It's an Effing joke

I enjoy a bit of crudeness as much as the next guy. But I was really concerned when I read Dan Fox's remarks regarding the use of the F-Word on TV. The "legend" is that the FCC has approved the use of the word on TV. This is not true (thankfully). The confusion arose when U2 lead singer uttered the word on a recent awards broadcast. The FCC received complaints, but determined that this particular incident did not violate FCC regulations (huh?). Their reasoning was somewhat ubscure, but basically, this was an isolated incident.

Rest assured however, that the FCC has not approved the use of the word on TV. But, this does bring up an interesting point. The F-word cannot be used on TV under most circumstances, but I'm convinced that one day, it will be allowed. Language on TV is already becoming crude. As a father of two young children, I find it increasingly difficult to shield them. Watch any sit-com tonight. See if you hear the word "ass," or references to sex. Again, I'm no prude, but I think it would be nice to let the TV be on a network channel without worrying about what my kids are hearing.

And the radio is even worse. The FM stations that play the music that kids typically enjoy have morning zoo shows that are beyond distasteful.

Add to that the limited number of movies that are kid-friendly, and we can see why parenting is so difficult. Even "kids" movies do not meet with my approval. I remember a recent movie called "The Iron Giant." This was an animated movie about a boy who befriends a giant robot from outer space. The movie is obviously aimed at children, however, the producers found it necessary to squeeze "damn" and "hell" into the film. Why? Tamer words would have worked just as well ("darn" and "heck").