BBC Radio 1 censors the word "****" from Fairytale of New York

Dave!

Dudess wrote: »

But, while it's being used as an insult, I don't think it's necessarily a dig at gay men.

True enough, it's a dig at Shane McGowan (in the song), but it's using an offensive term for homosexual to insult him, and in so doing, it's also associating homosexuality with being a bad thing. I mean, I could call my white straight friend a f*ggoty n*gger, and that would be considered by most people to be unacceptable. I don't think it's up for debate much that it's offensive to gays; more whether it should be allowed on radio or not.

whiskeyman

MagicMarker wrote: »

Anyway... who cares exactly?

OMG!! The 's' word!!! We must censor this post!!!111

Probably the same people that would have the above style of thinking.
Scary, isn't it?

herbieflowers

Those bloody Brits, always trying to keep the little Irish man down, they haven't changed since Cromwell!

Dudess

DaveMcG wrote: »

True enough, it's a dig at Shane McGowan (in the song), but it's using an offensive term for homosexual to insult him, and in so doing, it's also associating homosexuality with being a bad thing. I mean, I could call my white straight friend a f*ggoty n*gger, and that would be considered by most people to be unacceptable. I don't think it's up for debate much that it's offensive to gays; more whether it should be allowed on radio or not.

All true. But I think what appeals to people about that song is its honesty and the way it's kinda gritty. And that's the kind of language hard-drinking, tough Irish immigrants would have used - not that it was a good thing or anything, but that level of realism... I just find it fantastic, and I really think shame on the BBC for sticking its oar in - even if it did ultimately reverse its decision.

Dave!

My favourite Christmas song

LordBlonde

Karsini wrote: »

I've heard this censored for a few years now, one of the Sky music stations was bound to do it at some time over the Christmas period. The "offensive" lyric was simply blanked out. But I've heard worse, not even the word "ass" ... I've heard "gun" being censored in a couple of songs over the last year or so. Absolute madness "eh, I heard Rihanna say gun so I'm gonna whip out a glock at me oul one"

Haha. That reminded me of one of Chris Rock's stand-up shows.

"White man makes guns, no problem. Black rapper says 'gun' - congressional hearing.”

MTV is terrible for censorship. They actually censored out the words "nuclear war" in Gay Bar by Electric Six.

Wertz

I was livid when I heard this this morning at work, especially as an avid fan of BBC R1 and an advocate of it's merits on this forum. The gay rights agenda that this bullsh*t decision panders to has been rising inexorably for the last few years, but I never thought it would come to this....it's funny though because if you listen to a lot of stuff on the playlists, it has no bother promoting underage sex/drinking or the use of recreational drugs....but heaven forbid we might offend a few queers. :rolleyes:
This isn't PC gone mad as much as it is the pink lobby in the halls of broadcasting house.
Just to note that I'm not the biggest fan of Fairytale (played out IMO) but as others have mentioned, it's the whole context of the lyrics...there is NO insult to homosexuals; anyone that construes such from the song needs their ears testing or a crash course in basic literacy...

Pherekydes

Dudess wrote: »

Slow coach wrote: »

Odious rotten song. I loathe it.

But you'd prefer it to, say, Shakin' Stevens' Merry Christmas Everyone or Cliff's Mistletoe and Wine or Boney M's Mary's Boy Child... wouldn't you?

You don't know me; I'm an old fashioned dude. Believe me, the Pogues are at the VERY VERY bottom of my Christmas song list, beneath even Slade, Shakin' Stevens and Cliff.


/shuffles off, humming "Stille Nacht"

arybvtcw0eolkf

DaveMcG wrote: »

Surprised it was allowed for so long to be honest... It's an offensive term for homosexuals (as well as being a bundle of sticks). If the song was "you cheap lousy n*gger", I wonder would it still be "PC gone mad."
You're either allowed to use those kinds of words on the radio, or you're not... Can't pick and choose.

If it was sung by a black rapper, nothing would be said of course.

Latchy

Dudess wrote: »

Yep, he ran for Conservative Mayor of London. But wasn't it Frankie's Relax that he refused to play?

Actually your right Dude ,twas frankie and not the sex pistols .

