Huckleberries Online

Crump: S-Bomb One Curse Too Many

Posted by DFO

March 25, 2009 1 p.m. • 17 comments

Don’t look now, but there’s cussing on basic cable TV nowadays. No, serious cussing. The “s” word. You can hear it on TNT’s “Amazing Grace” any Monday night, and I’m sure elsewhere as well. I figure it’s only a matter of time before Simon Cowell describes how he really feels about an “American Idol” contestant in words of one syllable. Not the end of civilization as we know it, perhaps, but I sure can’t watch TV anymore. See, I grew up in the 1960s, when comedian George Carlin clearly outlined “the seven words you can’t say on TV.” Heck, I’ve heard three of them over the air in the past week - and I don’t even have HBO/Steve Crump, Twin Falls Times-News. More here.

Question: Is there too much cussing on TV?

17 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

JeanieSpokane on March 25 at 2:10 p.m.
If I had young children, I would definitely have rules of what they can watch. Particular channels are notorious for upping the cursing - TNT and Spike are ones to watch out for.
JohnA on March 25 at 2:26 p.m.
Is there too much cussing on TV?

@#%& yes!

And way too much sax and violins as well.
Rosalind on March 25 at 2:34 p.m.
I don’t think there’s ENOUGH cussing on television. I think people need to get over themselves. There are a lot more terrible things in the world than arbitrary swear words.
Liz on March 25 at 7:23 p.m.
oh, gosh, yes, I remember George Carlin’s seven words you can’t say on TV!!!

I seem to remember sitting around snickering about it with some people I knew in college. Being involved in the radio world as I was than and not having been sanctified by Jesus yet, I took it as a challenge to see just exactly how far I could push those limits. I was a very rebellious young ‘un.

Something saying “not for radio airplay’ on it was like an engraved invitation to me screaming out “play me, play me”. Good thing I never got caught. Now, I may have to confess this soon as I have recently reconnected with the individual who would have caught it from the university administration on my behalf if I had ever been busted….
Bree on March 25 at 7:36 p.m.
The Disney Channel was on the other day and there was a movie about two girls who drove race cars (can’t remember the name) and the mom in the movie asked the father if she was being a B*tch. I couldn’t believe my ears, so I hit rewind on the DVR and sure enough that is what she said. And either they let it air that way or they did a really bad job bleeping it out.
I’m also pretty sure it was a movie made for Disney, not a movie that was out in theaters and then later aired on Disney.
Sam on March 25 at 7:40 p.m.
George Carlin’s 7 words was an argument against censorship … so I find it interesting that Mr. Crump kind of co-opts Carlin’s rant for his own argument against more cussing. Basically, it’s sort of at odds with what Carlin was trying to get at in the first place, ya know?
Stickman on March 25 at 9:08 p.m.
Any cussing is too much.
Sam on March 25 at 9:14 p.m.
That is such a bunch of #$*#&ing mother #$*&#*$&ing (*&#$*#*(, Stickman!!!!

;)
Sam on March 25 at 9:14 p.m.
p.s. ~ I go for the simple jokes, because I am simple.

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D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.