The Mouth Blur Bleep Method

[bringbackradio]

For nearly a decade now, EVERY single television show/program/episode has a mouth blur while bleeped for censorship. At the time before 2003 or 2004 ish, it was not commonplace on programs that aired on broadcast tv. A handful of shows like Maury began that practice, while most other shows did not. You can still read lips while the cussword is bleeped. But post-2005, most to all programs on broadcast tv including networks start blurring the mouth so that people cannot read lips anymore, and I think it SUCKS big time. It makes it harder to know what was exactly said or fill in the word at home, and it ain't fair cause cable networks don't have the practice.

Was it a FCC rule put in place requiring this or was it voluntary?

 

[blizzard59]

The broadcast networks started doing this in 2006 in response to updated FCC guidance on indecency. However, the FCC never blatantly specified whether or not mouths have to be obscured when profanity is censored prior to the 10 PM watershed so this is something that has been done simply as a precaution against possible noncompliance with the rules.

 

[gbranch]

It makes it harder to know what was exactly said or fill in the word at home, and it ain't fair cause cable networks don't have the practice.

It's usually pretty easy to take the context and know exactly what was said without hearing it or reading the lips. 70% is the f-word, 20% the s-word, and the other 10% are other various words that George Carlin can tell you about.

If you really have the need to hear profanity on TV, just watch an NFL or NBA game, and you will hear at least one f-bomb per game.

 

[LKellerIII]

Comedy Central doesn't bother to mouth blur, so you can tell what the word is, though they do blur the middle-finger salute.

I realize some people are sensitive to profanity, but this seems so unnecessary in this millenium. I live in a big city, and I guarantee that you will hear the F-word from a person on the street within five minutes of going outdoors. Perhaps that's different in small, more conservative towns.

 

[crainbebo]

I've even seen censored butts passing through Jerry Springer's "stripper" episodes. And the mouth blurring happens in every Maury episode (except for that once-a-year talent contest program).

-crainbebo

 

[firepoint525]

I've even seen censored butts passing through Jerry Springer's "stripper" episodes. And the mouth blurring happens in every Maury episode (except for that once-a-year talent contest program).

Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight are two shows which seem to go overboard with the "red ribbons." They have used red ribbons in instances in which there really isn't anything to "censor." For instance, Inside Edition has used those red ribbons to "censor" the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover photo! :

 

[vchimpanzee]

Comedy Central doesn't bother to mouth blur, so you can tell what the word is, though they do blur the middle-finger salute.

I realize some people are sensitive to profanity, but this seems so unnecessary in this millenium. I live in a big city, and I guarantee that you will hear the F-word from a person on the street within five minutes of going outdoors. Perhaps that's different in small, more conservative towns.

At a motel this week I saw a middle finger and heard GD on FX.

 

[jfrancispastirchak]

On cable, silencing the 'cuss' without blurring seems silly. Witness Frasier on Hallmark; the most common (though not the only) offender is A_ _, a seemingly harmless mis-step by today's standards. Also on Frasier, I believe I witnessed the snuffing of Ba_ _ _ _d one night. How did I know? I too am a lip reader, a skill acquired as a father raising 3-teenagers.

 

[landtuna]

Comedy Central doesn't bother to mouth blur, so you can tell what the word is, though they do blur the middle-finger salute.

I realize some people are sensitive to profanity, but this seems so unnecessary in this millenium. I live in a big city, and I guarantee that you will hear the F-word from a person on the street within five minutes of going outdoors. Perhaps that's different in small, more conservative towns.

And don't dare walk the hallways of any high school (and most junior high schools) in the nation or you will be inundated with the F-bomb.....and from girls!!!

Pardon my age and experience (old sailor) but I cannot get used to foul-mouthed young girls.

 

[e-dawg]

As for censoring the private parts. (Breast, Vagina's, Penis, and butts). What part of the indecently that you have to blurred out bikini's or male underwear. Also, same thing if the women's showing the breast, but not the nipples. Where do you draw the line? Also, where in the FCC book does it consider to be indecently?

