The song, Fairytale of New York, sung by Shane MacGowan and the late Kirsty MacColl, is a vulgar and somewhat trashy piece for which Melancholicus has never much cared, but he must admit to having experienced a certain malicious glee when this bastion of political correctness was compelled to withdraw its edited version of the song and play the unexpurgated version instead after being inundated with complaints from listeners.
The fact that so many people objected to this pathetic attempt at pc-inspired censorship gives us hope that there are still some in Israel who have not yet bowed the knee before Baal, and that there are those who have yet resisted brainwashing by the propaganda of Ingsoc.
From RTÉ entertainment news:
BBC backs down over Pogues classic
BBC Radio 1 has reversed its decision to censor the classic Pogues and Kirsty MacColl song 'Fairytale of New York'.
The station had decided to bleep out the word "faggot" from the song because it could be offensive to listeners.
But BBC 1 controller Andy Parfitt said last night: "After careful consideration, I have decided that the decision to edit the Pogues song Fairytale of New York was wrong."
AdvertisementParfitt said that the song did not use the word with any "negative intent".
Listen to a special programme on the story behind 'Fairytale of New York' here.
He said: "Radio 1 does not play homophobic lyrics or condone bullying of any kind. It is not always easy to get this right, mindful of our responsibility to our young audience. The unedited version will be played from now on."
He continued: "I want to stress that everyone at Radio 1 and its music team take the issue of language very seriously and enormous care is taken in ensuring that offensive language is edited from records where necessary."
"I understand absolutely, in a climate where questions about editorial standards are at the fore, the thinking behind this decision. While we would never condone prejudice of any kind, we know our audiences are smart enough to distinguish between maliciousness and creative freedom," said Parfitt.
He concluded: "In the context of this song, I do not feel that there is any negative intent behind the use of the words, hence the reversal of the decision."
“Homophobic lyrics” indeed. Despite the occurrence of the word ‘faggot’, there is no mention of sodomy at all in this song. When will these people ever relax and get a life? Are we all children, that we must be dictated to by these self-appointed arbiters of correctness as to what words we may or may not use in our discourse? This is all a pointless row over nothing. Besides, are homosexuals and other minority groups really so traumatised by the existence of certain words that they have to go running to nanny every time they perceive any slight, real or imagined, against themselves? If so, they should grow up and start living in the real world. People should not be forced to accord others an automatic respect simply on the basis of skin colour, exotic oriental religion or peculiar sexual habits. In the real world, as opposed to the culturally-constructed unreality fostered by political correctness, respect has to be earned.
In politically-correct culture, minority groups are treated like a sort of protected species that the rest of us are expected to handle with kid gloves. Melancholicus is not impressed. Not being a ‘minority’ himself, he enjoys no such vicarious protection. On the contrary, several of the ‘cultural categories’ to which Melancholicus belongs are regarded in the pc-Weltanshauung as ‘majoritarian’, and hence legitimate targets for attack and discrimination. He is white, male, heterosexual, and — worst of all — a Roman Catholic. His religion can be insulted with impunity, in speech, writing, and broadcasting, and Melancholicus must simply accept that as a fact, for there is nothing he can do about it. The BBC, in particular, is noted for its anti-Catholicism as well as for its simultaneous molly-coddling of sodomy and Islam. Melancholicus wonders why it should be apparently so acceptable to attack and ridicule Catholicism, but why Islam ought to be treated with respect and deference in all public discourse.
Here’s a BBC-related link I stumbled upon the other day. It’s fun.
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