Page 1 of 1

So now that there's been all this new anti-indecency legislation passed in a frenzy of outrage against Boobgate and Sterngate, can somebody explain to me why Americans are so damn uptight?

PostPosted:Thu Mar 11, 2004 1:45 pm
by Agent 57
<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>I mean, it's like Kupek said after the Super Bowl - it's a boob. All women have them. Why is it such a big deal when one gets seen on national TV in America, when at the same time,

<i>Dutch programming not only allows free speech, but also free expression of the human body including full nudity, sexuality and discussions of things that would make Americans cringe with embarrassment or fume with anger. I've seen penises ejaculating, cameras going in and out of pussies, guests disrobing on talk shows, people in the street pulling down their pants and getting spanked, all in prime time on public stations.</i>

(The writer of that article then goes on to decry the violence content on Dutch TV, most of it from American programming.)

Here's an excerpt from an another article I found interesting:

<i>Americans and Europeans "have different ways of looking at morality," agrees Brakenhielm, who had trouble selling her latest worldwide hit reality show, "The Bar," in America.

In "The Bar," two teams run two bars in a restaurant, organizing events and competing for customers, while viewers choose each week which contestants stay and which go. Viewers can go and drink at the bars or follow events live on the Internet via webcams.

Potential US clients for the show "are a bit scared of the bar atmosphere, of showing people drinking beer on TV," explains Brakenhielm.

"In Europe we can show nudity or drunk people on television, but we would not do a show like 'Temptation Island,' " says Brakenhielm. On the Fox TV show, committed couples are taken to a tropical island, separated, and tempted to be unfaithful.

"That is not nice, it is a mean setup, and it stinks," Brakenhielm says.</i>

Are the Europeans so much worse off because of their stances on nudity on TV? Where is the "damage" being done to all the European children that Americans are so scared of? I mean, seriously - where the heck does it come from? Overactive religious prudery would be one guess, but there's examples of nudity in public all over Europe, including Italy, which is where the Vatican is located for pete's sake. I just can't think of any other reasons why most Americans are so scared of a little of everyone's own human sexuality peeking through every now and then.

What gives????

<i>-57</i></div>

PostPosted:Thu Mar 11, 2004 1:54 pm
by Flip
<div style='font: 12pt "Cooper Black"; text-align: left; '>Its a mystery we'll never solve. Lately we show a guy getting his neck broken over and over and over on every channel, but freak out when a boob slips out. Sometimes i am embarrassed of my country.</div>

PostPosted:Thu Mar 11, 2004 1:55 pm
by G-man Joe
<div style='font: 11pt "Fine Hand"; text-align: left; '>The strange thing is....America in the 60's was much more liberal than Europe. With our Playboys and other skin mags and underground porn movies...now Europe surpassed us in this sexual revolution.</div>

PostPosted:Thu Mar 11, 2004 1:55 pm
by G-man Joe
<div style='font: 11pt "Fine Hand"; text-align: left; '>Show me your flippin' nipples, Flip.</div>

PostPosted:Thu Mar 11, 2004 1:58 pm
by Flip
<div style='font: 12pt "Cooper Black"; text-align: left; '>(.)(.)</div>

PostPosted:Thu Mar 11, 2004 2:00 pm
by Flip
<div style='font: 12pt "Cooper Black"; text-align: left; '>I think some movie said this, but "we're a country built by prudes through the use of violence", i guess its just our foundation.</div>

PostPosted:Thu Mar 11, 2004 2:01 pm
by Flip
<div style='font: 12pt "Cooper Black"; text-align: left; '>unlike Australia, which was built by thieves and criminals... man it must rock to be over there.</div>

PostPosted:Thu Mar 11, 2004 8:28 pm
by Imakeholesinu
<div style='font: 10pt Impact; text-align: left; '>Well, if you look at how many porn sites are accessed by users in the U.S., if there was somewhere to find that, I'd have to say that there are probably more people doing that. In Europe, all they have to do is go to amsterdam</div>

PostPosted:Thu Mar 11, 2004 9:43 pm
by Ganath
<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>It comes from ignorance.</div>

