I was wrong.

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      I thought the Puritan movement died out in the 17th century, obviously I was wrong.

      Where the hell have you been?

      I guess it has changed a little. Offenses that used to be punishable by stoning, now only land you in rehab.

      • Re:WTF ? (Score:5, Insightful)

        by FauxPasIII ( 75900 ) on Tuesday May 25, 2010 @01:05PM (#32338954)

        > Offenses that used to be punishable by stoning, now only land you in rehab.

        True, but that's not due to a softening of hearts in the Puritan movement, but a steady waning of their influence.

        As Christopher Hitchens says, never forget how these people behaved back when they had enough power to do whatever they wanted.

  • by Kelson ( 129150 ) * on Tuesday May 25, 2010 @12:21PM (#32338210) Homepage Journal

    How have they missed the fact that "Shit My Dad Says" is the title of the source material? Complaining that CBS chose to "insert" the word into the title makes them look like the people who were horrified that New Line Cinema decided to use an obvious 9/11 reference in the sequel to "Fellowship of the Ring"..."The Two Towers."

    (All that said, I could have sworn I read somewhere that CBS had retitled the TV show as "Stuff My Dad Says," but I guess I misremembered.)

    • by Chris Burke ( 6130 ) on Tuesday May 25, 2010 @01:25PM (#32339270) Homepage

      Complaining that CBS chose to "insert" the word into the title makes them look like the people who were horrified that New Line Cinema decided to use an obvious 9/11 reference in the sequel to "Fellowship of the Ring"..."The Two Towers."

      I know! It makes no sense to blame New Line when it's obviously Tolkien who made that crass and innappropriate 9/11 reference!

  • It's indecent.

    Half of what airs on TV is indecent.

    And you are offended by a censored TITLE?

    Perhaps if you watched any of the Soap Operas they air on daytime TV, you'd re-consider how decent you thought TV was in the first place.

  • is this #$(@ing $#*!?
  • "...If you don't like the show, use the "OFF" button"
    oh! ermmm... They didn't say that did they!

    Sorry...

  • I am happy to (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Vipersfate ( 1143119 )
    completely agree. I know you can't please everyone, but people today just seem to go looking for things to complain about.
  • How fucked in the head do you have to be for $#*! to be offensive... There's nothing there!

  • Languages Change (Score:5, Insightful)

    by rotide ( 1015173 ) on Tuesday May 25, 2010 @12:25PM (#32338296)

    Not that I agree, but I understand where they are coming from.

    If the 'F' word is banned in your school and the kids all of a sudden decide to say the word 'Squash' in lieu of the naughty word, eventually they become synonymous. Saying "Squash you, Mr. Teacher" is still potentially going to get you in trouble if the teacher knows what "Squash" means in that context.

    So, the question really is, is the putting together of the letters F-U-C-K naughty, or the meaning and/or implied meaning of the word the naughty bit?

    If it's the latter, then _any_ substitution of the word still implies the word and carries the negative connotation along with it.

    Again, I don't agree with it and frankly, I think all words should be allowed. It's all part of the language and any negative feelings you have to a word are _your_ problem.

    • by MBGMorden ( 803437 ) on Tuesday May 25, 2010 @12:40PM (#32338540)

      That treads on dangerous territory though.

      When we get into synonyms, then really, the un-#(@)#'ed title is "Shit My Dad Says". Now, we know they're not talking literally about feces. They're just using a more laid back way to say "stuff".

      Should the word "stuff" be illegal? Should the very word "intercourse" be illegal, as it has exactly the same meaning as "fuck"? Should it be illegal to say "a child without a father", since it is synonymous with "bastard"?

      When you start trying to ban substitutions because they "mean the same thing" then you're literally encountering a roadblock that will prevent the language from working properly. There will be entire situations and scenarios that are literally non-describable because the very discussion of that situation is forbidden.

      No, I say we need to dispense with the notion of "profane speech" entirely. Rude speech will continue to be rude (IE, "I fucking hate you." is the same in meaning as "I hate you.", because the idea conveyed is the same), whilst positive speech that contains words that have been deemed taboo (Ie, "That's fucking awesome!") will retain it's meaning as well.

      Then people can judge speech by it's true meaning rather than the words used to convey that meaning.

    • Re:Languages Change (Score:5, Interesting)

      by alta ( 1263 ) on Tuesday May 25, 2010 @01:37PM (#32339498) Homepage Journal

      Your post directly relates to something we're going through at our house. Our 5 year old is intrigued with what words he can't say, and which ones he can. And he's pushing it as far as he can, without getting in trouble. My wife and I don't swear in front of the children, and we don't listen to music or TV that does. There's a line somewhere between not wanting your kids to have a potty mouth vs allowing your child to express himself. Anyway my child came home from school one day, "Daddy, can I say damnit?" No son, you can't say damnit. Can I say dangit? Yes.

      He comes home a few weeks later. Daddy, can I say "What the." (As in WTF but without the F) After a little deliberation, we said OK. How can the words What and The be considered offensive. Well, after about a week of "What the..." I can't stop completing that sentence in my head. We finally changed our rule and told him that even though those aren't bad words, the way he's saying it isn't very nice. He made the decision that he doesn't want to do something that's 'ugly' and doesn't say it any longer.

      And as for the _your problem_ I agree and I disagree. In our house, we monitor what the kids watch. There's a number of cartoons (chowder) that we don't allow them to watch because they are do visually or verbally suggestive. That is OUR problem to monitor the kids. The problem lies in the fact that despite our best efforts, we're not alway going to be there. I don't want to be way over protective, but he's just five. I don't want him hearing things while we're walking around in public that we find offensive.

      not sure where I was going with all this, been interrupted so many times, I've lost my point. Sorry!

