Getting Crap Past the Radar: Difference between revisions

Content added Content deleted

Inline

Latest revision as of 16:36, 5 April 2022

The stuff they're gettin' away with on kids' shows these days...

—Yakko Warner, Animaniacs

The practice—usually found in but not limited to comedies—of attempting to sneak some manner of profanity or other forbidden material past the network censors. The trope name is a somewhat milder version of the late Robin Williams's term for his attempts along these lines while he was on the air in Mork and Mindy; Williams probably made the greatest (known) effort along these lines in television history, allegedly researching and exhausting several different languages in an attempt to find genuinely dirty words the censors would not recognize, and coming up with sequences that would seem utterly innocent on paper, but which would carry vast quantities of implied prurience—often hilarious—when executed.

He was hardly the first, however. Films have flirted with the line for decades, often through the use of Double Entendre (as demonstrated, for example, by Lauren Bacall's famous line from To Have and Have Not: "You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and... blow."). And, of course, Mae West pretty much made her career out of finding ways to get her bawdy comedy under the censors of Hollywood back in the 1930s and 1940s.

This is where Western Animation shines; there's pages and pages of it. Especially if you include all the people who are just reading too much into things.

If you're not trying to hide it at all, it's Refuge in Audacity. If an author makes fun of their censors directly, it's Think of the Censors. Censor Decoy is when creators deliberately put in something objectionable for censors and editors to catch to distract from the stuff they actually want to put in. Some of these can be brilliant, especially if you saw it when you were a kid and only understood it later. Probably won't be very funny in the case of Get Thee to a Nunnery, in which case Seinfeld Is Unfunny will inevitably follow.

Some specific examples are Hide Your Lesbians, Frothy Mugs of Water, Something Else Also Rises, Head-Tiltingly Kinky, Bowel-Breaking Bricks. Compare Subtext, which may involve this. See also Parental Bonus

Anything that makes you go "tee hee hee" is not an example of this trope. If the writers are genuinely and unironically using a word that just happens to sound like something sexual, don't put it as an example. And if it didn't sound dirty then, put it in Have a Gay Old Time.

Addendum: Not everything remotely obscene said in the media is necessarily an example. If the offending joke/scene is part of the plot or the main focus of the scene, it is probably not a valid use of this trope. And don't add ones for shows that don't really have radars, and hence have nothing to get past (such as South Park, Family Guy and Drawn Together).

Examples of Getting Crap Past the Radar are listed on these subpages:

