Freaks and Geeks

[sistermagpie]

> Carol responds:
> Regardless of the name of the show, you agree that Susan had the 
right
> to complain that a program with such language was being aired in a
> video store, right? And that "It's on television" was hardly an
> adequate response to Susan's request to change the channel. (Whatever
> happened to "the customer is always right"?)
> 
> Carol, who has never seen FAG, either, but thinks that the name of 
the
> show is beside the point--what matters is the inappropriate content

Magpie:
I do think she has the right to complain about that kind of language--
though in this case I don't think the name of the show was the issue, 
but that if you know the show, there's a disconnect. Because is 
already free of language like "shit" or "fuck." "It's on television" 
actually is a very valid (if probably inarticulate) response, because 
it means that it falls well within the guidelines of what they can 
show on the screens. Primetime network television already has family 
limits on violence, nudity and language. Some of it still might not be 
appropriate for children, but that's not something you can get from 5 
minutes. If the store actually was showing FAG and somebody came up 
and said, "Take that off, it's using X-rated language" someone might 
respond by just saying, "No it's not, you misheard. It's a network TV 
show. It doesn't contain those words."

But since she mentioned the title of the show they were supposedly 
showing, people who knew the show were just arguing whether or not 
there was anything in that particular show that shouldn't be shown in 
a video store. Like I said, I think most video stores have a policy 
that the employees already have to follow about what's considered 
appropriate to show. Not just kid stuff, but nothing above a certain 
rating. If they show something outside of those guidelines a customer 
ceratinly has a right to complain. (Well, they have a right to 
complain regardless, of course!)

-m