So I was driving around beautiful southern California the other day, "jamming" to some free FM radio (ONLY b/c I forgot my iPod) and taking pictures of myself while driving, and I heard the song "Birthday Sex" by Jeremih. As I listened, (I had already tried the other stations, only commercials or Nickelback on) getting ready to do my in-the-car-sex-dance to the chorus, the station bleeped the word SEX! I was shocked! (Now I HAD to listen!) Yep they bleeped it from the entire song! Are you serious?? I've heard this song on other stations in full regalia. I mean, really? Imagine if they bleeped that word Sex from other songs: "I wanna ___ you up" or "Let's talk about ____" Or marvin gaye's "____ual healing". C'mon America!!! Let us PLEASE move forward at some point. When can common sense enter our society? That's all I ask for.
I mean, who on earth would make a decision to bleep the word SEX from a song who's entire lyrical content is about "ridin' with passion" & improving "between your legs"? The announcer (media darling, Ryan Seacrest) even says the whole title when introducing the song, so why bleep the song itself? I mean as head programmer for a major southern California Top 40/Pop & Hip Hop Hit Station, WHY would you choose to do that? I mean if you think the song is perverse, then why play it at all? Hmm let's put some things together here.
So after about .005 sec of googling, I discovered that KIIS FM ..uh I mean that station I heard that song on... is owned by Clear Channel. Clear Channel for anyone that doesn't listen to Howard Stern, has deemed themselves as the social conscience of radio & media. They've been the masterminds behind such great moments in irrational censorship history such as:
The List of Songs you can't play on the radio after 9-11
A list which circulated to broadcasters by Clear Channel, which included Tom Petty's "Free Fallin", Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World", & the ENTIRE Rage Against the Machine catalog! I guess they didn't want people to think it was a Wonderful World...I guess they wanted everyone to remain afraid, and then keep them so afraid that they wouldn't want to Rise Against...the Machine. Think about it.
Zero Tolerance Indecency Policy / Killing Howard Stern
A self governed policy after the Janet Jackson & Justin Timberlake Superbowl Nipple scandal 2004. Clear Channel declared that there would be no "indecent" material allowed on the air. They fired their own employees, including popular and high-profile hosts in a number of cities & Howard Stern was dropped from six Clear Channel owned stations in Florida, California, Pennsylvania, New York and Kentucky. Howard Stern was able to fight back by getting picked up with Clear Channel rival Viacom who brought Stern's show back to those markets and sued Clear Channel for $10 million for breaking of contracts and non-payment of licensing fees due to the dropping of Stern's show. Currently Clear Channel is continuing "to battle salacious content on the airwaves" (AH Ha!) AND also makes every employee take an online training to ensure they understand the difference between indecency and obscenity. Hmm SO if it's an obscenity then it's o.k. for the airwaves? So is the word SEX is indecent or obscene? I guess it's obscene b/c it just got bleeped. had they deemed it indecent I guess they would have tried to fire Jeremih!
To what extent will they go to Censor and shield our children's eyes and ears from SATAN? Perhaps, this...
But what's this? The caped crusaders of morality city hold a yearly Christmas contest (since 2004) called "Jingle Jugs"???
What a classy name! AND an amazing product you can buy as well - CLICK HERE, formerly known as "Breast Christmas Ever" & "Holiday Hooters", that allow women to compete to win breast implants! And they EVEN provide for no legal recourse in the event of malpractice. Wow!!! What saints they are. Really truly doing God's good work. Why don't they just call it "Jugs from Jesus"? That way it will include BOTH of their favorite things. Oh but THEN... Clear Channel distanced itself from the contest, with spokesperson Jennifer Gery stating, "It's not a Clear Channel-sponsored contest; we empower our local manager to make programming decisions." Really? They do? But then why the concept "obviously floated to stations by the network in the first place". Some coincidence that four Clear Channel stations thought of it at the same time. Regardless, the contest still exists to this day.
Clear Channel has also been known to do things for the sake of the political parties that suit their agenda. Such as censoring opinions critical of George W. Bush and other Republicans & rejecting the display of an Democratic anti-war billboard (for which they got sued and lost). Besides being rumored to be in the palms of the Bush Administration, they recently agreed to lease space in the United Kingdom to the British National Party. This caused controversy and only helps fuel the previous rumors about their credibility in the United States.
Let us review. Why was "Birthday Sex" censored? Well the radio stations are owned by a hidden agenda, right-wing, likely christian, AND misogynistic conglomerate. So again why even play the song? Only comes down to one thing...Money. Now this, THIS is the thing that gets me every time with people like this. They say they have their morals, and then they go and fuck little boys, they say they have standards, but when it comes to making a dollar they will do whatever it takes. Oh but not a 100%! They still were able to fight indecency in a single bound, by bleeping the word SEX. So it's not like they caved in completely. They still did the proper, decent, thing to do...RIGHT...
When will the stupidity of radio and the American media end?
Perhaps with the end of hypocritical & vacuous companies Clear Channel OR... with the end of radio itself.
Till next time sinners,
YOUR MC, Gv
P.S.-
Watch this genius song performed stripped down by Jeremih himself. Regardless of his content choice brother can sing AND play. Really. So what if he says "Let me hit that G-spot", it's still beautiful, god dammit!
Or for more entertainment WATCH this video of a hottie getting ready for some Birthday Sex! CLICK HERE FOR A FUN FACEBOOK VIDEO
Friday, August 14, 2009
Radio Gaga - The New Lows of American Censorship
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