The Family Guys
As the FCC starts a preliminary probe over the latest F-bomb incident, Fox has announced that it has pixellated a cartoon butt. Interestingly, the episode of “The Family Guy” first aired five years ago, butt and all.
I remember back in my college radio days, when people still wore shirts that said “Censorship is UnAmerican,” I’d occasionally be informed of a sinister example of censorship. Labels like “Orwellian” and “Big Brother” would be spit out, mid-rant. Although I never had the courage to dissent out loud, I usually questioned the logic. It just didn’t seem like the examples fit the definition of government censorship. Of course, now it’s a new era. On one hand, from Girls Gone Wild commercials to South Park Uncut on Comedy Central, it’s getting tougher for parents to just “turn the channel if you don’t like what’s on.” On the other hand, we’re now sanitizing the airwaves of cartoon butts–not to mention late-night F-bombs.
Whether it is on the local, state, or national level, conservatives regularly bemoan overzealous government regulation. Not when it comes to the FCC’s aggressive new policy toward potentially offensive content, the best I can tell. Are there are any prominent conservatives who are outraged–or maybe just concerned? It seems that people who speak passionately against heavy-handed government regulation remain quiet if the issue dips into the morals department. But I want to be fair. Who am I missing?