Use of Derogatory Word for Gays in a Song Breaches Broadcast

[radiofan]

From Broadcaster Magazine: http://www.broadcastermagazine.com/issu ... =DailyNews

Use of Derogatory Word for Gays in a Song Breaches Broadcast Codes


The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council today released its decision concerning the broadcast of the unedited version of the song "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits on CHOZ-FM (OZ FM, Newfoundland). The CBSC concluded that the presence of the word "faggot" in the song contravened the Human Rights Clauses of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters' (CAB) Code of Ethics and Equitable Portrayal Code.


Read the full story here: http://www.broadcastermagazine.com/issu ... =DailyNews

[drmusic]

A few people are predictably taking up the "politically correct" cause on this one. But the fact is, for most of the years since this song came out radio usually played a "radio edit" that removed that entire verse. It's only been recently, as stations rebuild their music libraries in digital formats, that the unedited version has popped up.

[yathink]

Sticks and stones...etc..etc......

[pieinthesky]

I have the edited version on a greatest hits CD. The only time I did hear is when I listened to the album cut and there it was. The opening is also longer with Sting. Doesn't bother me, I've heard worse.

[Mighty Thor]

The tinfoil hat brigade at certain other radio sites have begun hollering about "government censorship" and "politically correct" etc. But a few facts about the CBSC are worth noting:

(a) The CBSC was formed by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters and bills itself as a non-government, arm's length organization. It is separate and distinct from the CRTC, doesn't receive any government funding and costs Canadian taxpayers nothing.

(b) Radio stations aren't forced to join the CBSC and many news/talk radio stations across the country don't belong. As such, any station that is not a member is immune from CBSC criticism and cannot be the subject of a CBSC complaint.

(c) If a radio station violates a CBSC standard, the most serious penalty it can face is a written reprimand from the Council, which will be required to be read on air. Big deal.

(d) The CBSC only responds to listener complaints. Thus, any station could conceivably air the unedited version of "Money for Nothing" as often as it likes and, if no one complains, there's nothing the CBSC could do about it.

Frankly, this is much ado about nothing.

[freqfreak2]

Hot damn!

But let's get serious and take care of some unfinished business, like settling the "Louie Louie" debate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louie_Louie#Lyrics_investigation

Like he said ... much ado about nothing. It's only rock and roll and we like it (the way it was and will always be).

[slowhand]

I guess it makes a convenient target to draw attention away from the hundreds of syndicated gay-bashing late 70s and early 80s episodes of mostly sitcoms that are aired each day across this fair country.

[freqfreak2]

I guess it makes a convenient target to draw attention away from

serious issues facing the broadcast industry, like ...

vertical integration, concentration of ownership, lack of live and local, fair wages, market over-saturation, conflict of interest within news departments ... did I miss anything?

[Mike Cleaver]

The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council is an industry founded body with NO government connection.
Stations join voluntarily and pledge to abide by its decisions.
Many stations do not belong to this council.
Its decisions have no weight in law and only apply to its members.
That means a station that doesn't belong to the council is fully within its rights to continue to play the unedited version.
The decision came as the result of one listener complaint!
One!
As an out gay man, the use of the "derogatory term" in this song does not bother me.
Gay men have been using that term about each other for decades and when its used in a conversation without malice, no one takes any notice.
However, a straight man or woman using that term in a mean or hurtful way towards a gay man or woman IS offensive.
To draw an analogy, it seems to be OK for a black man or woman to call another black man or woman the "N" word but it's deemed not OK for someone of another race to use that word.
Others on this and other forums have pointed out many other songs which include "derogatory" words, including just about every piece of rap-crap ever recorded.
Are they (the council) going to go on a witch hunt to search out every offending song and ban it as well?
And as DrMusic pointed out, most radio stations when the song came out and until recently, played the "sanitized" radio edit anyway.
He also pointed out the full version is starting to be heard as stations redo their digital libraries because most of the radio edit copies have long since disappeared.
This is PC gone amuck.
If they're going to censor one song, they then will have to censor them all.
I think I'll file a complaint about every Enema "song" ever recorded.

[radiofan]

Maybe the 40 year old Ten Years After hit "I'd Love To Change The World" will be next ..


Everywhere is freaks and hairies
Dykes and fairies
Tell me where is sanity?



Read more: http://www.metrolyrics.com/id-love-to-c ... z1AzLEPQ00

[Mighty Thor]

Are they (the council) going to go on a witch hunt to search out every offending song and ban it as well?

Just to clarify (largely for the benefit of the tinfoil hat brigade and the lazy media coverage brought about by this story), the CBSC didn't "ban" the playing of the song. It has no power to "ban" anything. The ruling simply means that the use of the term "f*ggot" in the song violates broadcast standards set by the CAB and the CBSC. If a station who is a CBSC member chooses to play the unedited version of the song, it can do so. However, if a listener complains about it to the CBSC, then another "slap on the wrist" will be handed out by the Council, which will then be read on the air and promptly forgotten.

As an aside, the CBSC has taken on "offensive" rap lyrics on several occasions in the past, including handing down a decision against a Kitchener, Ontario radio station a few years ago that played songs with references to slapping women around, punching out old people and other "social poetry of the street."

[Neumann Sennheiser]

Maybe the 40 year old Ten Years After hit "I'd Love To Change The World" will be next ..


Everywhere is freaks and hairies
Dykes and fairies
Tell me where is sanity?



Read more: http://www.metrolyrics.com/id-love-to-c ... z1AzLEPQ00

"A gay in New York, just a fag in L.A."
- Rolling Stones / When The Whip Comes Down

[Cliff Bashly Kinkade]

Thor and Cleaver:

Well said gentlemen! Unfortunately the flaccid indignation of the radio stations et al has more to do with publicity.

[Paid2Play]

According to this song...this guy's got his own jet airplane AND is a millionaire.

Where do I sign up?

[PMC]

This guy has an nice summary of tunes and perspective, and worth the read.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/business ... story.html