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It Has an OFF Button Folks
Feb. 26th, 2005 11:26 amThe following is a story from the AP wire that is making the rounds.
FCC rejects 'Angel' indecency complaint
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON -- A love scene from the canceled TV show "Angel" that showed a female character turning into a vampire and biting her partner's neck did not overstep federal indecency rules, the Federal Communications Commission ruled Friday.
It was one of two scenes from a November 2003 episode of "Angel" that were not "sufficiently graphic or explicit to render the program patently offensive" by contemporary standards, the FCC said in denying an indecency complaint from the Parents Television Council.
"Angel," which was canceled by the WB last year after five seasons, starred David Boreanaz in the title role of an 18th-century vampire who tried to atone for past evil deeds in present day Los Angeles.
One scene involved Angel in an intimate moment with a female character in which Angel's hips are seen "moving back and forth," the Parents Television Council said in its complaint.
In the scene depicting the female vampire biting the neck of her partner, also a vampire, both characters had clothes on and "their breathing is heavy," the complaint said.
The episode aired at 9 p.m. EST on Nov. 19, 2003. The indecency law bars nonsatellite radio and noncable television stations from airing between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. indecent material such as references to sexual and excretory functions. Those are the hours when children are more likely to be watching TV.
But not all sexual and excretory references or scenes are considered indecent. The FCC must consider context and its decisions are subjective interpretations of the law.
The FCC said the "Angel" scenes were not patently offensive "as defined by commission precedent" and therefore were not indecent.
The complaint was officially filed against WBDC-TV in Washington, though the program aired on WB stations across the country. The FCC asks that indecency complaints include the call letters of a television or radio station.
I checked out the Parents Television Council webpage and found it full of self-righteous indignation colored with titillation. “Look here at the worst shows on TV. Warning Graphic Content!” There is also a lot of patting on the back for censoring TV for “the betterment of our children.” I mean the cry “For the Children” became a running gag among a bunch of my friends due to the over usage of the phrase.
My parents had a way of controlling the TV. It was called the off switch. Amazingly enough I have the same power over what my daughter watches. The off switch has not changed in years even with the advent of all this new technology and cable TV. It is a simple way to remove the offensive material from the screen without affecting the whole country. Even George Bush endorses the use of the off button.
It use to be that Ariel was not allowed to see Angel. She was too young and we deemed the content to be too adult for her to see. Now that she is 13, she can see most of the episodes but not all. There are a few Angel and Buffy episodes that she has not seen nor will see until she is older if she wants to. There is still content in those episodes that we don’t think she should be exposed to. She hasn’t seen Kill Bill even though she expressed an interest because we think it has scenes that are not appropriate for her at this time. We choose what she sees and doesn’t see at this time. I know that some day we will have less of a say (if any at all) but for now this is how things are.
I am grateful that my parents taught me that there was an off switch and it should be used.
FCC rejects 'Angel' indecency complaint
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON -- A love scene from the canceled TV show "Angel" that showed a female character turning into a vampire and biting her partner's neck did not overstep federal indecency rules, the Federal Communications Commission ruled Friday.
It was one of two scenes from a November 2003 episode of "Angel" that were not "sufficiently graphic or explicit to render the program patently offensive" by contemporary standards, the FCC said in denying an indecency complaint from the Parents Television Council.
"Angel," which was canceled by the WB last year after five seasons, starred David Boreanaz in the title role of an 18th-century vampire who tried to atone for past evil deeds in present day Los Angeles.
One scene involved Angel in an intimate moment with a female character in which Angel's hips are seen "moving back and forth," the Parents Television Council said in its complaint.
In the scene depicting the female vampire biting the neck of her partner, also a vampire, both characters had clothes on and "their breathing is heavy," the complaint said.
The episode aired at 9 p.m. EST on Nov. 19, 2003. The indecency law bars nonsatellite radio and noncable television stations from airing between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. indecent material such as references to sexual and excretory functions. Those are the hours when children are more likely to be watching TV.
But not all sexual and excretory references or scenes are considered indecent. The FCC must consider context and its decisions are subjective interpretations of the law.
The FCC said the "Angel" scenes were not patently offensive "as defined by commission precedent" and therefore were not indecent.
The complaint was officially filed against WBDC-TV in Washington, though the program aired on WB stations across the country. The FCC asks that indecency complaints include the call letters of a television or radio station.
I checked out the Parents Television Council webpage and found it full of self-righteous indignation colored with titillation. “Look here at the worst shows on TV. Warning Graphic Content!” There is also a lot of patting on the back for censoring TV for “the betterment of our children.” I mean the cry “For the Children” became a running gag among a bunch of my friends due to the over usage of the phrase.
My parents had a way of controlling the TV. It was called the off switch. Amazingly enough I have the same power over what my daughter watches. The off switch has not changed in years even with the advent of all this new technology and cable TV. It is a simple way to remove the offensive material from the screen without affecting the whole country. Even George Bush endorses the use of the off button.
It use to be that Ariel was not allowed to see Angel. She was too young and we deemed the content to be too adult for her to see. Now that she is 13, she can see most of the episodes but not all. There are a few Angel and Buffy episodes that she has not seen nor will see until she is older if she wants to. There is still content in those episodes that we don’t think she should be exposed to. She hasn’t seen Kill Bill even though she expressed an interest because we think it has scenes that are not appropriate for her at this time. We choose what she sees and doesn’t see at this time. I know that some day we will have less of a say (if any at all) but for now this is how things are.
I am grateful that my parents taught me that there was an off switch and it should be used.
