History Main / SevenDirtyWords

Are there any words not on Carlin's 1972 list that can't be said on American television in 2008? Lots of them. So if you think about it for a moment, [[{{Dissimile}} these aren't seven dirty words at all]]. "Goddamn", "dick" (to mean either penis or an unpleasant person), and "asshole" are all out and always have been. "Cock" might be also; at any rate it certainly isn't used much. It's interesting to note that "Goddamn" and "asshole" are usually censored as "*** damn" and "ass**** ". Yes, ''"God" and "hole" are bleeped out''[[hottip:* :Which ''sort of'' makes sense for the former, given that it's taboo status is rooted -- partially, at least -- in the (misinterpreted) Judeo-Christian commandment against "taking the Lord's name in vain," but is completely baffling for the latter.]] "Blowjob" and "handjob" are also reduced to "**** job."

** This was one of them that he said, "And we can only say * this* twice!" Jamie immediately says it (this troper can't recall what it was) again, thereby forcing it to be censored. The (hilarious) point was that that sort of censoring was rather ridiculous. And it was.

** ''Semprini??''

* '''Motherfucker''' - See "fuck." A fan pointed out to Carlin that the word was redundant, but Carlin kept it in because removing it disrupted the rhythm of the piece.
* '''Tits''' - Like "piss", it probably crept in at some point, but there are still places that will censor it. It was deleted, for example, from 'Grease' in the scene where the T-Birds are mocking the cheerleaders.

* In TheColbertReport Stephen did [[http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/174956/june-24-2008/the-word---bleep a segment on Carlin's death]] where he mistook the list as a list of words Carlin himself banned from the airwaves. After he thanks him, an off-screen man tells Stephen that Carlin was a stand-up who used that list to mock censorship. Stephen then turned to a photo of Carlin and called him a motherf*beep*er

[[AC:Film]]
* In ''Bruce Almighty'', the titular Bruce is trying to convince his ex to come back to him, and has the following conversation:

[[AC:Film]]
* The South Park feature film, ''Bigger, Longer & Uncut'', brutally savaged the MPAA's rules for industry censorship as the driving force for the main story arc.

Are there any words not on Carlin's 1972 list that can't be said on American television in 2008? Lots of them. "Goddamn", "dick" (to mean either penis or an unpleasant person), and "asshole" are all out and always have been. "Cock" might be also; at any rate it certainly isn't used much. It's interesting to note that "Goddamn" and "asshole" are usually censored as "*** damn" and "ass**** ". Yes, ''"God" and "hole" are bleeped out''[[hottip:* :Which ''sort of'' makes sense for the former, given that it's taboo status is rooted -- partially, at least -- in the (misinterpreted) Judeo-Christian commandment against "taking the Lord's name in vain," but is completely baffling for the latter.]] "Blowjob" and "handjob" are also reduced to "**** job."

* '''Tits''' - Like "piss", it probably crept in at some point, but there are still places that will censor it. It was deleted, for example, from 'Grease' in the scene where the T-Birds are mocking the cheerleaders. In Britain, though, the word simply means "chickadees".

*** Mostly irrelevant. It's undisputed (at least 'round these parts) that the Bible is [[BrokenAesop FULL of disreputable filth]]. The irony isn't here, but in the fact that typical MoralGuardians use it as a torch. Really, its usage of one little word that we may or may not say on television [[HarmlessVillain isn't what we should be worried about]]. We've got [[BigBad bigger things to worry about]].

* '''Tits''' - Like "piss", it probably crept in at some point, but there are still places that will censor it. It was deleted, for example, from 'Grease' in the scene where the T-Birds are mocking the cheerleaders.

* {{Blink182}} has a number of yawn-and-you-won't-hear-it short songs that are largely [[RefugeInAudacity excuses to]] [[RefugeInVulgarity use profanity]]. One of them -- the ironically-titled song "Family Reunion" -- uses the SevenDirtyWords, including the three auxiliary words (You can hear it in an AMV [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVzBULpFiFA here]]. Language warning, obviously.) After four verses consisting entirely of those ten words repeated rhythmically, the song finishes with "I fucked your mom".

** Yeah, but- FUN FACT! In the era in which the bible was translated, "piss" was the common way to say it. The rudeness comes apparently just from the dislike of the class of the person who would use it. So...if you look at it another way, it should be very odd that this word is disliked in today's society.

** The moral is: [{ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney if you got money, you can say whatever you want]]

** Oddly enough, it's in the King Jimmy Bible, multiple times. E.g., "him that pisseth against the wall." Mark Twain had fun with this one.

** Or, "the *** ular Bruce", if the more draconian censors get their way...

On his seminal comedy album ''Class Clown'', the late great GeorgeCarlin observed that there were exactly seven (later upgraded to ten, later upgraded to [[strike: over 9000]]over 200) words you could never say on (American) television. Over 35 years later, his SevenDirtyWords are still the best and most famous encapsulation of the bizarre censorship standards that exist in American television.

* '''Shit''' - ''NYPDBlue'', a show long known for pushing boundaries, announced that it would air the first uncensored instance of the word "shit" on network television. The furor was fairly small, but they found the idea viciously mocked in an episode of ''SouthPark''. In "It Hits The Fan", the word "shit" was said 165 times, and an on-screen counter was featured. (It should be noted that Comedy Central is a cable channel, and isn't under the thumb of the FCC.)

* '''Cocksucker''' - While "suck" and other forms are widely used even in G-rated media, "cocksucker" is still largely banned. If you want to know for certain, watch a non-{{HBO}} rebroadcast of the movie ''Bull Durham''; there is a scene that depends upon the word.

* Surprised no ones mentioned it, on ''MoralOrel'' [[FunWithAcronyms Frances Clara Censordoll]]'s name and character are a TakeThat at the FCC. She is a selfish ManipulativeBastard MoralGuardian with a god complex.

* MontyPython had a similar bit, with slides showing the words that could no longer be used on the program: B* m, B* tty, P* x, Kn* ckers, Kn* ckers, W** -W** , and Semprini.

* In TheColbertReport Stephen did [[http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/174956/june-24-2008/the-word---bleep a segment on Carlin's death]] where he mistook the list as a list of words Carlin himself banned from the airwaves. After he thanks him, an off-screen producer tells Stephen that Carlin was a stand-up who used that list to mock censorship. Stephen then turned to a photo of Carlin and called him a motherf*beep*er

[[AC:Other]]
* Eric Idle wrote a song about the FCC after he was fined for swearing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4ajZ-5kTXk

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* The ''FamilyGuy'' episode "PTV" blasted the FCC with both barrels, portraying them as going so far as to censor real life. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NDPT0Ph5rA
* Surprised no ones mentioned it, on ''MoralOrel'' [[FunWithAcronyms Frances Clara Censordoll]]'s name and character are a TakeThat at the FCC. She is a selfish ManipulativeBastard MoralGuardian with a god complex.
* Most of the time ''SouthPark'' attempts to take on the Prophet Muhammad representation controversy, they get shut up by the network, a fact that the show has picked up on.

* The South Park feature film, ''Bigger, Longer & Uncut'', brutally savaged the MPAA's rules for industry censorship as the driving force for the main story arc. \

On his seminal comedy album ''Class Clown'', the late great GeorgeCarlin observed that there were exactly seven (later upgraded to ten) words you could never say on (American) television. Over 35 years later, his SevenDirtyWords are still the best and most famous encapsulation of the bizarre censorship standards that exist in American television.