 

[jfrancispastirchak]

...same thing if the women's showing the breast, but not the nipples. Where do you draw the line?

Anybody else see the humor in this line? Blooper?

 

[johnnya2k6]

Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight are two shows which seem to go overboard with the "red ribbons." They have used red ribbons in instances in which there really isn't anything to "censor."

I think just recently, Inside Edition replaced the red ribbons with an "OOPS!" dot, while Access Hollywood has a gold ribbon with the words "Too much Access!" on it.

But back in the day, it was the WWE that went overboard with the dreaded Big Red "X" (used to censor the snake bite on "Macho Man" Randy Savage (which they later showed uncensored) and Ron Bass busting Brutus Beefcake's head wide open with his spurs (shown uncensored in Canada)). Nowadays, whenever they show a bloodied wrestler, it would be in black-and-white.

 

[crainbebo]

We don't get Access Hollywood in this market, so I have not seen the "Too Much Access!" graphic yet. But I just saw an "Oops!" tonight on Inside Edition - a Kardashian butt picture was censored.

-crainbebo

 

[landtuna]

I realize some people are sensitive to profanity, but this seems so unnecessary in this millenium. I live in a big city, and I guarantee that you will hear the F-word from a person on the street within five minutes of going outdoors.

I can hear almost continuous f-bombs just walking past my local high school. And not only the boys.....sadly.

 

[vchimpanzee]

As for censoring the private parts. (Breast, Vagina's, Penis, and butts). What part of the indecently that you have to blurred out bikini's or male underwear. Also, same thing if the women's showing the breast, but not the nipples. Where do you draw the line? Also, where in the FCC book does it consider to be indecently?

I was watching PBS and in a clip from "Girls", Lena Dunham was taking off her clothes and we could see she was wearing a thong. And nothing was hidden in the back.

Considering it's Lena Dunham, we did NOT need to see THAT.

 

[landtuna]

I was watching PBS and in a clip from "Girls", Lena Dunham was taking off her clothes and we could see she was wearing a thong. And nothing was hidden in the back.

Considering it's Lena Dunham, we did NOT need to see THAT.

You should be lucky it wasn't the Kardashian zeppelin.

 

[Silkie]

There was a time when navels and armpits were not permitted at all, to say nothing of intimate attire. Saying "Oh my God!" was also prohibited. Now the question seems to be how much flesh above and below the navel should be shown, what products to use for a bikini line, how to apply your testosterone in the mirror, lingerie everywhere, and of course blasphemy to make sure that it all gets on the air. The demonstration of a lack of vocabulary is a rather recent phenomenon, much like the cheapness applied in costume design which is pretty much nonexistent today, but hey, it's 2014, and cheap is cheap.

...or just a reflection of the current timeframe in America.

 

[vchimpanzee]

There's a discussion in Annie's Mailbox today (http://www.creators.com/advice/annies-mailbox.html if you go there today, or recent columns are on the left) about frequent use of the F-word in ordinary conversation today. The commenters at the bottom of the page have different views on this.

Ann Landers' former editors started a column of their own after Eppie Lederer died.

I alwyas appreciate broadcast TV cleaning up such language.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Talk about overdoing it. Colin Mochrie said the word that had to be bleeped. But the guest star on "Whose Line Is It Anyway" was supposed to be attempting to move her lips when Colin talked. So she did it that perfectly?

The game usually has more than one person whose voice is "dubbed" from offstage.

 

[brian4]

But back in the day, it was the WWE that went overboard with the dreaded Big Red "X" (used to censor the snake bite on "Macho Man" Randy Savage (which they later showed uncensored) and Ron Bass busting Brutus Beefcake's head wide open with his spurs (shown uncensored in Canada)). Nowadays, whenever they show a bloodied wrestler, it would be in black-and-white.

When Bass cut Beefcake (1988) the major WWE show was Superstars which normally was shown late morning/early afternoon on the weekends. Not a good place to show a guy raking his boots across the face of their hero and making him bleed.

Superstars was still the #1 show when the snake bit Savage (1991). Kids would've been scared and this warranted the X.