The Federal Communications Commission, or the FCC as those of us in the know call it, has a long history of using broad morality laws to inhibit free speech and force an unwritten value system onto a largely ignorant American public. Politicians and government appointed bureaucrats conveniently use the Bible as a legislative tool rather than the first Amendment. As a result of this Free Speech ignoring epidemic, our society is faced with a series of regulations inhibiting what we can and cannot say, while the FCC smiles atop its censorship apex falsely assuming it has sheltered future generations from the horrors of unbridled expression. Thankfully, a few judges have finally taken a stand against this totalitarian regime.
As we reported to you earlier, The Washington Post, has announced that a Federal Appeals Court has ruled against a government law levying fines against networks for accidentally uttered profanities. I can’t even describe how important this decision is. It’s a buoy for First Amendment activists and a thorn in the side for anyone hell-bent on turning this country into an Orwellian nation or even something out of “The Giver.”
Who is the FCC even trying to protect with these freedom squashing laws? I really hope it’s not to shield children from swearing. I have vivid memories of playing soccer in second grade and unloading streams of obscenities after every goal I let in. I even remember playing “the penis game”, an activity that was as sophomoric as it was hilarious, in which participants would have to shout “penis” at the top of their lungs near authority figures. The first one busted was sent to the principal’s office and was also subject to ridicule for being a dumbass and getting caught. I wasn’t the only one with a Bob Saget-like vocabulary either. Almost every other youngin’ I knew had a filthier mouth than former crack addict and Washington D.C. mayor Marion Berry; though, in stark contrast, our filthy mouths weren’t caused by “goddamn bitches” setting us all up.
If you want to be honest, the reason why organizations like the FCC are able to gain power is because America thrives on a culture of excuse making. Even noted serial killer Ted Bundy blamed pornography for driving him to bludgeon and rape 37 people. Parents blame the media, peer pressure, and other people for their children’s mistakes, when the vast majority of the fault should be placed squarely on the dumbass delinquient himself. Why’d your kid drop out of school and rob a liquor store? Because he’s a piece of shit. His overhearing of someone saying “fuck” on TV when he was six is completely irrelevant.
It’s about time someone stopped this iron curtain from infringing on any more lawful, artistic advancement. Why do we, as Americans, feel the need to present this moralistic front? The average person swears in their own home. You would certainly think that, in an effort to portray “realistic characters” on television, we would have begun allowing them to talk like ourselves. I guess not. Thankfully, a day will eventually come when free expression is no longer inhibited by government regulations. Until then, First Amendment supporters will continue to celebrate these little victories.
Lenny Bruce once said, “Take away the right to say “fuck” and you take away the right to say “fuck the government.” Something tells me he would have applauded this decision too.
