Friday, August 20, 2004

FCC Does Not Find Buffy Titillating Or Indecent

The Technology Liberation Front has a short piece discussing the FCC indecency guidelines and how a recent decision from the FCC on an episode of Buffy the Vampie Slayer (BTVS) had this to say:
The November 20, 2001 episode involves a scene depicting Buffy kissing and straddling Spike shortly after fighting with him. Based upon our review of the scene, we did not find that it is sufficiently graphic or explicit to be deemed indecent. Given the non-explicit nature of the scene, we cannot conclude that it was calculated to pander to, titillate or shock the audience. Consequently, we conclude that the material is not patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards for the broadcast medium.
I remember that episode. (I'm a big fan of BTVS. Excellent series!) In all honesty, it wasn't anything racier than you'd see in the soap operas or reality shows that plague modern television. Really, what possessed the Parents Television Council to go after this episode as compared with anything else shown on television at 8pm? (Including the Olympics.)

I do have to agree with the TLF commentor, though. The reasoning behind the FCC's ruling is bizarre at best and arbitrary at worst. (Not unlike the indecency guidelines themselves.) Another interesting tale in the saga that is the FCC vs. Indecency.