Censoring for prophet
The most fervid defenders of free speech in recent memory are made out of cardboard and three feet tall. Yes, I refer to the South Park characters (or at least Kyle and Stan). Comedy Central pulled an image of Mohammed from the South Park show last night, citing "World Events." Viewers were treated to a black screen with the words ""Comedy Central has refused to broadcast an image of Muhammad on their network."
Last month Comedy Central pulled a rerun of the show's infamous "Tom Cruise in the closet" Scientology episode.
So, there are clearly limits of offensiveness. I could easily imagine scripts involving say, Martin Luther King, the holocaust or abortion that would push too many buttons for me to defend.
But "free speech"? C'mon,if that isn't one of the things that we're fighting for in Iraq, it must be the oil, although I don't remember petroleum products being in the Bill of Rights.
Comedy Central is a company and they have the right to show whatever they want. I can appreciate their position. I wonder where this is all heading, however. I suspect that as I mentioned in an earlier blog about Howard Stern, that explicit content moves to satellite, safe stuff stays on cable, idiotic stuff on broadcast.
Wouldn't that be funny? Segmentation of entertainment media based on regulation.
It could happen, you know.
Posted on April 14, 2006
