Obscene language on primetime television, according to a new study, is on a meteoric rise in both frequency and intensity – with the 'f-word,' for example, being spoken or bleeped 25 times as often as it was only five years ago.
--From "PTC study shows almost 70% jump in bad language on broadcast TV" by Joe Flint, posted at Los Angeles Times 11/9/10
According to "Habitat for Profanity: Broadcast TV’s Sharp Increase in Foul Language," a study released by PTC [Parents TV Council], there has been an almost 70% jump in bad words on broadcast TV (ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and the CW) in the last five years. Most disturbing to the PTC is that the time period showing the biggest gains is not the 10 p.m. hour when more adults are watching, but the 8 p.m and 9 p.m. hours, which attract younger viewers.
Among the words being used more often in prime time are "crap," "hell," "ass" and lot of other terms that are shorthand for breasts, genitals and various sexual acts that we can't print here. There are also a lot more cases of shows using profanities that are intentionally bleeped. The only questionable words (in the eyes of the PTC) that the study is seeing a decline in are "damn" and "bastard."
The study comes in the wake of a decision by the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals that called into question the Federal Communications Commission's methods and ability to enforce its indecency rules. The court specifically said the FCC's enforcement of its indecency rules was "unconstitutionally vague" and had a "chilling effect."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Family television? Better think again" by Drew Zahn © 2010 WorldNetDaily 11/12/10
"Our analysis of the first two weeks of this still-new fall television season shows a disturbing trend that shocked even us," said PTC President Tim Winter in a statement. "Profanity is far more frequent and the profanity itself is far harsher than just five years ago. Even worse, the most egregious language is being aired during the timeslots when children are most likely to be in the audience."
"After the Second Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the FCC's congressionally-mandated authority to enforce the broadcast decency law," Winter said, "industry and media pundits predicted a sharp increase in the amount of profanity on television. Sadly, they were correct."
He continued, speaking of the recent increase in obsene language: "Is this a coincidence? Is it an aberration? Or is this exactly the path that broadcasters and the 'creative community' in Hollywood set out when they began launching their legal attacks against the broadcast decency law?"
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