Will someone explain to me how this works? This is a rhetorical question.

[aphrodite_mine]

There is a problem with mainstream radio. Okay, there is a problem with mainstream culture, but let's just say that, for now, it's just the radio. There are weird rules for censorship on the radio. There are very specific rules for what you can say/sing and what you can't. Lady Gaga has to be a "free bit" on most stations instead of a "free bitch" -- I line that I find incredibly empowering and not, well, an expletive .

And not saying that Ke$sha is exactly worthy a listen, but what's so offensive about being "like a lovesick *****head" when the bleeps are "crack"? Do drugs not exist in our culture? Should teens not make weak similes related to them?

How is it that these are censored (including the ever-popular G--damn, which always puzzled me, as in "Shouldn't the bleeping be the other way around?") when sexually explicit lyrics like Rhianna's "Rude Boy" go free and clear (Note: I am not calling for a ban. I like the song, I just see a large disparity here). And incredibly sexist and disturbing lyrics go tromping through the latest dance groove untouched.

For example, the Black Eyed Peas' latest hit "Rock Your Body":

Yeah you could big ballin
Long as you feel like your own
Yeah you could be the model type,
Skinny wit no appetite
Short, stacked, black or white,
Long as you do what you like
Body outta sight, body, body outta sight

Okay, aside from the fact that the entire song pretty much objectifies the body of this female dancer... this line shocked me. The fact that this can go uncensored on the radio, and we're spending time picking out "crackhead"s from Ke$ha's "Love Drug" terrifies me.

Comments

[thegraduate09.livejournal.com]

The bleeping of 'god' instead of 'damn' is a religious thing. They don't care if you say damn, but heaven forbid you use the Lord's name in vain.

[imoan-naomi.livejournal.com]

No, I get that... but you can say God in other songs. And seriously, why are we still bleeping Goddamn for RELIGIOUS reasons when this other stuff is on the radio. If religion is so relevant in our lives, I'd think that 90% of this wouldn't make it on the air.

*too lazy to log out*

[thegraduate09.livejournal.com]

There's still probably a fuss about that somewhere. Like that one song, What if God was one of us? Huge stink about that.

Because there is always going to be that select few who talk a lot to the other select few about how they want religion to be a huge part of every day life again.

[aphrodite-mine.livejournal.com]

Okay, first of all there is a HUGE difference between the 'blasphemy' of "What if God was one of Us" and a song which the chorus consists solely of "Oh My God" repeated to a beat. Completely different issues.

I don't understand why supposed Christians make a stink about "Goddamn" but "Oh My God" is okay. And so is "damn". I'm not pissed at you here, I'm pissed at these hypocritical rules.

[sinandmisery.livejournal.com]

UGH! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! I have never understood how radios decide what to edit! It's ridiculous. My favorite, I think, is when they bleep "fuck" to be "f**k" so you hear fk instead of fuck. I used to laugh every time they'd play "You Oughta Know" because of "Are you think of me when you fk" her barely sounds different at all. Why even make the effort?

[aphrodite-mine.livejournal.com]

This. *sigh*

[quorothorn.livejournal.com]

Of course, if they didn't do that "f-k" routine, we wouldn't have a ready-made sound effect for Unnecessary Censorship vids. And that would be a shame.

I suspect that the...schizophrenic censorship practices of mainstream radio are due to the nature of the complaints they get, and the nature of radio. They'll err on the side of caution in areas where they know they could get jumped at (such as some of my fellow Christians getting bent out of shape on the use of the word "God")...and that's really their only concern: not "how offensive IS this, really?", but "how likely is this to set off trouble in our direction?"

Or maybe I'm totally off-base. Hi, by the way.