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Dire Straits song ruled unfit for Canada

Quote:

Music fans around the world were up in arms Thursday after a broadcast watchdog deemed the Dire Straits hit “Money for Nothing” unfit for Canadian radio because of a gay slur in the lyrics, while others applauded the decision and argued society has changed since the song came out in 1985.

The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council ruled that the song violates the industry's code of ethics because the lyrics include the word “faggot” three times.

The scrutiny of the Dire Straits song was prompted by a complaint from a listener of radio station CHOZ-FM in St. John's, Nfld. The broadcaster argued that the song had been played countless times since its release decades ago and has won music-industry awards.

A CBSC panel concluded that the word “faggot,” even if once acceptable, has evolved to become unacceptable in most circumstances.

The panel noted that “Money for Nothing” would be acceptable for broadcast if suitably edited.

Dire Straits’ front man, Mark Knopfler, continues to perform the song in concert but over the years has taken to substituting different words for the “faggot” lyric, including “queenie” and “maggot.”

The decision nabbed international headlines (with Fox News and TV Guide among the U.S. websites to pick up on the story) and prompted furious debate on Twitter, where “Dire Straits” and “CBSC” were both trending topics in Canada.

“I think it's extremely important to take these words out of lyrics in popular culture,” said Helen Kennedy, executive director of Egale Canada, an organization that promotes equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-identified people.

“It perpetuates the stereotype, it’s negative and it's offensive. If you look to the origin of the word, it's disgusting.”

Radio veteran Alan Cross says the issue isn't necessarily the song, but the inconsistency of the rules. And he points out that it only takes one complaint to set such changes in motion.

“When the decision is rendered in favour of the complainant, it's like: ‘Wait a second, it's 34 million to one against?’ ” said Cross, the host of The Ongoing History of New Music on Toronto radio station 102.1 The Edge and the curator of exploremusic.com.

“It's the perceived inconsistencies: ‘Why can I watch Family Guy at 7 o'clock and there doesn't seem to be a problem there . . . but now I can't listen to a song that I've been listening to my whole life?’ ”

The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council is an independent watchdog that deals with complaints from the public. CHOZ-FM must announce the council's latest decision — which carries no monetary penalty — on air.

The song was a massive hit upon its release in 1985. It won a Grammy, reached No. 1 on the charts in Canada and the U.S. and spawned a famous music video that featured crude computer animation and became interwoven with the popularity of the then-fledgling music network MTV.

Yet Cross points out that sanitized versions of the song have always existed — even its original seven-inch pressing, he said, arrived without the verse in question.

At the time, there was debate over whether the song was homophobic. But Knopfler, who wrote the song, responded by pointing out that the lyric was meant with some irony. He has said he actually wrote the song in a hardware store, after he heard an employee watching MTV and complaining about what he saw.

The Canadian Press

Cliffs: - whiney sandy vag complains that the word faggot in the Dire Straits song Money For Nothing is offensive 26 years after its release
- Canadian Broadcast Standards Council agrees - song is not allowed on canadian airwaves unless the word is edited out.

Verdict: these sandy vages need to watch the faggot episode of South Park and STFU!

http://www.thestar.com/entertainment...fit-for-canada

One fucking complaint?

Fucking self-righteous assholes. WHY bring it up now? Newer music does SO much worse, but they'd rather target a song that's over 20 years old?

I remember hearing a piece of the song in an episode of ReBoot. The record-label sponsored version of the song is now blocked on YouTube. Thankfully, other people have uploaded it.

Uhhhh anything that goes on radio is censored anyway. :failed:

I looked up the song on youtube and recognized it from listening to Jack FM or some other station guys listen to at work. Here's a video, but they change the word to queenie, mama, and trucker. I wonder why? :P

Quote:

I want my MTV

Now look at them yo-yo's that's the way you do it
You play the guitar on the MTV
That ain't workin' that's the way you do it
Money for nothin' and your chicks for free
Now that ain't workin' that's the way you do it
Lemme tell ya them guys ain't dumb
Maybe get a blister on your little finger
Maybe get a blister on your thumb

We gotta install microwave ovens
Custom kitchen deliveries
We gotta move these refrigerators
We gotta move these colour TV's

(See the little faggot with the earring and the makeup
Yeah buddy that’s his own hair
That little faggot got his own jet airplane
That little faggot he’s a millionaire)

Gotta install microwave ovens
Custom kitchen deliveries
We gotta move these refrigerators
Gotta move these colour TV's

I shoulda learned to play the guitar
I shoulda learned to play them drums
Look at that mama, she got it stickin' in the camera
Man we could have some
And he's up there, what's that? Hawaiian noises?
Bangin' on the bongoes like a chimpanzee
That ain't workin' that's the way you do it
Get your money for nothin' get your chicks for free

We gotta install microwave ovens
Custom kitchens deliveries
We gotta move these refrigerators
We gotta move these colour TV's

Look a' here
That ain't workin' that's the way you do it
You play the guitar on your MTV
That ain't workin' that's the way you do it
Money for nothin' and your chicks for free
Money for nothin' and chicks for free

Money for nothin' and your chicks for free

Look at that, look at that

Money for nothin' and your chicks for free
I want my, I want my, I want my MTV
Money for nothin' and chicks for free

(Fade)
I want my, I want my, I want my MTV

Other than using the word, I don't see anything wrong with having your own hair, a jet plane, or being a millionare. There could be something wrong with taking it in the bum, but the song makes no mention about that whatsoever.

