We know two things. One- everyone is supposed to be treated equally under the eyes of the law. Two- they aren’t.
The obvious and most popular example is the court case where Big Money squashes Joe Average even though his case is clearly legit. Or the ever-popular difference in wage for a man vs a woman doing the same job at the same skill level.
But surely some large and blind federal agency would be immune to such lynch tactics? Surely the American FCC is all about the actual letter of policy and not about targeting unfairly? Surely now, lewd and lascivious behaviour is indecent, no matter where it is or who’s doing it?
Say, for example, Oprah talked about the same sort of thing Howard Stern does, right on her show, broadcast to the nation in the same time slot that Howard is on. Surely if she was as graphic with her banter as Howard she would get slammed by the mighty FCC the same way Howard is? A violation is a violation, right?
Well, Jimmy Kimmel pointed out that, in fact, this is not so. What is good for the goose is not good for the gander.
The episode of Oprah’s show, on which she discussed various sexual acts in layman’s terms, was uncensored and unedited. No fines or charges were laid.
Howard’s show, airing in the same time slot and featuring parallel discussion in equivalent terms, was censored, bleeped, hacked, and hatcheted.
In fact, when word of Jimmy Kimmel’s expose on the hypocrisy of the FCC reached Howard, Howard aired the excerpt from Oprah’s show on his show and wouldn’t you know it: bleep bleep bleep hack bleep.
Oprah is too hot for Howard. The FCC says so. The FCC also says that people who watch Oprah are less succeptible to corruption and far more able to make their own judgement calls than Howard’s audience.
Now there’s an interesting catch-22. How can the FCC say one audience is different from another? If that were so then by all means have a different set of rules for each audience. If that is so, then you can’t keep attacking Howard Stern for violating rules that clearly don’t apply.
But… if Oprah can say one thing on her show, but not on Howard’s… which rules are we running with?
If you’re lost by now, don’t worry. So am I, except for one thing: the system is broken. The FCC fails because it’s run by people, not rules. Free Speech fails because it’s free only so long as no one complains and endangers your market share. The Law fails because it’s based on rules and your knowledge of precendents, not common sense or wisdom.
Howard Stern’s brand of entertainment is usually pretty low-brow. A lot of fart jokes and making fun of people like it’s grade three all over again. Frequently, however, he shows that he’s a thinker. He has a strong sense of right & wrong and he loves his country. He speaks up for the weak. He champions causes. He’s no saint, but then we don’t love him for a saintly nature. We love him for his refusal to turn the other cheek. He’s not afraid, in this time of rampant fanatical militant patriotism, to say Bush is a moron. A dangerous one that badly needs to be ousted from power. He, like others, has compared Bush to Hitler.
In a world where children are starving, women are raped, and good men are destroyed by a system drowning in bureaucracy, how the hell can anyone find it in their souls to bitch about a few fart jokes? How can anyone plead the decline of morality in America and point to Howard and then turn a blind eye to poverty in their own neighbourhoods?
The problem is, people, we all want a quick fix. We want to take down a kingpin (read: scapegoat) and make the bad thing go away. Look what a predictable and total fuck-up they made of Iraq, as if Suddam were the only problem. Honestly, I don’t really claim to be any better. I persist in the belief that getting rid of Bush will make all that much difference when what the world really needs is to take responsibility. Individually, locally, nationally, globally.
The Howard vs Oprah thing is here, and worth the read.
The very idea that removing Howard from the airwaves would in any way make the world a better place is patently ridiculous. Wake up, morons. How about doing something about polution, poverty, education, crime, corporate globalization, irresponsible and financially motivated old-boys-club government? No. You’d rather bitch about the fart jokes.
Why is it that those most capable of wielding power are those least likely to seek it? Who, exactly, put the idiots in charge? Or is it power that turns people into idiots? If I were thrust into power, would I fuck it up? Would I cowtow to the corporations and dodge responsibility? Bribery and corruption. Why is it that I’m so sure I could do a better job?
Howard, I don’t agree with everything you say any more than I do with Tom Leykis, but I love the fact you’re saying it and can excercise my own judgement. Personally, I think Rush Limbaugh is devil-spawn and embodies all that is most terrifying in the Great American Idiot. The aristocracy of the United States will continue rotting the core out of the American Dream, and continue fostering stupidity in the minds of the masses. Count on it. That’s where the money is.