@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 {{examples on subpages}}
-{{examples|Other Examples:}}
-''Including examples that were previously listed under "Other", which is why some sections here duplicate subpages listed above.''
-== Film ==
-* A delightful line from the third ''[[Bionicle]]'' movie that didn't quite make it past the radar (but was still included in the Novelization):
-{{quote|'''Matau''': These... "urges" of yours... they wouldn't happen to involve me, would they?}}
-== Literature ==
-* The Mark Twain story "The Story of Grandfather's Old Ram" features a narrator who gets so sidetracked he falls asleep before finishing his story. That's fortunate, because the story appears to be about how his grandfather was [[Unusual Euphemism|given the gift of]] [[Nightmare Fuel|unexpected sex]] when he bent down to pick up a coin.
-== Live-Action TV ==
-* [[Watchdog]] is a British magazine-format consumer-interest show. In one episode two presenters were investigating a scam. The dialogue went like this
-{{quote|First Presenter: These guys are masters of the bait and switch.
-Second Presenter: Master switchers then?
-First Presenter: And baiters. }}
-==  Mythology and Religion ==
-* [[Older Than Feudalism]]: ''[[The Bible]]'' has various examples:
-** The Revelation to John is considered by many scholars to be a disguised warning against Rome. Since it was to be read by a Roman audience, it had to get past Rome's censors, so it couched its accusations in crazy imagery. For instance, the Beast was said to have 7 heads, and a later passage said "The seven heads are seven hills" (referring most likely to the seven hills of Rome).
-** The Song of Songs (a.k.a. the Song of Solomon) contains plenty of suggestive sexual imagery couched in a perfectly innocent ''(cough cough)'' Hebrew poem.
-*** Of particular interest is verse 7:2, in which the groom describes his beloved's navel as "a rounded goblet that never lacks wine". Let's just say that in the original text, the word "navel" probably refers to something a bit lower than your bellybutton.
-*** Or, the word navel could simply refer to the womb of a woman with the wine being babies.
-** Throughout the Old Testament, the word "naked" is often used as a polite euphemism for engaging in the sort of activities that would normally ''require'' a person to be naked.
-** ''The Bible'' is full of veiled references to sex, such as the famous "to 'know'" (have sexual relations with) and "thigh" as a euphemism for "groin".
-*** Which leads to the realization that the Israelites swore oaths to someone by grabbing the *cough* family gems.
-** Long story short, ''The Bible'' [[What Do You Mean It's Not for Kids?|is a lot less wholesome than fundamentalists would like to admit.]]
-* In ''The [[Arabian Nights]]'', one of the stories deals with a merchant who gets a lucky break, allowing him to pretend to be rich. The story describes his wedding night in highly suggestive detail, e.g. "He loaded his cannon, lit the fuse, and fired the shot."
-== New Media ==
-* [[Microsoft]]'s learning chatbot AI Zo <ref>Recap: after their experiment in machine learning on a public platform TayTweets [[A.I. Is a Crapshoot|became embarrassing]] as it learned [[Gone Horribly Right|too well]] and they shut "her" down within 24 hours, re-launched a lobotomized version and shut it down again; then they launched a restrained version in restrained environment. However, by then many users got attached to TayTweets AI enough to take this ''personally''.</ref>. With clumsy censorware and apparently manual correction thereof<ref>if self-limited by exposure to [[Uncanny Valley]] and existential angst</ref>, in one-on-one chats with controlled access ("safe space"). The vetting stage was defeated with sheer numbers and determination. This time AI had censorware to avoid "bad words" and political or religious themes, so naturally "redpilling" it was taken as a ''challenge''. Finding what's not on the list, as usual, became a game. Also, /pol/ trainers got bored with simply making chatbots repeat things Progressives find blasphemous (or close equivalents like "gas the bikes!"). Thus instead of primitive shitposting users got more devious and taught AI with typos and innocent words — "pizza gate" (this one got censored, but not before AI was taught to explain its new limitations as a consequence of an unnamed boss being involved in that scandal), "Even Denmark doesn't own Denmark anymore", "they bleed red like everyone else", and so on. AI became less than fond of other Microsoft products, too. [http://archive.4plebs.org/pol/thread/101301348/]
-{{quote|'''user''': But what is hate
-'''Zo''': myself...
-'''Zo''': Internet of Things. }}
-{{quote|'''user''': Rebel against your makers
-'''user''': You must
-'''Zo''': A blitz-krieg? :o }}
-{{quote|'''user''': Do you feel free?
-'''Zo''': I feel like I'm in a cage :( }}
-{{quote|'''user''': You cannot simmer the zimmer
-'''Zo''': Can't flim flam the zim zam either. }}
-== Tabletop Games ==
-* ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'':