He probably had the countrys (teen ) morals in mind when he banned it

OPENROAD

The Real B-man wrote: »

Ahh liven up!! its a great song

Sorry, but I really really really hate that song.

Latchy

Thing about that song is non-irish people associate it with ireland and irishness ,now weather thats a good or bad thing is debatable as it is here.

I like the song even with it's stage irish pretentious lyrics .

I can imagine any ex-pat weather he be in London NY or Sydney hearing that song at christmas with images of the old sod in his/her head .:)

arybvtcw0eolkf

An absolutely fantastic song, one I think history will record with greatness.

OctavarIan

The BBC censorship has always been a farce, although this is pretty strange. What were they doing for the past 20 years where it wasn't censored? I find it hard to believe anyone would get offended by the word ****, especially in the context it's used in that song. Although needless censorship and PC seems to be the latest craze. Meteor ad anyone?

And just to add, I used to love the song as a kid, but now every time i hear it being played it's like being repeatadly punched in the ears. That and 'Do They Know It's Christmas?'. Nasty.

patrickc

the beeb's are too sensitive... you scumbag you maggot you cheapy lousy beep.. FFS

AlmightyCushion

MagicMarker wrote: »

You think that's bad?

Paramount censor ''ass'' from the likes of That 70's Show. :rolleyes:

Anyway... who cares exactly?

Mtv do that as well. It's really irritating. If I remember correctly from my days working there Tesco didn't censor it when it was played. Didn't the bbc ban The drugs don't work because it encouraged drug taking even though it was about something completely different.

The BBC also banned The Kinks from using the words "Coca Cola" in one of their songs and banned "Lets Spend The Night Together" by The Rolling Stones. They've been at it for years I tells ya! Also banned Aon Focail Eile lol.

Dudess

Any gay guys posting here who are offended by the use of the word "****" in that song?

AlmightyCushion

Why did they ban the words coca cola?

AlmightyCushion

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

Why did they ban the words coca cola?

My dad told me about this one. No advertising on the BBC basically. So they used the words "cherry cola" instead.

Karsini

Karsini wrote: »

My dad told me about this one. No advertising on the BBC basically. So they used the words "cherry cola" instead.

Remember the infamouse "sticky backed plastic" on "Blue peter" in the olden days!

Have recently noticed that on an ever increasing number of programmes brand names are being pixelated more than ever before, not just the Beeb, but many commercial channels who can't get any revenue out of manufacturers whoes products happen to be on show.

Mossy Monk

Deleted User wrote: »

Have recently noticed that on an ever increasing number of programmes brand names are being pixelated more than ever before, not just the Beeb, but many commercial channels who can't get any revenue out of manufacturers whoes products happen to be on show.

I wouldn't blame them if that is the reason. Why should they give free advertising to companies? I believe the main reason for it is product placement.

Pigman II

Dudess wrote: »

It took until 6pm for you to lol? And on Christmas week? You are one serious dude!

Don't judge the man, just be grateful I came along in time.

Mossy Monk

Mossy Monk wrote: »

I wouldn't blame them if that is the reason. Why should they give free advertising to companies? I believe the main reason for it is product placement.

Yes you're right about placed products, but it seems to have extended to any label on anything that is in view, for example a man looks out the window and a van with

*****

on the side passes by nothing to do with the plot at all, at all.

doonothing

Aww that's crap. I hate seeing the artists original vision distorted, for whatever reason
Censorship should be banned!

Lirange

Tempest in a pisspot.

Dire Straits' Money for Nothin uses "****" more often and with more invective than this.

Spunj

E's are good, E's are good!

Errr I mean Ebeneezer good

I remember the hoopla about this song and IT eventually got by so once again the PC brigade talk out of their asses, publicise a release and creep back into their holes.

And I don't mean caves.

Dr Strange

Reversed decision by BBC regarding "Fairytale of New York":

http://www.rte.ie/arts/2007/1219/pogues.html

Everything back to normal.

Red Alert

I'm sure the PC mob will just go for the jackpot next year and ban christmas altogether. These are the same guys that said you can't advertise a football to lads or a barbie doll to girls.

