FCC Regulations

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been cracking down recently on what should and should not be shown on television. Ever since Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction, it seems like the commission has been even more strict with what is allowed to be shown. While there are obviously certain things that are not appropriate for children's viewing, who says that the government should be the one to say what is or is not appropriate. Shouldn't the parents be the ones to decide what their children should be viewing?

There has to be something said about personal choice. If you don't like a content of a show, feel free not to watch it. That's your right. Nobody is forcing you to sit through a show that you find offensive. Someone else might enjoy that show though. Shouldn't they have the right to watch it if they want to? Why should the government get to decide what is appropriate or not? As it stands, the United States is one of the most uptight countries when it comes to anything dealing with sex or the body in general. It's almost as if anatomy is sort of a taboo to some extent.

Lately programs have been rewriting to fit into FCC regulations. In an episode of Grey's Anatomy last year, they had to think of slang terms to refer to the vagina just so that they could fit into the regulations. Now with a show that focuses, at least partially, on a gynocologist how are you not supposed to say vagina. That's just what has to be said to be correct. Now the writers obviously found a way to get around it, and it turned out to be funny, but should they have to do that? Isn't it just a bit ridiculous? Wouldn't it be better to just use the actual word? If it's truly the children that the commission is worried about then wouldn't it be better to use the actual word and create awareness instead of creating an awkward way of looking at sex.

There should be more personal responsibility when it comes to the decisions on what to watch. The government shouldn't have to decide what's right for your children to see. You should be making that decision, but that would require parenting. There's too many parents who use the television as another parent in the house instead of using that as a way to enjoy time with their children. If we can get parents to be involved with what their children are doing, we wouldn't need as strict of regulations.