In defense of bull****

Posted at 10:58 AM on March 28, 2006 by Bob Collins

Buzz Machine from Jeff Jarvis takes on the FCC today for its determination that the word, well you know, and its various derivatives is obscene.

Jeff argues that BS (is that a derivative?) is political speech, but it amazed me that he got through the entire article without mentioning the name Barry Commoner. He was the guy who proved it.

Commoner ran under the Citizens Party banner in 1980, and produced one of the more memorable political commercials (at least next to the daisies, Willie Horton, and Morning in America, which, by the way, sounds exactly like the ketchup commercials on A Prairie Home Companion.), it was memorable to me).

I don't remember the entire commercial. I only remember the first word. Yep, it was bull****. And it got your attention as he took the next 58 seconds describing how politicians threw it around back then.

He also was taking advantage of an FCC rule at the time which prevented broadcast stations from (a) rejecting the ad or (b) altering the ad. (Actually this was the FCC carrying out the wishes of the politicians who passed the laws that also included such self-serving provisions as stations had to sell them the airtime at the lowest rate on their "rate card").

So the FCC got what it deserved. To the extent that the word -- and its derivative -- has crept onto the airwaves, the FCC has nobody to blame but itself.

Oh, by the way, here's the ad via RealAudio.

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