Categories: Polls

What do you think of the CBSC decision to change the lyrics of Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing"?

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by macleans.ca on Friday, January 14, 2011 11:07am - 109 Comments
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  • truenorth

    I called a gay couple that we are friends with and asked them there opinion…They don't have a problem with the lyrics at all, the context it is used in is not offensive, or threatening, or degrading….Is this the beginning of the slippery slope to ''Censorship? "

    • Michel Brazeau

      Wow! I got 'censored'!

      I wonder if it was because I used certain words as examples. Certainly not in a derogatory context.

      Oh well.

      • truenorth

        You got censored ? here ? Holy Doodle, It must have been really, really, bad then…just sayin……..

    • theintellectual

      the beginning? buddy, i don't know where you were at the beginning, but i think we are a long way from the beginning at this point.

  • http://my.opera.com/ZakMichigan/blog/ Jean Chicoine

    Same here. One of my friends is gay and he doesn't see anything wrong with these lyrics, not mentioning the fact that Dire Straits is one of his preferred bands and that he considers the song Money For Nothing as one of their best. So there!

  • Guy Smiley

    Question(s) for truenorth and Jean: what if your friends found the song offensive? For that matter, what if every gay Canadian did too? What if Canadians of all sexual orientations found it offensive?

    Would that make the decision more defensible?

    • truenorth

      @ Guy Smiley : If your asking would I defend the lyrics of this song if my friends found it offensive? I would have to say yes….As I stated above, it is the context it is used in, If it was threatening or degrading etc,etc, I ''personally ''wouldn't listen to it, but to ''Censor '' the song…Brrrrr ! I shudder at the word ''Censor '' * note*..If our friends would have found the lyrics offensive it would make for a great Saturday night debate over a few beer ….Come to think of it ,probably still will…..

      • Mike T.

        So it drives fear deep into your very soul every time a word is bleeped on the radio or TV?

        You must lead a very frightened life.

        • truenorth

          Nope, Mike T….Doesn't bother me a bit. The shows I watch very rarely (if ever ) get bleeped,,Mind you I probably do not watch the same shows that you do, you know, Jerry Springer, Maury etc,etc,. and the Rock radio station that I listen to does not get bleeped either…Sooo thankyou for your concern,everything is just Tickety-Boo over here !

    • truenorth

      Testing

    • duh

      That's just stupid! The song has been out for 25 years.

      • Mike T.

        And of the thousands of times its been played on the radio, most contained the version of the song which didn't even contain that verse.

    • allan

      Offensive is just that, offensive. The question should be,' is it significantly damaging'. No, it's not like many issues that a person might deem offensive. The problem lies within the person who takes offense, their innability to deal with the perceived slight. For example, I've had friends who find it offensive when I do an East Indian or First Nation's accent in conversation but when I do Scotish or Russian, not an eye is batted.

    • http://my.opera.com/ZakMichigan/blog/ Jean Chicoine

      If a majority of Canadians found the song offensive and wanted it out of the airwaves, I still wouldn't agree, but I would accept the decision, but here we're talking of one, ONE person out of the 35 millions or so Canadians and bang! the song in its original version is off limits, plus the fact that it's a 25 years old song. That's pushing it to the point of ridicule.
      Now, if my gay friend was to tell me that he's offended by the song, I have to say like truenorth: "it would make for a great Saturday night debate over a few beer."
      Now, me, for one, find most rap songs and videos disgustingly sexist and violent, devoid of any substance, so I don't listen to them and I don't watch them. But I'm not the one who would put a ban on them. Let those who like that kind of music enjoy it and let's move on with our life.

      • Mike T.

        so like the other guy, do you throw hissy fits every time something gets bleeped on TV or radio?

        • http://my.opera.com/ZakMichigan/blog/ Jean Chicoine

          No, I don't throw hissy fits, but I don't like it, and by the way, I don't watch tv and I don't listen to radio that much, and when I do, it's on channels that don't bleep.

          • truenorth

            @ Jean Chicoine…Don't think Mike T. can respond to you at this time…There is a Jerry Springer marathon on the tube……

    • taxslave

      Suck it up princess. You maybe want them to rewright Huckleberry Finn too?

