What's worse, swearing or nuclear waste?

Jeff Yu · Mar 1, 2005

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/st...inRegion&rnd=1109583119548&has-player=unknown

When the Federal Communications Commission fined Clear Channel Communications $27,500 last year for each of eighteen incidents of "indecent material" spouted by shock jock Howard Stern, it sure seemed like a lot of money. But in retrospect those fines look like chump change. On February 16th, the Bush administration won House approval for a bill that would raise the maximum FCC fine to $500,000 per violation. Under the new measure, Clear Channel -- and Stern himself -- could each have been fined a total of $9 million.

"Free expression and First Amendment rights are the real target of this legislation," declared Rep. Bernie Sanders (Ind-Vt.) during the debate over the bill. "This is not what America is about."

A review of fines levied by other federal agencies suggests that the government may be taking swear words a bit too seriously. If the bill passes the Senate, Bono saying "****ing brilliant" on the air would carry the exact same penalty as illegally testing pesticides on human subjects. And for the price of Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" during the Super Bowl, you could cause the wrongful death of an elderly patient in a nursing home and still have enough money left to create dangerous mishaps at two nuclear reactors. (Actually, you might be able to afford four "nuke malfunctions": The biggest fine levied by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission last year was only $60,000.)

If Bush has his way, Howard Stern may soon have a tough choice to make: Tell a sex joke on the air, or dump toxic waste in New York's drinking water while willfully placing an employee at risk of injury or death? No wonder the foul-mouthed host is moving to satellite radio, which falls outside the authority of the FCC.

Erik Mesoy · Mar 1, 2005

Argh. You can't enforce decency. At least, not this way.
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Aphex_Twin · Mar 1, 2005

You're thinking at this wrong. Nuclear waste can have it's nasty consequences, but they are ultimately worldly consequences. Swearing will turn you away from God :ack:

Masquerouge · Mar 1, 2005

That's the weirdest thing about the US, I think. This focus on swearing. I remember back in 1993 that a movie like "Mister Congressman" starring Eddie Murphy would get an R for "bad" langage, while action movies where people are killed by the dozen would get PG13 :confused:

h4ppy · Mar 1, 2005

Just because some countries don't enforce decency desn't mean that America has to put up with potty mouths. (I agree with you on the needing to be less regulation on swear words, but I also think that there needs to be less regulation on violence)

Masquerouge · Mar 1, 2005

h4ppy said:
Just because some countries don't enforce decency desn't mean that America has to put up with potty mouths. (I agree with you on the needing to be less regulation on swear words, but I also think that there needs to be less regulation on violence)

In fact I was not comparing the US to other countries, I was just saying that I don't understand how you can consider swearing worse to see/hear than murders.

CIVPhilzilla · Mar 1, 2005

Again showing why religious views needs to stay out of the political spectrum.

mrtn · Mar 1, 2005

Masquerouge said:
In fact I was not comparing the US to other countries, I was just saying that I don't understand how you can consider swearing worse to see/hear than murders.

I completely agree. If you didn't know the legislation you'd think it was illegal to make love, and legal to kill people. :dubious:

cgannon64 · Mar 1, 2005

CIVPhilzilla said:
Again showing why religious views needs to stay out of the political spectrum.

...Because non-religious people bring it up in inappropiate debates?

JohnRM · Mar 1, 2005

satellite radio, which falls outside the authority of the FCC.

Wait for it........

amadeus · Mar 1, 2005

The airwaves are leased from the government, so the FCC has the right/responsibility to regulate the content that is released on them. If you want to show Janet Jackson's wrinked boob, do it on cable or satellite.

ComradeDavo · Mar 2, 2005

rmsharpe said:
The airwaves are leased from the government, so the FCC has the right/responsibility to regulate the content that is released on them. If you want to show Janet Jackson's wrinked boob, do it on cable or satellite.

Which is rather unfair on people who can't afford cable or satellite. Which tends to be poorer people.

The Last Conformist · Mar 2, 2005

So what? Much as it irks me to side with rmsharpe, people don't have right to see Janet Jacksons boob. Hell, they don't even have a right to afford a TV set.

ComradeDavo · Mar 2, 2005

The Last Conformist said:
So what? Much as it irks me to side with rmsharpe, people don't have right to see Janet Jacksons boob. Hell, they don't even have a right to afford a TV set.

I meant it more in the way that the government is forcing a mandate on people. It's like 'your poor so you can only watch what we deem acceptable'.

LLXerxes · Mar 2, 2005

enough to pay for 4 nuke malfunctions? Man oh man.
I don't understand swearwords. They are disrespectful but people still use them. All of my teachers punish you for swearing, but my 4th grade teacher just couldn't control herself!
Nuclear waste is definately worse. If I say the word crap, which many people consider a swear word, I won't kill anybody. Nuclear waste is a hazard to us all, while the words crap and ass are just words we use all the time. 500000 bucks for swearing, I couldn't afford that even once :mischief:

King Alexander · Mar 2, 2005

Without joking-swearing in RL, life would be boring to death. All words have a purpose and one can use them clever and when appropriate.

Nuclear waste, is very harmful for humans, OTOH, and it's a threat.

Azadre · Mar 2, 2005

Love Canal was much worse than nipple gate.

Rhymes · Mar 2, 2005

What I dont understand about americans is that the words you call "swearing" dont even make reference to religious terms, so why is it that they are bad? At least in Quebec our swearing is god forbidden profanity, like osti, calice, christ, tabernacle, bapteme, etc....

Azadre · Mar 2, 2005

Rhymes said:
What I dont understand about americans is that the words you call "swearing" dont even make reference to religious terms, so why is it that they are bad? At least in Quebec our swearing is god forbidden profanity, like osti, calice, christ, tabernacle, bapteme, etc....

Sometimes they are used in malice.

Perfection · Mar 2, 2005

Rhymes said:
What I dont understand about americans is that the words you call "swearing" dont even make reference to religious terms, so why is it that they are bad? At least in Quebec our swearing is god forbidden profanity, like osti, calice, christ, tabernacle, bapteme, etc....

Hey, aren't holy words like supposed to be good anyways? I think crude sexual and scatological terminology is worse then this allegedly pure religion stuff.

What's worse, swearing or nuclear waste?

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