Seven Dirty Words: Difference between revisions

Line 61:

A rather humorous incident occurred when a live program allowed a person to refer to the former Vice President as Dick Cheney, but then bleeped the speaker when they referred to someone else as a dick.

"Cock" might be also; at any rate it certainly isn't used much. It's interesting to note that "goddamn" and "asshole" are usually censored as "---damn" and "ass---- ". Yes, ''"God" and "hole" are bleeped out''<ref>Which ''sort of'' makes sense for the former, given that its taboo status is rooted -- partially, at least -- in the (misinterpreted) Judeo-Christian commandment against "taking the Lord's name in vain". For the latter, the only rational explanation seems to be that "ass" by itself is significantly less offensive.</ref> "Blowjob" and "handjob" are also reduced to "**** job." "Douchebag" was, until recently, fairly unheard of on broadcast stations (although "douche" and "d-bag" were allowed). Shows such as ''[[30 ~~Rock|Thirty~~ Rock]]'' and ''[[Glee]]'' have recently begun to use the word to a limited extent, although it is still far from commonplace.

"Cock" might be also; at any rate it certainly isn't used much. It's interesting to note that "goddamn" and "asshole" are usually censored as "---damn" and "ass---- ". Yes, ''"God" and "hole" are bleeped out''<ref>Which ''sort of'' makes sense for the former, given that its taboo status is rooted -- partially, at least -- in the (misinterpreted) Judeo-Christian commandment against "taking the Lord's name in vain". For the latter, the only rational explanation seems to be that "ass" by itself is significantly less offensive.</ref> "Blowjob" and "handjob" are also reduced to "**** job." "Douchebag" was, until recently, fairly unheard of on broadcast stations (although "douche" and "d-bag" were allowed). Shows such as ''[[30 Rock]]'' and ''[[Glee]]'' have recently begun to use the word to a limited extent, although it is still far from commonplace.

* Something that makes it kind of hard to discern between them, "**** " and "**** " both being four letter words and all.

Line 68:

Live events, to avoid these and other dirty words, often refer to a seven second delay; an athlete, say, will say something, and seven seconds later it actually hits the air, giving the networks time to modify the transmission. Note that live events are NOT immune to the dirty words; ask Dale Earnhardt Jr, who walked away from a race with a few less points and a few less thousand dollars after commenting that his win didn't 'mean shit'. The penalties were obviously levied by NASCAR, not the FCC, but would NASCAR have done it without someone else's suggestion on what's dirty?

----

=== Media That Have Referenced The Seven Dirty Words ===

== Media That Have Referenced The Seven Dirty Words ==

== [[Comic Books]] ==

=== [[Comic Books]] ===

* ''[[The Simpsons]]'' comic book in one issue showed a weary George Carlin talking about "The Seven Words You Used to Not Be Able to Say on TV But Are Perfectly Alright Now."

== [[~~Literature~~]] ==

=== [[Film]] ===

⚫

* In ''[[Bruce Almighty]]'', the eponymous Bruce is trying to convince his ex to come back to him, and has the following conversation:

⚫

{{quote|'''Bruce:''' Would it help if I said I was being a complete ass?

⚫

'''Nearby Child:'''You said ass!

⚫

'''Bruce:''' It's okay if I'm talkin' about a donkey. }}

⚫

** But then he goes and ruins it.

⚫

{{quote|'''Bruce:''' ...If I said "hole", as in assHO-

⚫

'''Grace:''' ''(cutting him off)'' OKAY! }}

=== [[Literature]] ===

* A paragraph in Part III, Chapter VI of ''Gulliver's Travels'' describes the "decoding" of letters and papers to "prove" their authors guilty of plotting against the state. This process consists of replacing one noun with a related one ("...they can decypher a Close-stool to signify a Privy-Council; a Flock of Geese, a Senate..."). One of the substitutions is to replace "a Sink" with "a C---t" (censored thus, or replaced with "court", in most printings, but the intended word is fairly obvious).

* In the ''Discworld'' novel "The Truth", one of the characters actually says "-ing" rather than the full word (presumably "fucking").

* In the ''Discworld'' novel "[[Discworld/The Truth|The Truth]]", one of the characters actually says "-ing" rather than the full word (presumably "fucking").