PostPosted:Fri Mar 12, 2004 12:08 am
by SineSwiper
<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light", "Century Gothic"; text-align: left; '>Maybe in California, but not countrywide. Remember that Hef had an uphill battle with Playboy. (If you look at earlier Playmates, they didn't even show any nipple for a while.) And let's not forget Lenny Bruce.</div>

PostPosted:Fri Mar 12, 2004 12:13 am
by SineSwiper
<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light", "Century Gothic"; text-align: left; '>It doesn't. The "protect the children" syndrome is worse over there than here.</div>

PostPosted:Fri Mar 12, 2004 12:24 am
by SineSwiper
<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light", "Century Gothic"; text-align: left; '>In the words of Jack Nicholson, "You show a tit, it's rated X. You cut it off, it's rated PG."</div>

It's America and its Purtian background trying to seep through.

PostPosted:Fri Mar 12, 2004 12:51 am
by SineSwiper
<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light", "Century Gothic"; text-align: left; '>Admittedly, we're better than we were 50 years ago, but now we're behind European standards, something that we will probably never achieve. The diversity that keeps us alive, also forces us to compromise to the lowest denominator. A monoculture of liberal-minded people with no reservations of sex and the human body would be more revealing on TV than a diverse culture that tries the best it can not to offend ANYBODY.

Our big corporate entities, who lack the backbone to say no to anybody, certainly don't help. As soon as one person complains, they think it's a problem, despite the fact that their customers won't switch over or change their habits or anything.</div>

PostPosted:Fri Mar 12, 2004 4:06 am
by Stephen
<div style='font: 10pt Arial; text-align: left; '>It's hardly surprising. Politicians exist to stroke and soothe the moralistic instincts of their democratic herds. For Americans, the primary taboo is sex; for Europeans, it is violence. There's always something that gets a society's panties in a bunch.</div>

PostPosted:Fri Mar 12, 2004 8:01 am
by Flip
<div style='font: 12pt "Cooper Black"; text-align: left; '>Please, the coorporations will do what makes them money, if they wouldnt get fined and it was legal they would have boobs on every ad they run.</div>

PostPosted:Fri Mar 12, 2004 8:08 am
by G-man Joe
<div style='font: 11pt "Fine Hand"; text-align: left; '>The 60's Sexual Revolution was nation wide, Sine. Maybe not so in the Southern Bible Belt where Ish was still swimming in the swamps but still.</div>

PostPosted:Fri Mar 12, 2004 7:23 pm
by SineSwiper
<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light", "Century Gothic"; text-align: left; '>I may be confusing the precursors of the sexual revolution (the late 50's) with the revolution itself (the 60's).</div>

PostPosted:Fri Mar 12, 2004 7:25 pm
by SineSwiper
<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light", "Century Gothic"; text-align: left; '>I'm afraid of Americans/I'm afraid of the world/I'm afraid I can't help it/I'm afraid I can't.......God is an American......God is an American.......</div>

PostPosted:Fri Mar 12, 2004 7:27 pm
by SineSwiper
<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light", "Century Gothic"; text-align: left; '>Maybe, but that would imply a society that wouldn't complain and urge lawmakers to make laws on "decency".</div>

PostPosted:Fri Mar 12, 2004 9:47 pm
by Stephen
<div style='font: 10pt Arial; text-align: left; '>Ugh. Don't remind us of David Bowie's unfortunate foray into drum and bass.</div>

PostPosted:Sat Mar 13, 2004 4:51 am
by SineSwiper
<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light", "Century Gothic"; text-align: left; '>It wasn't bad. Outside was actually a good album.</div>

PostPosted:Sat Mar 13, 2004 4:53 am
by SineSwiper
<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light", "Century Gothic"; text-align: left; '>(Oh, that was with Brian Eno, though.)</div>

PostPosted:Sun Mar 14, 2004 3:42 am
by Stephen
<div style='font: 10pt Arial; text-align: left; '>Outside was a disembodied mess, although it had its moments. ("We prick you we prick you we prick you.")</div>