Motherfucker with an AK in my Supermarket
April 30th, 2007America has no official language. English is the de facto language, but as far as I know, that’s nowhere writ in law (that’s what makes it de facto). So I wonder exactly how the FCC decides which profanity is deserving of big fines and which isn’t. Is it only English profanity that’s forbidden? English and Spanish? Any profanity in any language that people actual bother to complain about?
In Japan, it’s much simpler: Japanese is the national language, therefore the only profanity forbidden is Japanese profanity. And by profanity, we’re actually talking about a much wider scope than profanity in America.
Sure, profane synonyms for female genitalia are banned from the airwaves. But so are insulting words for “crazy” (気違い), “blind” (目暗）, “deaf” (つんぼ), etc.
On the other hand, that means that profanity in English is A-OK, a point which was brought home to me when I was walking around a supermarket and noticed that the PA system was playing hiphop (!) with lyrics along the lines of: “Motherfucker gonna pay, don’t he know I’m a nigger with an AK” (!!)
And then, the other day, I was watching a dance contest show, and was quite amused when the narrator boomed out the name of the next team, and their team name was splashed across the screen:
May 1st, 2007 at 11:44 am
i wonder if the team chose their name to signify that they are the *real* shit, or just that they are real shit. i guess i’d be happy either way.
May 2nd, 2007 at 4:24 am
I’m guessing “THE real shit”, but I’d love to be wrong.
Special supa-fresh bonus, from the same show (surprising, because while Japanese TV gets English all funked up, they usually don’t do spelling mistakes like this…unless, of course, it isn’t “fresh” at all, but a reference to exposed navels):
May 7th, 2007 at 3:52 am
Just a slight correction… there are many places in the U.S. (city-wide and state-wide) bills to make English the official language. Kinda goes with the hubub against illegal immigrants (i.e., Mexican illegal immigrants). ‘English only’ laws were vetoed in Nashville this year. http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2869048
Otherwise, enjoy.
May 7th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
Yeah, sorry, I meant on a national level (since that’s what the FCC works at). I realize that certain cities/states may have English as the official language.