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It helps people to express their belonging to special cultures and subcultures. Second, swearing is a sociolinguistic marker. First, it is a physiological release of energy – in this sense, swearing is a socially-sanctioned way to express aggression. Melanie Burns (2008) argues that swearing serves two social functions. At public schools, swearing is sometimes conceived as an act of resistance but not necessarily meant to be offensive or malicious (Plank et. Swear words are used to add emphasis to masculinity, but younger people of different genders tend to swear just as much as one another (Newman et al. Generally, research has found that men swear more than women, but this also depends on context. It can be determined by culture, such as in the difference between language use in Japan and Australia (Obana and Takako 1994), as well as particular situations. Polite use of language is shaped through context.
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In fact, the media enquiry seems to show that journalists watch the TV show Media Watch ‘ with trepidation’, fearing its critique more than a rebuke by the Press Council. For example, see the September announcement of the Labor Goverment’s media inquiry in the The Australian (Franklin and Chessell 2011) and the Sydney Morning Herald (Taylor 2011), and the coverage of November hearings of NEWS Limited chairman and chief executive John Hartigan in The Australian (2011). The Australian Press Council has been referred to as a ‘toothless tiger’ by media analysts. Yet when it comes to particular swear words being said on television, why do regulatory bodies censor on a case by case basis and why can they not be clear about which swear words are especially offensive and why?Īustralia has its own regulation agencies, of course. So is it the case that in some cases the same swear words are more or less offensive than others? In The Social Construction of Reality, sociologists Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann (1967) illustrate that human communication relies on verbal signs and visual symbols that take on different meaning in particular contexts. “No one is going to tell you what you can and cannot do, because it changes on a case-by-case basis… What you would do if you were a TV programmer is look through all the case law and see what the FCC has acted on in the past.” Wolchover contacted FCC media relations spokesperson Janice Wise for clarification about the swearing guidelines and she felt none the wiser for it. Wolchover argues that the FCC ‘leaves it up to programmers to tread carefully through the murky waters of its regulations.’ These murky laws also affect audiences in Australia (where I live), since a great deal of our TV programming comes from America. Writing for Life’s Little Mysteries, Natalie Wolchover (2011) argues that the USA’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) guidelines are difficult for the average viewer to fathom as the FCC does not make a list of banned swear words publicly available. Some words are only allowed to be said a certain number of times per TV episode. The again, some words are generally considered to be more offensive than others – but the social norms on this are not clearly articulated by law. This makes sense if you’re trying to protect children from being exposed to certain swear words. Why are some words allowed in some contexts and not in others? It’s not simply a timing issue – some swear words are only allowed to escape the mouths of thespians late at night but not during the day. The language guidelines for TV shows can be confusing. As Aidan Wilson (2011) points out, Conroy’s offence was not simply using a ‘vulgar’ word, but also that his address was followed by the ABC’s afternoon children’s shows. This comment went to air during 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm. “If a tax goes up, God, that is sovereign risk, but if a tax goes down, its fucking fantastic. Speaking to the National Press Club about the proposed tax for the National Broadband Network, Conroy said: It’s popped back into my mind as I’ve been thinking and reading a lot about power dynamics and the changes in linguistic practices. This live gaff had me thinking about swearing, the power of ‘bad words’ and the regulatory bodies that set and enforce the standards for television programming. In December 2011, The then-Australian Minister for Communications, Senator Stephen Conroy, created a media controversy when he swore during a live address on the national public broadcaster, the ABC.
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Why is swearing on TV more offensive than graphic depictions of violence?