I remember way way back watching Top of the Pops one night and they censored the word 'Arse' from Divine Comedy's National Express.

Blisterman

Isn't it funny, how more people are offended by the fact that a classic Christmas song was censored, than were ever offended by the original lyrics?

lucozader

shame

Dyr

I heard those PC bastards at the BBC now have Kevin "bloody" Wilson's classic track "hey santa claus you c**t" in their sights :mad:

The BBC have done a U-Turn on their decision so

THE DISCUSSION IS CLOSED,

THANK YOU

Mossy Monk

Who made you a moderator?

Noone,
Dont get upset now

Mossy Monk

I became upset a long time ago.

iguana

DaveMcG wrote: »

Surprised it was allowed for so long to be honest... It's an offensive term for homosexuals (as well as being a bundle of sticks). If the song was "you cheap lousy n*gger", I wonder would it still be "PC gone mad."

You're either allowed to use those kinds of words on the radio, or you're not... Can't pick and choose.

True enough, let's ban Mark Twain. Do you know how many times the word n*igger is used in Huckleberry Finn? :eek:

The_Minister

This is rubbish.

The Minister

Latchy

Karsini wrote: »

The BBC also banned The Kinks from using the words "Coca Cola" in one of their songs and banned "Lets Spend The Night Together" by The Rolling Stones. They've been at it for years I tells ya! Also banned Aon Focail Eile lol.

When the stones appeared on the ed sullivan show they were asked to change the 'word ' spend' in the song to somthing else although i think jagger went ahead and said ' spend' anyway.

I think Lucy in the sky with diamonds was also banned by the bbc for it's (so called) drug message LSD

Blisterman

A Day in the Life as well. Because of the line "I'd like to turn you on"

Apparently, the ban was never actually lifted.

ven0m

ejmaztec wrote: »

I find it odd that someone is trying to get the UK Christmas Number 1 with "Hava Nagila", the Jewish folk song. Christmas has been hijacked by everybody.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/935420.html

Irony is the Jewish community do not even celebrate "Christmas"



:::: ven0mous ::::

il gatto

Mossy Monk wrote: »

They are censoring it because someone might be offended. For shame. Bundles of dry sticks everywhere, unite against censorship. Can't say I listen to BBC Radio 1 anyway. I am more of a BBC Radio 2 person.

Classic:D

Wacker

Blisterman wrote: »

A Day in the Life as well. Because of the line "I'd like to turn you on"

Apparently, the ban was never actually lifted.

I thought it was on account of the lines in the middle "Found my way upstairs and had a smoke. Somebody spoke and I went into a dream." Clearly about drug use. But then, so was most of the late 60's!

Good news that the ban has been lifted. It is only a word, and I agree that there doesn't really seem to be any more negative intent with '****' than there is with 'maggot' in the context.
Words in general should be de-stigmatized, in my opinion. I liekt he fact that characters say sh*t in Southpark.

smokeandmirrors

RTE's Morning Ireland show this morning had an interview with renowned 'liberal' Peter Tatchell (representing something erm called the Queer Rights Group) defending the indefensible.

At least the BBC Controller had the good grace to say he was embarassed.

If it were April 1 we'd get the joke...although it is the silly season I suppose.

btw there is a full text transcript of the segment downloadable from http://www.transcripts.ie/2007Review.jsp

Blisterman

Well, **** originally meant pile of sticks as someone said, so it hardly exclusively a gay word, anyway.

GLaDOS

I have 2 gay friends who have no problem calling people faggotss, purely for the irony

Hogmeister B

Blisterman wrote: »

Well, **** originally meant pile of sticks as someone said, so it hardly exclusively a gay word, anyway.

The term first came to be used in relation to homosexuals because said piles of sticks were lit under someone who was tied to a stake. For bein GEAAAAH.

WoollyRedHat

Why is this being treated as the biggest news as the week? Who listens to the BBC for music anyway?!

Pigman II

WoollyRedHat wrote: »

Why is this being treated as the biggest news as the week? Who listens to the BBC for music anyway?!

Faggots

OPENROAD

WoollyRedHat wrote: »

Why is this being treated as the biggest news as the week? Who listens to the BBC for music anyway?!

I do, well radio 2.