I like the Dire Straits, but I'm not really that outraged about this.

Times change, some things are considered more offensive today, some less. There's many songs which don't get "Fuck" bleeped today (On some stations) like John Lennon's song Working Class Hero. I bet 40 years ago, that song wouldn't have been allowed on the radio.

I can't remember if they bleep the words "Crazy Nigger" when they play Hurricane by Bob Dylan.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bengy (Post 7263684)

Uhhhh anything that goes on radio is censored anyway. :failed:

Neil Morrison said "Fuck" in the middle of his show on CFox, no CRTC complaints. Half of the songs on CFox have strong lyrics and go completely uncensored.

Hell, even Sarah McLaughlin's "Building a Mystery" goes uncensored after 8pm on local radio stations.

In Canada we view profanity much differently than the US. The CRTC is committed to resolving complaints when they happen whereas the FCC proactively censors content to reduce the chance of a complaint.

ohhhhhh that song its pretty sweet

i think its silly these post-editing of classics however if it was merely Bleeped out like swear words are i dont see the problem I can understand that with music being played on the radio but if they're saying it has to be removed from say the LPs or CDs being sold with the song on it then i think its going much too far

Like in the USA the word nigger is removed from the Huckleberry Finn book

i think its going too PC you don't see them watching what they say about muslims = terrorists (speaking of the USA here and the huck finn issue)

One of my favourite songs, god damn it. Why can't people just shut the fuck up?

If the pussy was my neighbour, I'd go fucking shove a faggot up is ass!

god bless..........

3:11
"Kill all the fags that don't agree"

This censorship can go on forever.

There's already an edited version that gets played on the radio... It's the version I grew up with when my dad wanted to listen to Dire Straits, and is still the only version I ever hear when I bother to tune into an FM station.

Not quite sure what the issue here is...

"That little faggot got his own jet airplane
That little faggot he’s a millionaire"

Complaining about this is just totally unwarranted he was just bitchin about Elton John for christ sakes. And Elton John didnt complain about it.

original link please?

Quote:

Originally Posted by carisear (Post 7264122)

original link please?

added link to the original post

this is fucking stupid,
Anywhere around the world SOMEBODY will be OFFENDED by SOMETHING, just seems like it we see it more often by folks (organo-fags) from the Kits area in BC.

http://cdn1.knowyourmeme.com/i/000/0...gif?1292011641

I remember hearing a quote that said that "Political correctness is like trying to change the entire world for one person". Couldn't be more true here.

Lets make huge list of songs and send them in one by one to the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council. Tie them up for years.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manic! (Post 7264382)

Lets make huge list of songs and send them in one by one to the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council. Tie them up for years.

Be careful what you wish for, they'll probably nuke them all.

When people do that to me at my job, they regret it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nightwalker (Post 7264540)

Be careful what you wish for, they'll probably nuke them all.

When people do that to me at my job, they regret it.

I wouldn't care most radio sucks anyways.

The word faggot and the other homophobic slurs bother me, there's no reason for words like that to be used by intelligent adults whose vocabulary surely contains a less offensive alternative. I've noticed it used numerous times on this forum..

In the context of the song, it was a different era and it was clearly used for artistic purposes, so I don't see any reason why the song should be taken from the airwaves.

why the hell did they wait this long to change it? Leave it the way it is...

Who listens to the radio anymore?

We have iPods. Download the song and listen to it in all it's faggoty glory.

Want this shit to stop? Don't listen to the radio.

It's antiquated technology that's completely unnecessary to our generation. I never listen to anything but Team1040 or maybe the news...which is why I don't understand why manufacturers keep putting FM tuners on their MP3 players. If I have MP3s...what the fuck good is the radio? It's not like the radio has played good music in years and if there's a half decent song on, they'd play it over and over and over.

Download the song. Wave it in the face of the guy that complained.

The stupid thing about this is that I've asked my gay friends and not one of them finds this song offensive. The person who complained was probably some suburban mom who has no real reason to object to the word beyond that it offends her delicate sensibilities.

This is what we called democracy in Canada?
1 Complaint = banned ??

Almost every other song thats out now are far worse than this song.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SlySi (Post 7264774)

This is what we called democracy in Canada?
1 Complaint = banned ??

I'm not sure why everyone is surprised at this. It's always been like that in Canada.. that's just how we roll: spineless.