Contribute to GWB right here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/misc/flag.html/102-5185944-8854512?pid=PIL7BZH4932PN&ptbid=&v=Detail&at=%2423%2C892.86&tc=619&e=&pt=Tb3xdiRFbISLIaR/fwyB2c0ECBspq4AS3BujDBR6y2h8nrmPno1ci299l6tNNl2v&amt=100.00&chk=0&redir=true
He doesn’t really need it. He’s got far more money than Kerry, Nader, or anybody else. Pray to God GWB will win again! (he should without much effort) The US is in much much much better hands than if Algore would have won.
Difference? Stern is intensionally trying to be sleazy, offensive, crude, shocking, and have no redeaming qualities whatsoever. Good riddance.
COMMENT:
Rush Limbaugh and his message and politics are far far better than anything Howard Stern would stand for. The US’s economy is finally getting on track after being derailed by the previous leftist liberal administration. Plenty is being done about pollution, poverty, etc. Now, hard-working folks are getting to keep more of their earnings!
What do they do up in Canada? Smoke a lot of pot, have gay sex, then hole up in their igloos to vent their jealously of their far superior neighbors to the south by trying to bash them?
Bunch of freaks in Canada.
Holy. Where do you guys find the time to get so misinformed?
Employment under Bushy has gone down by *millions* of jobs. Tax breaks are being handed to the rich, not “the hard-working folks”. Was that “Algore” or Al Gore you were refering to? Because Al Gore got more votes. And as for your impression of the Canadian lifestyle- do you guys believe every stereotype that trickles your way? You two seem happy enough to live up to yours.
And very impressive how you both utterly missed the point of the post.
Go check your stats – the US economy is actually recovering. Also, go learn about how voting in a republic works.
The rich don’t work hard? Says who? Ditch-diggers? Maybe ditch-diggers make too much already. Tax cuts trickle down to everybody.
… and so goes another successfully brainwashed citizen.
You’re the brainwashed one. Too lazy to do my homework assignments and actually learn the truth? Rather than regurgitate leftist rhetoric and falsehoods.
Tell you what, yank. You bring me news from an unbiased source that says the US has gone anywhere but down the sewer pipe and I won’t ban your IP. Keep spouting pointless antagonistic propaganda and I’ll just boot you. It’s pretty simple- contribute or beat it, nerd. If even the mainstream journalists are reconsidering their position on federal foreign and domestic policy surely even you can see the light.
Nerd? Flake.
It’s been widely reported (well, probably not at your favorite far left socialist propaganda outlets).
> reconsidering their position on federal foreign and domestic policy surely even you can see the light.
mainstream journalists = liberal. Nothing new, they’ve been bashing for a long time.
It’s really disgusting what Canada’s recently started doing. How brutal, barbaric, and greedy beyond compare. They’d kill their own kids if they could sell their bodies for profit.
WOW!
you are clearly lost yank. not only are you spewing bullshit, you can’t even defend your claims. you sound remarkably like the current US administration. and although it makes sense for mischiff to block your IP, i am curious just what exactly you are talking about when you say our actions are barbaric and we would kill our children for the money made off their corpses. very bold claims considering you offer no factual information. and don’t even seem to have an argument.
clearly, you are an idiot, who didn’t even get the point of the post in the first place.
good luck with that.
“It’s really disgusting what Canada’s recently started doing. How brutal, barbaric, and greedy beyond compare. They’d kill their own kids if they could sell their bodies for profit.”
What in the world are you talking about? Seriously.
And one thing that should be obvious even to you- jounalists aren’t liberal, nor are they conservative. They just want to make the big story. Earn their keep. Generate big piles of money. If they were liberal they wouldn’t be slamming liberals with equal measure, now would they.
Just give me some small sign you can think for yourself, yes?
Look, I don’t know what else you can find to do in Colorado, but surely you can entertain yourself writing Bush propaganda or something. If you’re not willing to move this conversation forward you might as well hit the road. It’s easy enough for me to block you from the site, so you just let me know.
Yes you totally missed the point. Economy is improving? Sure I agree with that. For instance if they lost 1.05 billion dollars last month and only lost 1.04 billion this month technically that IS an improvement.
You do seem to miss the big picture that the gross and net jobs are down. I am not even talking percentage of population. I’m talking cold hard numbers. Bush has created no new jobs while in office and he is the only president in the history of your United States to do so.
To put this in perspective if Bush ran your country from the start you would still live in log huts eating rabbits.
I can tell you still don’t understand. Let me spell it out. 100 jobs. bush comes into office. 90 jobs then 80. now numbers raise to 82 then 85 jobs. They can get Rush to spin this as “improving economy” but you are missing the fact you are still down 18 jobs from when you started.