  • by the_raptor ( 652941 ) on Tuesday May 25, 2010 @12:26PM (#32338302)

    Yeah cause you never hear people say "shit" or much worse in about any situation I have ever been in during my life. I heard it at my Catholic primary school. This is what happens when "Christians*" live in little gated communities and become completely out of touch with reality and the wider community.

    * I am a Christian. Most of the people that whine about this stuff aren't really Christians. They just believe in ritual and "decency", they seem to miss that Jesus was mocking this kind of Pharisaical behaviour. Well actually they generally miss most of what Jesus said or at least fail to apply it.

  • is that the crankiest, dumbest, lamest voices are also the loudest voices, on any issue

    this PTC group consists of a handful of assholes who have self-appointed themselves as spokespeople for the rest of us, for our common decency, when the only thing they represent is a small shrill fringe of intrusive overcontrollling twatstains

  • So, really, what the Parents Television Council is ultimately aiming to do is outlaw THINKING bad words or thoughts, right? If the symbolism doesn't matter, it must be the underlying thought or intent, eh?

    Yeah... good luck with that. I suspect the principals behind the PTC will wind up being the first ones locked up.

  • While they're at it, shoot, darn, gosh-darn-it, and golly are just surrogates for other "unacceptable" words too. Perhaps the PTC should be going after "Leave it to Beaver" reruns as well for promoting this kind of potty-mouth behaviour in children. Gee-wilikers, hey don't even "bleep" those words!

  • by DynamoJoe ( 879038 ) on Tuesday May 25, 2010 @12:29PM (#32338352)
    Fine, then remove $#*! and put back the word "Shit". If they're going to be offended anyway, might as well make it count.
  • by Gopal.V ( 532678 ) on Tuesday May 25, 2010 @12:30PM (#32338364) Homepage Journal

    What do the decency groups know about indecency?

    (. ) ( .)

    Are these decent? I'm sorry, you can't wash out the filth out of my brain ... you can try, but I see the a-style logo [astyle.it] and I see what I see, because of the filth in *my* brain.

    If you see the same ... well *giggle*

  • Sorry. Maybe I'm getting old, but what is Qbert slang for? I know the game, BTW.
  • *Sigh* (Score:5, Insightful)

    by pete-classic ( 75983 ) <hutnick@gmail.com> on Tuesday May 25, 2010 @12:32PM (#32338380) Homepage Journal

    I block channels with religious programming, because I don't care to see it. If you are too sensitive to allow yourself to be exposed to implied vulgarity, feel free to block the channels that offend your delicate sensibilities.

    Here's the gaff; YOU AREN'T CBS's CUSTOMER. Advertisers are. CBS is quite expert at attracting viewers. If you don't like their content, by all means DON'T WATCH IT.

    This really isn't a difficult concept.

    -Peter

  • and change the name of the show to Crap My Dad Says instead. That'll show 'em!
  • "The PTC will wage an unrelenting campaign against every network advertiser that chooses to support this program; and in this instance, we will wage an unrelenting campaign against every local advertiser sponsoring the program at the affiliate station level," Winter warns.

    And I will boycott any company that caves into these power hungry anti American pansies: against Free Speech = Anti American = Traitor.

    And, I will put any company that tells these repressed sissies on the front of my purchasing list.

    The PTC are a bunch of #^&@@*# and $&@((*$## swallowing ^$**##!

    But PTC, because of the minority of people like you who can't take "harsh" words, I have stopped watching TV because it has become so infantilized to the point of being boring, vapid, and just a waste of time

  • by Angst Badger ( 8636 ) on Tuesday May 25, 2010 @12:34PM (#32338408)

    What's really offensive is that, in this day and age, we can't just say "shit" when we mean "shit". Queen Victoria may not be amused, but the Victorian age has been over for a long, long time.

  • "They're offended? Fuck, shit, asshole, shitfuck; they're just words...Fine. Shitfuck isn't a word, but you get my point."

  • How long has it been since Tim Winter last got laid? I wouldn't be surprised if he has no children of his own...
  • The $#*! stands in place of a word, in a particular context. It's the semantics of the underlying expression that is indecent, not the $#*! itself.

    Let's ask this question: how can you fill in the blank in ``____ my dad!'' such that the sentence is decent, and yet the word filled in requires to be covered up with $#*!.

  • I do not think... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Kylere ( 846597 ) on Tuesday May 25, 2010 @12:35PM (#32338430)
    I do not think that adults who still talk to invisible friends have any right to make decisions for the rest of us.
  • by RevWaldo ( 1186281 ) on Tuesday May 25, 2010 @12:53PM (#32338768)
    CBS President: So let me get this straight - you're condemning the show for having "$#*!" in the title?
    Head of PTC: Absolutely. It's clearly indecent!
    CBS: And you've sent press releases to every news organization and major blog across the country affirming that this is your position?
    PTC. That's right. And what are you going to do about it?
    CBS: (stifles a giggle) What am I going to do? Cartwheels all the way back to the office!

    .
  • by axl917 ( 1542205 ) <axl@mail.plymouth.edu> on Tuesday May 25, 2010 @02:34PM (#32340240)

    The Wikipedia article cannot be titled properly, due to technical limitations in the wikitext;

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleep_My_Dad_Says [wikipedia.org]

  • oh...if only... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by fudgefactor7 ( 581449 ) on Wednesday May 26, 2010 @07:58AM (#32347176)
    ...If only there was this way to, you know, make sure that the content blasted onto a TV that I dislike isn't displayed on the screen or pumped through the speakers... A switch or knob, perhaps.... Hmmm,

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