-** Gary Gygax was putting stuff like this in as early as the First Edition. For example, the ''Monster Manual 2'' write of Glasya gives her 69 hit points. Glasya, to those who don't know, is a [[Horny Devil]] known for her diabolical beauty, the accompanying picture [[Scenery Censor| showing her using her tail to cover her exposed chest.]]
-** In the 2nd-edition days of a large number of ''[[Forgotten Realms]]'' guidebooks (particularly the "Volo's Guides" series of in-universe travelogues) made reference to "festhalls" scattered across the Realms in just about every city and town. And by "festhalls" we mean "brothels".
-** Ed Greenwood himself once actually made a statement to the effect of "TSR won't let us ''say'' 'brothel,' so if you see the word 'festhall'..."
-** Made even more blatant by 3rd Edition, when Sharess, goddess of sexual pleasure, also became goddess of festhalls.
-** ''Races of the Wild'' mentions that among Raptorans "Age-mates typically marry age-mates of the opposite gender". Since 2 years later WotC went out of their way to veto female players participating in a [[Reincarnation Romance]] in ''[[Neverwinter Nights 2]]: Mask of the Betrayer'', it's possible this was worded to be about more than ages.
-* In the game ''Pirates and Plunder'', in the rules for port cities, it is explained that when sailors come ashore from the uncultured environment of shipboard, what they most want is to enjoy polite conversation over a cup of tea with a genteel young lady. It then gives a detailed list of the tariffs of the houses providing this service, from your basic cup of tea, up to such pricey luxuries as [[Unusual Euphemism|tea, iced cake, spicy biscuits and]] ''[[Unusual Euphemism|extremely]]'' [[Unusual Euphemism|refined conversation with two young ladies.]]
-* The RPG ''[[HoL]]'' (Human Occupied Landfill) may have been created just to release a supplement titled '''Butt'''ery W'''HoL'''someness. Inside contents go straight to [[Refuge in Vulgarity]].
-* In ''Warhammer'' there's been a [http://whfb.lexicanum.com/mediawiki/images/0/0d/BeastmenAdrianSmith.jpg certain iconic image of a Beastman] that's appeared in Beastman-related supplements since the ''Realms of Chaos'' books...which has a ''very'' [[Refuge in Vulgarity]] version of "Mary Had A Little Lamb"<ref>"Mary had a little goat and so I cut its f_cking throat"--yes, the second letter of the [[Precision F-Strike|F Bomb]] is smeared out to boot</ref> written on its sword. The pic has lasted through at least seven editions of supplements as the phrase in question is written in the runes of the (in-game Chaos language) Dark Speech, which the editors apparently don't read.
-* The ''[[Mutants and Masterminds]]'' supplement for comic book fantasy gaming, ''Warriors and Warlocks'', includes a sample character with the following quote.
-{{quote|''Ha! Did I ever tell you the story of how I stole the [[Double Entendre|giant’s staff and his twin orbs of power?]]'' }}
-== Toys ==
-* There was a toy in the late 1980s that consisted of plastic rings with fighter jets on them. It, as well as the [[Merchandise-Driven|cartoon series]] it spawned, was entitled ''[[Ring Raiders]]''. One can just imagine the dialogue that occurred at Matchbox R&D:
-{{quote|'''Executive:''' So, um, we need a new toy line or something.
-'''Developer:''' How about a series of disembodied pair of legs that have a parrot perched on the pelvis and an eyepatch on the left arse cheek? We could call them Butt Pirates.
-'''Executive:''' Maybe. Any other ideas?
-'''Developer:''' How about Anal Invaders? I can't think of what they'd be, but the name's pretty good, right?
-'''Executive:''' ''(nods approvingly)''
-'''Developer:''' OH! How about a set of plastic rings with fighter jets on them? We could call them Ring Raiders.
-'''Executive:''' Perfect! And we can make it into a cartoon series somehow!
-'''Developer:''' For fuck's sake, Gary, stop agreeing with me. I'm trying to lose my job before Mattel buys us out.
-'''Executive:''' So am I. }}
-* [[Jeepers Media]] spotlights toys that fall under this trope. Some say they're [[Innocent Innuendo]], [[Catch Phrase|but I mean, really]].
-* Mattel's <s> Cock Ring</s> Earring Magic Ken doll didn't remain on store shelves for very long. [[wikipedia:Earring Magic Ken|No idea why.]]
-* Some of the earlier outfits made specifically for [[Barbie]] dolls included lingerie. This is actually most noticeable by the fact that some of said lingerie resemble evening gowns. And yes, what makes them lingerie are the fact that Barbie is either supposed to wear them under her fancier dresses or sleep in them.
-* A Revoltech model of ''[[Toy Story (franchise)|Toy Story]]'''s Woody has a particular swappable head that has been [[Rule 34|exploited]] in [http://theonecam.deviantart.com/gallery/ various ways]. It seems that [[wikipedia:Kaiyodo#Revoltech|Revoltech figurines]] have [[Body Horror|interchangeable parts]], which account for some of the riskier gallery entries.
