What has happened to television recently?
Was anyone else surprised at how censored the MTV Video Music Awards were?
Terror Squad’s performance of “Lean Back” was almost unrecognizable because there were so many bleeped words.
The long silences followed by the well-known chorus made me wonder why a song I have heard uncensored many times and not been offended by was bleeped to death.
Historically, the VMAs have been raw and edgy, but this year there was an obvious feeling of uneasiness.
They took great steps not to offend anyone. This is certainly not the MTV I grew up with and love.
One strange thing I noticed was that any references to guns or street violence were quickly censored. However, one guest was permitted to take the Lord’s name in vain. Now, I know that blasphemy is no longer considered obscene, but good grief. I just think it is ridiculous to censor the word “chrome” but not G.D. …
Thank you Janet and Justin.
Because of your little stunt at the Superbowl, television networks are scared to death that they will evoke the rage of the FCC.
I grew up with MTV and now I feel like this thing that I have known and loved all my life is now corrupted and wrong.
The same way parents believe their children have been corrupted by television, I believe my television has been raped by parents and lawmakers.
In these days of high-tech solutions to almost every problem, why does no one use the V-chip in their television so that little ones will not accidentally see anything their parents believe they should be sheltered from?
An even better solution would maybe be to block every channel except Noggin. We wouldn’t want our children exposed to the nudity and sexuality on some obscene channel like the Science Channel or Discovery now would we.
I don’t know if you are a regular viewer of these channels, but occasionally there are some pretty racy programs on them.
Some may argue that the intrusive nature of television makes it different from other forms of media. Viewers do not really have control over what the stations choose to run, they simply turn it on, and voilÉ, there it is.
I have a much simpler solution to the problem though. How about trying to communicate with your children? Teach them that all people are different and what is right for one may not be right for another.
Tolerance and love are scarce in the world and it would be great if we could teach our children that if someone does something that they do not agree with, this does not make the other person immoral, obscene, wrong, or otherwise. They are simply different.
Many Americans would be quick to tell you that our nation was created specifically to give people freedom to do as they wish or follow whichever religion they choose, but this is not the case. America has not always been a melting pot.
People did in fact migrate here for religious freedom, but it was for their own freedom, not freedom for everyone.
Many of the conflicts in our nation’s early history were caused by disagreements about religion. The main difference between then and now is that now it has, thankfully, become illegal to burn dissenters at the stake or to draw and quarter them.
The same conflicts remain a problem today, we have simply found a less violent approach to resolving our differences.
All I am asking is to get what I expect, and I think that lies at the root of the problem here.
No one on earth expected to see Janet Jackson’s breast during the halftime show at the Superbowl just like I never expected that half the words to a song would be censored on MTV. Viewers of the Superbowl tuned in to see the biggest football game of the year, not her strange nipple decoration.
When I turn the channel to MTV, I expect scantily clad women and sexually suggestive videos. When I watch Nickelodeon I expect television that is suitable for children. When people are shocked or surprised by what they see or hear in media, problems will always follow. And that, I believe, lies at the heart of this new trend toward censorship.

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