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| | village voice > news > The Essay by Douglas Wolk |
 | | It's almost impossible to prove that broadcasts on public airwaves are obscene by the statutory definition: They have to describe sexual conduct "in a patently offensive way," appeal to prurient interests as a whole, and lack serious literary, political, artistic, or scientific value. |
 | | It's also historically meant that classic-rock stations often haven't bothered to bleep out, e.g., Pink Floyd's "do-goody-good bullshit" and the Who's "who the fuck are you?" even during the day, on the grounds that the former isn't used in the excretory sense, and the latter isn't used in the sexual sense. |
 | | When you're disturbed by something on the TV or the radio, you can always turn it off and walk away—but if the airwaves are dominated by a few big owners, you hear the same voices no matter what channel you turn on. |
| www.villagevoice.com /issues/0416/essay.php (1471 words) |
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