Editorial

(Parents, this editorial is not suitable for children)

Hollywood got an early Christmas present this year when the Federal Communications Commission recently endorsed indecent speech on the nation’s airwaves—something that seemed impossible in our already terribly indecent television and radio programming— and made the job of parenting just a little bit harder in the process.

Undoubtedly thinking of former United States Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s influential 1993 essay, "Defining Deviancy Down," eight pro-family groups in a brief decrying the FCC’s decision to allow the use of the "f-word" in broadcast media has asked the government agency to reverse the Oct. 3 action, noting, "Instead of taking steps to reduce broadcast indecency, the Enforcement Board has once again defined indecency down and, in the process, extended a broad invitation to broadcasters to fill the public airwaves with dirty words...."

The FCC action (or, rather, inaction) came in response to a complaint filed by the Parents Television Council urging the Commission to punish television stations which aired a live, NBC telecast of the "Golden Globe Awards" on January 19, 2003, in which rocker Bono exclaimed, "This is f- - - - - - brilliant!" Because the use of the word "does not describe or depict sexual or excretory activities and organs" and was a "fleeting and isolated" remark, the FCC found that the indecency laws were not violated and no punishment was necessary. Instead, the FCC’s so-called enforcement officials found that Bono’s use of the word was "as an adjective or expletive to emphasize an exclamation."

Got it? The FCC says it’s okay to the use the "f—word" on television and radio, so long as the performer is just attempting to underscore his or her lewd point!

Ironically, Bono, lead singer of the rock band U2, has received a great deal of positive attention in certain Christian media in the last several years because of his challenge to church leaders to become involved in the fight against the AIDS pandemic on the continent of Africa. Bono, who claims to be a Christian, has bemoaned the relative inaction of believers on AIDS, even while recognizing that it is only through the heightened involvement of Christians—and particularly evangelicals—that real progress can be made on this social scourge.

"I really am surprised and even a little disappointed that I can’t continue to beat up the church, because they have really responded," Bono told a Chicago Sun-Times reporter in a story published Dec. 5, noting that evangelicals are largely responsible for President Bush’s decision to request vastly increased AIDS funding for Africa.

Without intending it, Bono has once again stirred-up evangelicals.

Since the news about the FCC’s response to Bono’s remark on the "Golden Globe Awards," the Commission has been bombarded with letters and e-mail urging action. American Family Association reports that its more than 150,000 e-mail recently temporarily shut down the FCC’s e-mail system.

The concern is warranted. It is undeniable that this decision—if left in place—will "open the floodgates for an unrelenting stream of such language," as Rep. Charles Pickering, R-Miss., said in a letter to the FCC. "No ordinary American stops to consider how the ‘f-word’ is used ... before deciding whether it is indecent or profane to his or her own self or family. It is time for the FCC to follow this model and apply simple, ordinary common sense to such situations in the interest of the American public."

In a joint letter to FCC chairman Michael Powell, more than 30 representatives, including Florida congressman Dave Weldon, a Republican from the 15th congressional district, decried the FCC’s response, noting that it "sends a poor message to the entertainment industry about the FCC’s willingness to enforce standards for broadcast indecency."

Families "feel that the federal government has sided with media elites and turned a blind eye to the concerns of ordinary Moms and Dads," the letter continued.

The brief by the pro-family groups, including Morality in Media, Focus on the Family, Family Research Council and the American Family Association, was filed Dec. 3 in support of the Parent Television Council’s Application for Review of the Enforcement Bureau’s order. The groups note that the decision on the "Golden Globe Awards" follows a pattern of FCC inaction for more than two decades, adding that the agency has never fined a broadcast television network affiliate for indecent programming provided by one of the broadcast networks.

"Just as a cop on the beat cannot prevent every mugging, so the Commission cannot prevent every violation of the broadcast indecency law," the brief argues. "But when cops do their jobs well, there is less crime; and when the FCC begins to do its job well, there will be less broadcast indecency."

In spite of the large outcry, the American Family Association is asking for even more response to force the Commission to re-visit this matter. You can contact the FCC through AFA’s Web site: www.afa.net, or letters can be addressed to: The Honorable Michael Powell, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20554.

Tell the FCC to stop defining indecency down.