8.The FCC Song
Hitting a very specific target the censorship regulators for American TV the scriptwriters rolled out a fantastically tuneful and wickedly funny song and dance number that contains everything that the stuffy censors hated about the show. Nobody watching can really be offended by it, while it remains one of the shows most wilfully provocative segments. Obviously, this creates a very strange paradox. Featuring in an episode of the show's comeback season after having been cancelled, the song and accompanying animation mention taboos such as sex acts, bondage, S&M and cursing, but gets away with it by being so winningly silly. That and the fact it's aimed at such a reactionary and ludicrous body as the FCC in the first place. For my money, the sketch was a perfect response to the pomposity of the FCC and it's increasingly out of touch relationship with the public. It is increasingly apparent that regulatory bodies such as these are filled with people far older than the target audience of the programmes they censor, and on a different wavelength entirely. Frankly, If they took any of the offence that the song was itching to cause them, then they probably did deserve to on balance.
Barry Marshall
Contributor
I am a freelance writer, currently residing in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England. I was raised by wolves in the woodlands of Northumberland, but am still posher than Colin Firth having dinner with The Queen. I write all of my pieces by swallowing a cocktail of scrabble tiles and vodka, then regurgitating them over my jotter. Hope this explains the typos.
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