Know Hope . . . and Expletives
posted by Howard Wasserman
While everyone is running around worrying about that little election thing today, the Supreme Court will hear oral argument in FCC v. Fox Television Stations, considering the FCC’s policy on “fleeting” or “isolated” expletives in broadcasting. Officially, FCC v. Pacifica and the constitutional lunacy of the entire project of regulating indecent speech is not on the table. But, hey, today is a day for hope.
To that end, let me recommend this Atlantic essay by psychologist Steven Pinker. And this needs no introduction:
November 4, 2008 at 7:18 am
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Responses (5)
Anon - November 4, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Um, this is fucking brilliant.
Anon. - November 4, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Um, this is fucking brilliant.
Aaron - November 5, 2008 at 12:04 pm
I take it you either believe that there is no such thing as indecent speech, or if there is, it is not constitutionally regulable. In other words, regulating indecent speech would be “constitutional lunacy.”
Howard Wasserman - November 5, 2008 at 1:48 pm
The latter. It is a category of speech that is constitutionally protected (at least as to adults). I suppose it might be regulable, if anyone could come up with a meaningful justification for regulating it *only on broadcast* and in no other medium.
Howard Wasserman - November 5, 2008 at 1:48 pm
The latter. It is a category of speech that is constitutionally protected (at least as to adults). I suppose it might be regulable, if anyone could come up with a meaningful justification for regulating it *only on broadcast* and in no other medium.
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