      • truenorth

        Taxslave :Did I miss something ? All the above posts are against censorship, Yes ? So your reply doesn't seem to make much sense, unless you are reading something I'm not,…. Just curious……..

        • theintellectual

          the person originally posting seemed to.

          • truenorth

            As I ,said, I'm curious as to what it is ……

  • giv'er

    Sure, the term is offensive, but it is used with artistic license. The lyrics are written with the voice of a bitter, low paid employee who can't believe that people get paid way more for lip-syncing a video than he makes for working hard all day. The language is entirely believable. He's saying what a bunch of fools, and his buddy says, yeah, they may look ridiculous but they make a helluva lot more money than you do, so that guy who you think is a fool might be smarter than you. Great realism. You can almost smell the burnt coffee and stale cigarettes in the staff room, faded sunshine girl posters stuck to the wall with yellowed scotch tape…

    • LdKitchenersOwn

      I don't disagree with any of the above, but I would point out that the exact same argument could be used if the song included a different "f-word" than the one that appears. I mean, that employee in the staff room with the burnt coffee and cigarettes would be just as likely to call a rock star a "motherf–er" as a "little fa—tt". If that were the case, would you be as comfortable with the song being played uncensored over the public airwaves at noon on a Saturday?

      I'm just trying to discover if most commenters want the line moved, or erased.

      • theintellectual

        you mean like metal and rap in general?

        • truenorth

          Is rap even classified as music.?

    • JT2011

      Right on!

  • Mark Cebrowski

    A slippery slope indeed. Freedom of expression, freedom to choose what you listen to ……..these rights aren't something worth giving up just to appease one gay man after 25 years of airplay. If you don't like it the song, be happy you have freedom to listen to something else. I find Adam Lambert offensive, but I don't make a huff. At what point do you stop government from intervening in our personal lives & freedoms. We don't need a baby sitter, we need common sense.

    • LdKitchenersOwn

      Just for the record, a lot of that 25 years of airplay didn't include the offending word.

      Dire Straights themselves released a "radio friendly" version of the song in the 1980s which doesn't contain that verse (it's not that the word is bleeped, the whole verse isn't there). I actually know people who went back and listened to their copy of the song when they read about this decision and confirmed for themselves that they had never heard the offending passage before because it wasn't included in the version they owned.

      • Mike T.

        And I'm STILL trying to find a live clip on youtube where the band doesn't self-censor the term.

    • jezpaznthru

      Dont forgett La sange wikileaks….& FREEDOM OF SPEECH!

  • Jingle Bells

    "…that little bundle of sticks, is a millionaire"

  • lenny

    What does "big government" have to do with this?

  • twocents

    This is a very, very ridiculous situation. How is it that 1 person can get a 25 year old song yanked from the airwaves? Doesn't democracy ensure that the good of the whole supercedes the good of the individual?

    • lenny

      Since when have corporations ever operated democratically?

    • taxslave

      Since when have we had democracy in Canada?

  • PeterT

    The CRTC ordered it which is a governement owned and run corporation. what's your point?

    • lenny

      Um, no. If "CBSC" looks like "CRTC" to you, it might be time for an eye exam.

    • LdKitchenersOwn

      The CRTC did NOT order this.

      Technically no one "ordered" this, it was a recommendation, but the recommendation wasn't from the CRTC either, it was from the CBSC, a private, independent, non-governmental organization.

  • CAPS

    You are letting your anti-government bias show.

    The CBSC was set up by the private broadcasters themselves.

    • theintellectual

      there is something wrong with an anti government bias? if people with an anti government bias didnt exist, we would be living in a totalitarian nightmare. democracy thrives on anti government bias.

  • starlight 97

    As so often, your questions are simplistic and inadequate. Some of the comments are also simplistic, and inaccurate. The issue, at least to me, is whether political correctness as we in Canada in 2011 should govern how we look at art (in all its forms) from the past. Allowing today's views to suppress the art of yesterday is no different than putting fig leaves on nude Greek or Roman statues. So, should we ban the musical "Showboat", or "Porgy and Bess", or "Huckleberry Finn" or even "To Kill a Mockingbird" because their characters use words we wouldn't use today? I could go on, but there is too much to say if this is going to be a rational discussion.

    • truenorth

      Aren't they doing it, as we speak with Tom Sawyer?

