It’s very interesting you mention that, elbows. The reason Westboro Baptist Church didn’t picket the funerals of the victims of the Arizona shooter was that 102.1, The Edge, gave them radio play in exchange for leaving the victims’ funerals alone. Article here. Other US radio stations were also part of this agreement.
Yes, The Edge, 102.1, the station for whom Rush wrote ‘The Spirit of Radio’, the station known for playing indie rock no one else would play, just gave those assholes a platform. Noble gesture or collaborating with evil? You decide…
I’m happy they kept them from protesting at that funeral, and have confidence in my fellow Canadian’s to recognized their hateful bullshit for what it is. I think it was worth it. I don’t see it as collaboration as much as willing sacrifice.
They may think they are being given a platform, they may find themselves being given heaps, instead.
Now that you mention it, CFNY 102.1 was the first station I heard play Dead Kennedys “All Religions Make Me Sick”. Perhaps they’ll play a medley of that, “Dear God” and “Jesus Thinks You’re a Jerk” over top of whatever the Westboro pricks are saying…
Zundel, who I’ve heard of, fits your characterization nicely. Except that halting freedom of speech on those grounds, even for repulsive Holocaust deniers is an offense to democratic principles. Plus, these sleazebags can turn around and try to use the same “anti-hate speech” laws to push their own agendas.
“Zündel campaigned in Canada to ban the movie Schindler’s List on the grounds that it “generates hatred against Germans, and it should be possible to ban it under ‘hate laws’ in Canada, Germany, and other countries” and celebrated the movie being banned in Malaysia and the Philippines, and effectively banned in Lebanon and Jordan.”
By the way, if we’re going to prohibit the airing of songs that are potentially offensive to women, that’ll censor a large chunk of the rock n’ roll catalogue and an even bigger percentage of rhythm and blues.
Speaking as a Brit can I just mention that a faggot in the U.K. is a kind of meatball (And very tasty too I might add) so it is apparent to me at least that Dire Straits were singing about a traditional English dish.
The fact that the CBSC interpreted this word as a sexually oriented slur only goes to show their own deep rooted prejudices, which I find very disturbing.
How can an organisation that is very obviously closet Homophobic even pretend to be the guardian of minorities ?
If a song is about peas do they automatically think that it is about urination?
Or a melody innocently commenting on television is really about transvestites ?
I say that these intolerant, Fascist scum masquerading as do gooders should be dragged out of their houses and forced to watch the X factor over and over again.
BASTARDS !
That apart I think censorship of this sort is silly and underminds peoples understanding of true hate crimes/speech.
I heard something interesting earlier today. The “ban” only refers to the album version of the song (because of the second verse). It seems that almost from when the song was originally released, there was a radio edit version of the song that omits the second verse. It seems that the radio edit version is included on a Dire Straits greatest hits album.
The tempest -in-a-teapot over this is hilarious. The CBSC is a reasonably toothless tiger - the only effect of this “ruling” is likely to be that this damn song (“faggot” and all) is put on such high rotation we all get sick of hearing it.
I was sick of hearing it 25 years ago - it has that misleading opening: at first it sounds like it’s going to be Jumping Jack Flash, but nope, it’s just that Dire Straits song again.
BTW at least one station is giving it heavy airplay in protest: Home | Vancouver Sun