** Pratchett once mentioned that he occasionally gets mail worried that children will start saying "-ing" as though it actually ''is'' a swearword, which goes to prove two things: First, profanity is what you make of it, and second, there is nothing that someone, somewhere, won't take offense to.

*** It's a speech impediment...

*** ''And'' one character adapts it, gleefully saying "ing" (without the dash) and admitting that it makes her feel better, though she wonders what it means.

** Quite a few instances of "**** ing" in ''Discworld'' novels are referred to as though characters are somehow ''pronouncing the asterisks.''

**** --> First Villain: I HATE ****ing wizards!

{{quote|First Villain: I HATE ****ing wizards!

~~{{quote|~~Second Villain: Maybe you shouldn't **** them, then...}}

Second Villain: Maybe you shouldn't **** them, then...}}

* In Dan Simmons' ''[[Hyperion]] Cantos'', Martin Silenus suffers brain damage that reduces his vocabulary to the Seven Dirty Words. He manages to communicate with them quite effectively. He eventually [[Unexplained Recovery|gets better]].

* [[The Zeroth Law of Trope Examples|Twelfth Night]] by [[Shakespeare]]:

{{quote|By my life, this is my lady's hand[writing]; these be her very '''C''''s, her '''U''''s a'''n'''d her '''T''''s and thus makes she her great '''P''''s.}}

** That's hardly the only one, either. The title of ''Much Ado About Nothing'' itself has several (intended) meanings, including the [[Get Thee to a Nunnery|"nothing"... in other words, women's parts.]] In Hamlet, there's this scene:

** That's hardly the only one, either. The title of ''[[Much Ado About Nothing]]'' itself has several (intended) meanings, including the [[Get Thee to a Nunnery|"nothing"... in other words, women's parts.]] In Hamlet, there's this scene:

{{quote|Hamlet: Lady, shall I lie in your lap?

Ophelia: No, my lord.

Line 94:

Line 103:

Hamlet: That's a fair thought, '''to lie between maid's legs'''. }}

== [[~~Video~~ ~~Games~~]] ==

=== [[Live-Action TV]] ===

⚫

* In [[Sam and Max]] Season 2, you can actually change the "seven words you can't say on television" to Items on a Grocery list. (Cantaloupe, Melons, Chicken Breasts, Oregano Vanilla and Soda)

== [[Live Action TV]] ==

* In ''[[Everybody Hates Chris]]'', Chris hears his parents listen to the Carlin routine. He passes on the list at school to get laughs, but ends up in trouble for it. To [[Getting Crap Past the Radar|get the story onto network TV]], each word is replaced with its number in Carlin's list. The last line of the episode: "Number Threeeeeeeeee!"

* An episode of ''[[That '70s Show]]'' featured the gang listening to the record. Eric went through the rest of the episode using the numbers to insult people. Donna (on Eric's suggestion) later tricks a rival radio DJ into playing the record on the air to get the other woman fired.

Line 115:

Line 121:

* In ''[[The Colbert Report]]'' Stephen did [http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/174956/june-24-2008/the-word---bleep a segment on Carlin's death] where he mistook the list as a list of words Carlin himself banned from the airwaves. After he thanks him, an off-screen man tells Stephen that Carlin was a stand-up who used that list to mock censorship. Stephen then turned to a photo of Carlin and called him a motherf*beep*er

== [[Music]] ==

=== [[Music]] ===

* [[Blink 182]] has a number of yawn-and-you-won't-hear-it short songs that are largely [[Refuge in Audacity|excuses to]] [[Refuge in Vulgarity|use profanity]]. One of them—the ironically-titled song "Family Reunion"—uses the Seven Dirty Words, including the three auxiliary words (You can hear it [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBIID49cMI0 here]. Language warning, obviously.) After four verses consisting entirely of those ten words repeated rhythmically, the song finishes with "I fucked your mom".

** And then an "outtake" by Tom in a wobbly tenor:

Line 122:

Line 128:

* [[Flanders and Swann]] spoofed the swearing and censorship brigade as early as [[The Fifties]], with a song called ''Pee Po Belly Bum Drawers''. The song title was printed on the album cover as "P** P* B**** B** D******".

== [[~~Real~~ ~~Life~~]] ==

=== [[Video Games]] ===

⚫

* In [[Sam and Max]] Season 2, you can actually change the "seven words you can't say on television" to Items on a Grocery list. (Cantaloupe, Melons, Chicken Breasts, Oregano Vanilla and Soda)

⚫

* On Radio Caroline's 1977 New Year show, Dutch DJ Marc Jacobs responded to a ribbing by another DJ with the words "You motherfucker!" Jacobs later apologised on air, but since Caroline was a pirate station there were no official reprisals.