      • Guy Smiley

        Ya, but you have to admit a line like "Catch the mist, catch the myth" is an abomination.

        • truenorth

          Ooooh…I know what you just did…..your good !!

          • MostlyCivil

            Corporate self-censorship isn't political correctness.

          • Younger5550

            I don't agree that the CBSC is "self-censorship" when it's ultimate mandate, in this debate, is to monitor and determine what the public will be permitted to hear. In my books that's 'political correctness' although it might also be described as attention-seeking activism. It's time we took the term "gay" back and coined a more appropos descriptor. Any suggestions?

    • jezpaznthru

      THE "THEY" CROWED WOULD LIKE THIS…IT SHOWS HOW BORED & SMALL MINDED THESE [WATCHERS] ARE & HOW OF LITTLE IMPORTANCE & LACK OF "BETTER" THINGS TO CHALLENGE TO MAKE THEIR "JOBS" APPEAR TO BE "USEFULL"

  • Merrikate

    Sheer ignorance of the song's intent led to this amusing and dismaying censorship foolishness: in the context of the song, whose narrator is jealous of the rock stars he is criticizing, the slur fits well as expressive of his negativity. It is silly to remove the word when it is part of the song's message, which is that hate springs from not understanding or tolerating others.

  • Ushara

    Let's just hope that "those at the top" read this poll and make their decisions accordingly.

    Someone said it quite rightly. We don't need to PC-up any form of art, or else they're going to have to PC-up EVERY form of art, no matter what it is. I hope they pay attention to this poll.

    • MostlyCivil

      "I hope they pay attention to this poll."

      They?

  • david

    Stupid, Stupid, Stupid bureaucratic non-sense!

    • MostlyCivil

      You mean corporate nonsense, right? No bureaucratic interference involved.

  • LdKitchenersOwn

    Just so we're clear, are most people here calling for an end to ALL "censorship" of what goes over the public airwaves, or is it more that this case in particular seems to have gone too far?

    Would people feel the same if the CBSC announced that they felt that any change to any song was inappropriate in a free country like Canada, and that stations should feel comfortable playing Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the Name", or the original version of Cee-Lo's "Forget You" on the radio at noon on a Saturday? It's entirely appropriate to argue, of course, that the Dire Straights instance is bad, but the Cee-Lo instance is good, but that's what I'd like to get at. Is your problem with where the line's been drawn, or that there shouldn't be a line? 'Cause a lot of the rhetoric in the comments seems to suggest that people want there to be no line, but I have a feeling a lot of those commenters might change their minds the first time an uncensored 50 Cent song came on the radio while they were driving their 5 year old to school.

    Also, as I've suggested elsewhere, I want porn on the CBC and CTV. End censorship now!!!

    • David Atchison

      I'm calling for an end of all censorship. Jared Taylor, George Galloway, Jose Ruba are all individuals who were supposed to hold debates at SMU or DAL universities over the last couple of years but were turned away because of varying 'rights groups' opposition. Personally I consider all these individuals to be idiots but how will I ever know if they are muzzled. Let them get on their respective soap boxes and then have an academic with his head screwed on right knock them down several notches with logic and reasoned arguments.

      As for 50 Cent while I'm driving my son to school? One click of a button and my son is listening to CBC Radio One or a Sharron, Lois and Braham album. The great thing about personal choice is CHOICE. Life isn't a scene from A Clockwork Orange; nobody is being forced to listen to garbage like 50 Cent and Adam Lambert. Snooki exists but I have the choice to overlook her existence.

  • David Atchison

    I'm calling for an end of all censorship. Jared Taylor, George Galloway, Jose Ruba are all individuals who were supposed to hold debates at SMU or DAL universities over the last couple of years but were turned away because of varying 'rights groups' opposition. Personally I consider all these individuals to be idiots but how will I ever know if they are muzzled. Let them get on their respective soap boxes and then have an academic with his head screwed on right knock them down several notches with logic and reasoned arguments.

    As for 50 Cent while I'm driving my son to school? One click of a button and my son is listening to CBC Radio One or a Sharron, Lois and Braham album. The great thing about personal choice is CHOICE. Life isn't a scene from A Clockwork Orange; nobody is being forced to listen to garbage like 50 Cent and Adam Lambert. Snooki exists but I have the choice to overlook her existence.

