# Why Can't You Swear on Cable? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 12, 2002, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-swear-on-cable/142245 "2002-12-12T14:27:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gjorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c4cdca/32.png) [@Gjorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gjorp)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-swear-on-cable/142245/1 "2002-12-12T14:27:30Z")
Okay, sure, there’s the Sopranos where every second word is a swear, but then I watch the Daily Show and their bleeping out their swear words. Why is this? I thought you could swear on cable. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-swear-on-cable/142245/2 "2002-12-12T14:31:58Z")
You can swear on network tv for all the FCC cares. It’s the advertisers that don’t want it. It’s an issue of money, not legality. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-swear-on-cable/142245/3 "2002-12-12T14:37:46Z")
There’s an episode of South Park that proved this quite well. 162 uses of the word “shit” in 30 minutes, and no repercussions. ---
**Author:** ![rexnervous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e9c0ed/32.png) [@rexnervous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rexnervous)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-swear-on-cable/142245/4 "2002-12-12T14:59:47Z")
ESPN also showed the uncut version of the Bobby Knight movie (they showed the censored version simultaneously on ESPN2, I believe) ---
**Author:** ![Raymond\_Luxury\_Yacht](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raymond_luxury_yacht/32/4099_2.png) [@Raymond\_Luxury\_Yacht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raymond_Luxury_Yacht)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-swear-on-cable/142245/5 "2002-12-12T15:57:10Z")
Bravo is rerunning Larry Sanders, and they allow words like 'shit and ‘asshole’, but they always edit out ‘f\*\*\*’. ---
**Author:** ![av8rmike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/edb3f5/32.png) [@av8rmike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/av8rmike)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-swear-on-cable/142245/6 "2002-12-12T16:44:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cisco \* > \*\*You can swear on network tv for all the FCC cares. It’s the advertisers that don’t want it. It’s an issue of money, not legality. \*\* See recent threads about network TV playing un-cut versions of “Saving Private Ryan” and “Schindler’s List”. They were both presented without commercials, underwritten by a single company (Ford in both cases, IIRC). ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-swear-on-cable/142245/7 "2002-12-12T17:18:09Z")
The 9/11 documentary by the French brothers on CBS was also not edited for swear words. I think the most touching moment for me (and there were so many in that film) was the firefighter who realized his buddy had survived and returned to the firestation. He greeted him with a hearty “Where the fuck you been?” before enveloping him in a bear hug of relief. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-swear-on-cable/142245/8 "2002-12-12T20:13:07Z")
The difference is mostly that basic cable goes out to everyone who subscribes, and therefore has the most conservative audience. Stations that are on premium cable, pay stations, and pay-per-view events go only to people who have specially paid for those services and can cancel them individually rather than having to give up cable altogether. So while basic cable is a bit losser than the over-the-air networks it has far more constraints than do pay cable stations. ---
**Author:** ![SylverOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@SylverOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SylverOne)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-swear-on-cable/142245/9 "2002-12-12T20:22:04Z")
The swear words on cable don’t bother me… Sh_t, B_tch, even the occasional A\*\*hole just go right past me. But I about fell off my chair when Joey called her father a d\*ck on Dawson’s Creek last night. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-swear-on-cable/142245/10 "2002-12-12T21:18:14Z")
I was watching broadcast TV the other night and someone said something was “bullshit.” I’m pretty sure I was watching NYPD Blue, which is known for colorful language, but it still caused my ears to perk up. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-swear-on-cable/142245/11 "2002-12-12T21:55:04Z")
Last season on _ER_, on the episode where Dr. Green dies, at one point, he’s having a seizure, and he yells “SHIT!” ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-swear-on-cable/142245/12 "2002-12-12T23:46:28Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by jehovah68 \* > Bravo is rerunning Larry Sanders, and they allow words like 'shit and ‘asshole’, but they always edit out 'f_\*\*’. Making Hank a talentless fat ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-swear-on-cable/142245/13 "2002-12-13T00:12:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KneadToKnow \* > \*\*Making Hank a talentless fat \*\* Haha, the show is STILL good with commercial breaks, and some censoring. Not as good, but I’m glad I can see it on somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-swear-on-cable/142245/14 "2002-12-13T00:13:47Z")
Dr. Green died!? …Shit! I stopped watching after S2. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-swear-on-cable/142245/15 "2002-12-13T00:35:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Skammer \* > \*\*I was watching broadcast TV the other night and someone said something was “bullshit.” I’m pretty sure I was watching NYPD Blue, which is known for colorful language, but it still caused my ears to perk up. \*\* You are correct - it was NYPD Blue, uttered by the Lieutenant (or Captain, or whatever he is). ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-swear-on-cable/142245/16 "2002-12-13T00:44:56Z")
I gotta give Bravo a lot of credit. Although they do censor f\*\*\*, amazingly, Larry Sanders characters can tell each other to ‘Blow me’ all day long! It was a shame that they had to cut Marlee Matlin calling Brooke Shields a c\*\*\*. That was priceless! ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-swear-on-cable/142245/17 "2002-12-13T00:52:55Z")
It’s been over twenty years since I first heard the word “bitch” used on CBS. It was on MASH. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-swear-on-cable/142245/18 "2002-12-13T02:24:15Z")
If you’re refering to the time Hawkeye said it while trying to revive someone (“don’t let the son of a bitch win”) I think the episode of Maude (also CBS) where she calls her husband a “son of a bitch” pre-dates that. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-swear-on-cable/142245/19 "2002-12-14T02:06:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SmackFu \* > \*\*There’s an episode of South Park that proved this quite well. 162 uses of the word “shit” in 30 minutes, and no repercussions. \*\* Parker and Stone paid all the applicable fines **before** the show went on the air. ---
**Author:** ![JamesCarroll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@JamesCarroll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JamesCarroll)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-swear-on-cable/142245/20 "2002-12-14T02:25:02Z")
WAG: All TV stations (free, basic cable, premium cable, etc) can say whatever they want. There are no censors employed by the FCC; they are employed by the networks and their job is to make sure the FCC doesn’t receive a critical mass of complaints that would result in a fine. As far as advertisers go, the network wants to keep them happy. So again, the goal is not to comply with a list words you can or can not say, but if you say it who’s gonna get upset about it. The FCC might have a list, but they’re not gonna look at it, or the show, until someone raises a stink. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-swear-on-cable/142245.md?page=2)