Use Of Profanity On TV Increasing, Study Shows

wlky ^ | 9-23-03

[hoosierskypilot]

LOS ANGELES -- There's too dang much cussin' on TV these days -- and it's creeping into the family hour, according to a new report by a watchdog group.

Researchers found that television writers are including more four-letter words in their primetime scripts these days.

The Parents Television Council studied six broadcast networks -- ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, WB and UPN -- during the two-week November sweeps period in 1998, 2000 and 2002.

The group found a jump in profanity on every network and in every time slot. The study found during the so-called "family hour," from 8 to 9 p.m., foul language increased by more than 94 percent between 1998 and 2002.

And profanity rose by 109 percent during the 9 p.m. hour in the same period.

The group is crying foul over the results. It says the TV industry needs to "get serious" about reducing what it says has become a "flood of vulgarity" coming into homes via television.

"Once prime-time television decides to absorb something, it becomes a stamp of normalcy. It's no longer controversial. It's no longer a big deal. It makes it a casual, accepted sort of thing," said Syracuse University professor Robert Thompson.

The report says that once the initial taboo is broken and the shock value wears off, more and more curse words fall into the category of "acceptable" language, and TV must try to up the ante by introducing new words to prime time TV's obscene lexicon.

But what's the big deal? With so many other dangerous influences bombarding children, should parents really be concerned if their teen swears?

Some experts say cursing is a precursor for other types of aggression.

"Very often, rudeness and cursing are the beginning of an escalation toward violence. Words, our words, are like our hands. They can soothe and heal, but they can also strike, which means they can hurt," said P.M. Forni, co-founder of the Civility Project at Johns Hopkins University.

[Cobra64]

I miss: I Dream of Genie, The Rifleman, Combat, Gallant Men, Doctor Kildare, The Sixth Sense, Oppie Taylor, Alfred Hitchcock, Outer Limits, Chrysler Hour, Red Skelton, Laugh In, Twilight Zone, Rowan and Martin...

Who'd/what'd I miss?

[dinasour]

We just can't have your pinger out of whack.

Wouldn't do at all, not at all.

[Cobra64]

nah, it's "holy shi'ite Batman"

[E Rocc]

Said 162 times on South Park. >:)

-Eric

[Remole]

The Dick Van Dyke Show--best sitcom of all time, until Seinfeld and Frasier.

[Huck]

Those were in rerun by the time I saw them. I loved Twilight Zone. I watched I Dream of Jeanie when I was home sick from school. I would add Star Trek, Mission Impossible and Bonanza to your list of shows from that era that I liked. You can throw in the original Bob Newhart show, too.

[BSunday]

...."American Chopper."

Awesome Show!!

[Cobra64]

Good catch Huck. There's always Maxwell Smart, Six Million Dollar Man, Wonder Woman, Beverly Hillbillies, The Dukes of Hazard, Our Miss Brooks, Loretta Young, Donna Reed, Father Knows Best, Ben Casey... the brain is straining for more.

[Huck]

Maxwell Smart. Good one. How about Branded, starring Chuck Connors?

Branded! Scorned as the one who ran! What do you do when you're branded, and you know you're a man!

[CMClay]

This sounds Frocking Series!

[Chancellor Palpatine]

"Who Wants To Be a Shameless Slut?"

She who must be obeyed never lets me watch that program, donchaknow....

[Liberal Classic]

These guys are artists of the highest caliber:

Top it off, all the harsh language is like a little slice of home. :)

[BSunday]

These guys are artists of the highest caliber:

Very true. The Fire Bike is one of my favorites, along with the Commanche.

[BSunday]

For the uninitiated:

The Firebike

The Commanche

[Centurion2000]

I miss: I Dream of Genie, The Rifleman, Combat, Gallant Men, Doctor Kildare, The Sixth Sense, Oppie Taylor, Alfred Hitchcock, Outer Limits, Chrysler Hour, Red Skelton, Laugh In, Twilight Zone, Rowan and Martin...

Who'd/what'd I miss?

WKRP in Cincinnati, Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes cartoons (now there nothing but PC power rangers crap), other good space war cartoons (G-Force, Star Blazers), The Rat Patrol, Hogan's Heroes, Ba Ba Black Sheep, Gold Monkey and Bewitched was pretty funny too.

[My2Cents]

Yes, I marvel at what Paul and Paulie do. Works of art. Wish I could afford one of them.

[My2Cents]

"Sixth Sense"! That was a weird one. I loved it.

[Liberal Classic]

I saw an interview on ESPN once where they said the theme bikes run over 100 grand. *whew* That's a lot of money to a working Joe like myself. :)