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Temple/London
Fall 1999 |
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Temple/London
Fall 1999 |
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Content:
Amount of Bad Language
by
M. Wilson
The Question
Does there seem to be an obvious difference in the amount of ‘bad language’ found in American and British television and magazines?
This section will cover the amount of bad language found on a BBC channel in comparison to one channel from the United States. The amount of bad language in magazines will also be covered by presenting two magazines from the States in comparison with two magazines from Great Britain.
!*?!!!!*F**k*%!%
Methods/Results: Television
Below are two lists: the first list will show television programs broadcast on an American channel for Monday November 8, 1999. The second list will show a British channel's programming, also for November 8, 1999. *I had an American student watch Channel 3’s programming on the 8th.
Typically, the only words heard on American television are hell, damn, and Christ. Any other word(s) considered profane was counted in this study.
Channel 3 KYW Philadelphia Pennsylvania – this is a typical network channel in America.
Time Show Amount of words
considered being
‘bad language.’
8:00 PM 60 Min Rock and Roll Forever:
Ed Sullivans Greatest Hits 0
9:00 PM 120 Min Shake, Rattle and Roll 0
11:00 PM 30 Min News 0
11:30 90 Min David Letterman **2
Total hours = 300 Min
*The two words used during the Letterman show were Christ and Ass.
** The above information was taken from TV Guide and the amount of bad language was measured by Oliver Cooney – an American student at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Channel 4 London, England – this channel airs a wide variety of programming.
Time Show Amount of words
considered being
‘bad language.’
8:00 PM 60 Min Southern Exposure 0
9:00 PM 60 Min Staying Lost 0
10:05 120 Min Kalifornia *7
Total Hours = 240 Min
?%!*S??T?!
The following words were unedited during the feature film Kalifornia:
Most of these words were used more than once, but it is more important to know the actual word rather than how many times it was used.
Conclusions
Even though only a small amount of programming was studied there is an obvious difference between America and Great Britain. The two words used during the Letterman show could be considered stretching it - as far as America will go in this subject. American programming has always been carefully monitored. It is extremely interesting to watch Britain programming and hear all of this bad language. A more in depth study could be pursued on this matter to see why Britain is not as strict as America. Why does America edit all of the ‘bad language’? Do British children pick up the bad language more quickly than American children? Research such as this would take years. The above was just a quick example on how to go about pursuing research on this subject matter.
Methods/Results:
Magazines
The following will compare four magazines - two American music magazines and two British music magazines. Four articles have been randomly chosen in each to measure the amount of ‘bad language’ in magazines. Music magazines were looked at because they are usually written for a general reading audience.
Great Britain
Music Week magazine November 1999
Articles
"Beck has another album ready to go." 0 words were found in this article
"New Oasis album details." 0 words were found in this article.
"Music review live: Super Furry Animals." 1 word was found in this article. The sentence it was found in – "The man don’t give a fuck!"(Ben Gilbert)
"Glitter Trial day 2." 0 words were found in this article.
Mojo Magazine October 1999
Articles
"Lizard Queen" by: Sylvie Simmons 0 words were found in this article.
"This time it’s personal" by: Sylvie Simmons
4 words were found in this article
"as the ultimate fucked – up superpunk."(Iggy Pop)
"….but fucking and fighting like a champ."(Iggy Pop)
"….it doesn’t matter if you’re not happy and you can’t write a fucking song,.."(Iggy Pop)
"Fuck, I ain’t bald…."(Iggy Pop)
America
Spin Magazine November 1999
Articles
"Tori: Enchanted Forest" 0 words were found in this article
"Ani Defranco: To The Teeth; Righteous Babe" By: Linda Laban
0 words were found in this article.
"Shining Through: Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals"
0 words were found in this article.
"Snow Patrol: Songs for Polar Bears/Jeepsters" By: Andy Greenwald
0 words were found in this article.
Rolling Stone Magazine November 1999
Articles
"Performance: Counting Crows: Adam Duritz and his flock loosen up in NY"
By: Evan Schlansky 0 words were found in this article.
"The Battles of Rage Against the Machine" By: David Fricke
1 word was found in this article –"ill racist shit"(Fricke)
"Michael Jackson" 0 words were found in this article.
"Fiona Apple: When the Pawn…." By: Rob Sheffield
0 words were found in this article.
Conclusions
There was a small difference between the British and American magazines. Surprisingly, the above was all of the ‘bad language’ found. Britain seems just as liberal in magazines as in television. It is safe to say that you will find a large amount of ‘bad language’ in almost any type of magazine in Britain even though only music magazines were examined. The research could be continued by taking an in depth look at all types of magazines in Britain and America. It would be interesting to see an in depth study as to why magazines tend to be more liberal and open with bad language in both Britain and America. Do British editors ever feel it necessary to ban any profanity from their magazines? What kind of effect does bad language have on readers? How do the readers feel about bad language?
Sources/For More Information