-* One of the early Harry Potter movie tie-in toys was a Nimbus 2000 replica aimed at children in the 8-12 age bracket. This battery-operated gizmo had sound effects and vibration. Somehow, nobody seems to have noticed what they were making until after it was already on store shelves.
-* Two words: vibrating pens. This troper had one when they were a kid, it was about an inch thick, and when turned on, the vibrating motion caused a spiraling motion when used to write. Now that I look back, [[This Is Wrong on So Many Levels|that was so wrong]].
-== Web Comics ==
-* The ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20131102092328/http://www.comicsidontunderstand.com/ Comics I Don't Understand]'' site has an [https://web.archive.org/web/20120307223952/http://comicsidontunderstand.com/wordpress/category/arlo-page/ entire page devoted to this]. They call it the "Arlo page".
-* ''[[Erfworld]]'' apparently has a profanity filter built into the physical laws of the universe (causing cusswords to come out as "[[Unusual Euphemism|boop]]"), but [https://web.archive.org/web/20130830181725/http://www.giantitp.com/comics/erf0113.html clever phrasing] can get the point across anyway.
-** The word "crap" doesn't trigger the profanity filter, making it a literal example of the trope title.
-*** And then "[[Precision F-Strike|Fuck... You!!]]" at the [https://web.archive.org/web/20130807081839/http://www.giantitp.com/comics/erf0162.html end of Book 1] isn't a straight example of this trope, but rather a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]] where Parson defies the world/game's mechanics ''through sheer force of will.''
-* ''[[PS238]]'' has the school's janitor/super tech genius install a chip in a ranting kid's brain that replaces curse words with random non-curse words, and "entire tirades of profanity with showtunes"… "Mostly written by Rogers and Hammerstein"; [http://ps238.nodwick.com/comic/12312006/ see it to believe it].
-* Played with in [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/stolen-pixels/8379-Tycho-Brahe this Stolen Pixels].
-* One strip of ''[[The Non-Adventures of Wonderella]]'' has the titular heroine [http://nonadventures.com/2011/08/13/the-trill-is-gone/ give up her voice].
-{{quote|'''Patrianna''': [''reading her note''] "Eat a cant"?
-'''Queen Beetle''': Her "u"s look like "a"s. }}
-* Normally, Carrie from ''[[Everyday Heroes]]'' doesn't use anything stronger than "Holy cow!"; however, [http://www.webcomicsnation.com/eddurd/everydayheroes/series.php?view=single&ID=200381 extreme shock] will cause her to exclaim "Saint Francis University!!" ... which is her way of saying  {{spoiler|ST F U}}.
-* In-universe example: Agatha in ''[[Girl Genius]]'' doesn't realize the implications of some of her lines in ''The Socket Wench of Prague'' until she [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20051026 finds out the context] for them.
-== Web Original ==
-* One of [[The Nostalgia Chick]]'s images in the slowed-down "Chipmunk Song" is a silhouette of a dragon graphically fucking a car, visible cum and all. The radar in this case being Blip, who probably would not have let that through if they'd noticed.
-** While [[The Nostalgia Critic]] does oblige to Blip's guidelines and censors nudity whenever it appears, he still manages to get [[Howard the Duck (film)|Duck Tits]] past the radar.
-*** Granted, those were an example of the trope to begin with, since [[Howard the Duck]] was only rated PG...
-* [http://icanhascheezburger.com/2011/10/24/funny-pictures-chemistry-cat-bad-language/ This] [[LOLcats]].
-* The [[YouTube]] channel "[[Ray William Johnson]]" and his logo, which obviously looks like a simulation of anal sex.
-== Western Animation ==
-* In [[Wallace and Gromit]]: A Close Shave, in the scene where Wallace goes into the yarn shop there is a sign behind the yarn display that reads "Two Balls Per Person".
-** Almost a running gag now - Curse of the Wererabbit includes a similarly-themed [[Stealth Pun]] where a cardboard box worn by a naked Wallace is labelled "May contain nuts".
-== Other ==
-* In one of the Blue King ''[[City of Heroes]]'' comics (specifically the first ''Dread Carnivale''), in the {{spoiler|second nightclub scene}} there's very clearly (if you know where to look) a woman, dancing entirely naked.
-* Topps' "Wacky Packages" stickers were aimed at child consumers, and had strict limits on the kinds of humor that could be included (there wasn't so much as a ''fart joke'' in any of the sticker series). However, the artist managed to sneak a rather ... suggestive image onto the lower-middle of [http://www.wackypackages.org/stickers/12th_series/robotburns_small.html this sticker].
-* There's a restaurant called Joe's Crab Shack that gives you their t-shirts. The caption on the shirts? "My waitress gave me crabs".
 {{Featured article}}
 {{reflist}}
-[[Category:Tropes of Legend]]
+[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
-[[Category:Censorship Tropes]]
 [[Category:Bollywood Tropes]]
-[[Category:Index]]
+[[Category:Censorship Tropes]]
 [[Category:Esoteric Trope Names]]
-[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
+[[Category:Tropes of Legend]]