    • Atchison

      Individuals like the Newfoundland complainant shouldn't concern themselves with what others are subjecting themselves to. If a song is on that you don't like don't listen, if you don't agree with a speakers position tell him he's full of sh*t followed by a reasoned argument. I'm tired of people shouting in the streets for reasons they don't fully understand. I'm tired of people who have the wherewithal to deal with the bureaucracy of the CBSC but not to deal with the >>> button.

    • LdKitchenersOwn

      I think I lean more towards your view on this myself David. And thanks for the reply!

      I'm curious how many other posters also feel the same.

      • truenorth

        LdKitchenersOwn…I also feel like David, as I said in my above post, if I find it offensive, I won't listen to It…Me , myself , and I…I will choose, not have someone do it for me. Censorship is a very scary thing and can be extremely dangerous if placed in the wrong hands .

        • http://my.opera.com/ZakMichigan/blog/ Jean Chicoine

          Same here. No line, no censorship. It's all about choice. I choose to listen to a song or a radio station or I choose not to. I don't want bureaucrats dictating me what and what not.
          Censorship is a slippery slope, as the saying goes, and I'll add that it can become steep very fast.

          • Mike T.

            I used to volunteer at a radio station and nobody is afraid of the CRTC. But they are afraid of losing listeners. If there's a version of "MOney for nothin" with a word which could concievably anger a listener and one that doesn't include that verse, guess which one the private business is going to choose?

    • Tom Richards

      Don't corrupt your son by letting him listen to the cbc

  • Terry

    It is obvious those people with their nose out of joint need to get a life when they pick on a 25 year old song then pick it to pieces.

  • Roger Riis

    Hey CBC minions, spend your time with something important.

    • LdKitchenersOwn

      LOL

      Accidentally blaming the CRTC for this, that I get. What could the CBC have to do with this though?

    • MostlyCivil

      Did you just see some letters with a C and a B imixed in and turn your "I hate the CBC" nozzle to high?

      • kathryn c

        It's almost unfair to shoot a fish in a barrel in that way. Thanks for the laugh though.

        I thought it did come across as the decision of some government body as it came out in the news, to be fair.

        • Bonkers

          It's a self governing body. They sound and act the same as a government body.

          • MostlyCivil

            Except the whole part about…not being a government body.

            Somebody cue the "sad trombone" noise…

          • Wawawawaaaa

            [youtube yJxCdh1Ps48&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJxCdh1Ps48&feature=related youtube]

          • truenorth

            MostlCivil and Wawawawaaa….Well done….Bravo………

  • Lisa

    Crazy. Ridiculous. I am embarassed to be a Canadian regarding this matter.

  • Elle

    truenorth…..is that you Peter Pan? Blah blah blah. Yawn.

    • truenorth

      Elle….If you find Adult debate's boring, please feel free not to participate…..

    • truenorth

      Elle…If you find these ''adult '' debates boring, please feel free not to participate….

  • Rodney Rooster

    There goes Rap!!! Political correctness rears its ugly head again. Freedom of speech has been dealt another petty blow, and its foundations are weakening, chip, chip, chip and we all fall down.

    • kathryn c

      If it makes you feel any better, Evan Solomon said "Rumsfeld is a dick" on tv the other day. Apparently it's part of a haiku – anyway the American author he was interviewing was pleasantly impressed.

      Win some, lose some.

      I guess I'd be more bothered if I liked that song.

  • mars

    of all the things 2 worry about!!! With earthquakes– floods other disasters around the globe– such -tripe –should not even be !!! In my book– a –fag– has always been a cigaret!! so what's all the hipe!!!

  • daryl shaver

    since when; does anyone have the canadian agency have the warrant to censor art .

    • MostlyCivil

      The people who own the art gallery can show or not show whatever they want.

  • MostlyCivil

    "Too much P C going on in Canada's upper echelons, "

    Again..Corporate self-censorship isn't political correctness. And if by "upper echelons" you mean guys who own radio and v stations, then sure.

  • Holly

    Who is this one lone woman who complained? I think she should be exposed to the public to answer why she made the complaint. The horror is that one person complains and a panel of six people have the power to make decisions for all of us.

    • Younger5550

      I'd suggest that the 6 complaint assessors need to get some perspective on real life…. Or a job…

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