== [[Western Animation]] ==

=== [[Western Animation]] ===

* ''[[SpongeBob SquarePants]]'', "Sailor Mouth":

{{quote|'''Mr. Krabs:''' Yessir, that is bad word number 11. In fact, there are 13 bad words you should never use.

Line 157:

Line 163:

'Cause we really like saying its name! }}

== [[~~Film~~]] ==

=== [[Real Life]] ===

⚫

* On Radio Caroline's 1977 New Year show, Dutch DJ Marc Jacobs responded to a ribbing by another DJ with the words "You motherfucker!" Jacobs later apologised on air, but since Caroline was a pirate station there were no official reprisals.

⚫

* In ''[[Bruce Almighty]]'', the eponymous Bruce is trying to convince his ex to come back to him, and has the following conversation:

⚫

{{quote|'''Bruce:''' Would it help if I said I was being a complete ass?

⚫

'''Nearby Child:'''You said ass!

⚫

'''Bruce:''' It's okay if I'm talkin' about a donkey. }}

⚫

** But then he goes and ruins it.

⚫

{{quote|'''Bruce:''' ...If I said "hole", as in assHO-

⚫

'''Grace:''' ''(cutting him off)'' OKAY! }}

=== Media That Have Referenced American TV Censorship Standards In General ===

== Media That Have Referenced American TV Censorship Standards In General ==

== [[Film]] ==

=== [[Film]] ===

* The [[South Park]] feature film, ''Bigger, Longer & Uncut'', brutally savaged the MPAA's rules for industry censorship as the driving force for the main story arc.

** In fact, the subtitle was original something more tame but less subtle. Censors got on their asses about it and they responded as you might expect Trey Parker and Matt Stone would.

== [[Live Action TV]] ==

=== [[Live Action TV]] ===

* ''[[30 Rock]]'': Tracy Jordan decided to exploit the fact that he could easily pay the $50,000 fine for every time he swore on TV.

{{quote|'''Tracy:''' I'm off to appear on Martha Stewart Live. Oh, it's gonna be ''raunchy''! }}

** The moral is: [[Screw the Rules, I Have Money|if you got money, you can say whatever you want]]

== [[Newspaper Comics]] ==

=== [[Newspaper Comics]] ===

* One [[Story Arc]] in ''[[Bloom County]]'' referred to finding the word "[[Snugglebunnies]]" as offensive. A strip in this arc had Milo and Binkley, upon notification, yelling "SNUGGLEBUNNIES!" repeatedly until being cut off mid-word. And mid-panel; the fourth panel was blank, presumably because the strip was cut off.

== [[Web Original]] ==

=== [[Web Original]] ===

* ''[[The Angry Video Game Nerd]]'': The "TV version" gag during his ''[[Action 52]]'' review:

{{quote|'''AVGN:''' Whoever came up with this is an ass''[bleep]''! ''[[[Beat]]]'' ...Ass! ''[[[Beat]]]'' ...Hole? -- '''ASS''[bleep]''!''' ...Television makes ''a whole lot'' of sense.}}

== [[Western Animation]] ==

=== [[Western Animation]] ===

* The ''[[Family Guy]]'' episode "PTV" blasted the FCC with both barrels, portraying them as going so far as to censor real life. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NDPT0Ph5rA

* On ''[[Moral Orel]]'' [[Fun with Acronyms|Frances Clara Censordoll]]'s name and character are a [[Take That]] at the FCC. She is a selfish [[Manipulative Bastard]] [[Moral Guardian]] with a god complex.

Line 191:

* ''[[Recess]]'', in the episode "The Story of 'Whomps'" dealt with a made-up word ("Whomps") which was deemed offensive by the adults.

== Other ==

=== Other ===

* Eric Idle wrote a song about the FCC after he was fined for swearing. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4ajZ-5kTXk\]

* In addition to his ''I Bet You They Won't Play This Song On The Radio'', a parody on the use of random sounds to beep out swear words.

Line 199:

[[Category:Useful Notes/The United States]]

[[Category:Censorship Tropes]]

[[Category:~~Seven Dirty Words~~]]

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]