History Main / SevenDirtyWords

'''Hamlet:''' Or did you think I meant {{country matters}}?\\

* '''Motherfucker:''' See "fuck". A fan pointed out to Carlin that the word was redundant, and Carlin replied that [[ArtisticLicense he knew that, but removing it disrupted the rhythm of the piece]]. It's still generally considered more offensive than just "fuck"[[note]]This applies even outside of television. Feature films can get away with a few uses of "fuck" and remain PG-13 as long as it's not referring to sexual acts ("What the fuck?" vs. "I fucked my girlfriend"), but even a single use of "motherfucker" usually results an automatic R-rating regardless of context.[[/note]]; in ''Series/{{Deadwood}}'', for example, characters take great offense at the word, as they interpret it as a literal reference to incest.

* '''Twat:''' Carlin pointed out that it's the only part of the sexual anatomy that doesn't have a double meaning. "Snatch", "box", "pussy", "{{balls|gag}}", and "dong" (when used after "ding") can be used in a Disney movie if used properly, but there's no situation when you can get away with "twat". Ironically, later, twat did develop a second non-sexual meaning in british slang, essentially as a term for hitting something really hard "Lets get out there and twat it."

* '''[[CountryMatters Cunt]]:''' This may be the only one of the seven which is ''more'' offensive now than when Carlin did the original routine -- not only is it forbidden on American network television, but the majority of Americans (and Canadians) avoid using it in conversation at all. If you do, and a woman is around, she will slap you and no one will blame her -- use of the word alone is considered evidence of sexual harassment in North America. It's ''that'' offensive. But [[DidNotDoTheBloodyResearch across the pond, it's considered more acceptable]].

* '''[[CountryMatters Cunt]]:''' This may be the only one of the seven which is ''more'' offensive now than when Carlin did the original routine -- not only is it forbidden on American network television, but Americans (and Canadians) avoid even using it in conversation,. If you do, and a woman is around, she will slap you and no one will blame her -- use of the word alone is considered evidence of sexual harassment in North America. It's ''that'' offensive. But [[DidNotDoTheBloodyResearch across the pond, it's considered more acceptable]].

* '''Tits/Titties:''' Like "piss", it's more acceptable now, but it still causes issues. Carlin described it as the least offensive of the words on his list. It's still controversial; its use in an episode of the 1980s sitcom ''Series/TheTrialsOfRosieONeil'' caused an uproar, and it's rarely been heard on network TV since. Its acceptability may well be declining, as it's often considered a sexist term. "Titties" is somewhat more acceptable than "tits", but is still rarely uttered outside of mature-rated shows.

* '''Fart:''' Like "tits", it's more of a "cute" word, and has become more widely used even in PG-rated programming.

* '''Motherfucker:''' See "fuck". A fan pointed out to Carlin that the word was redundant, and Carlin replied that [[ArtisticLicense he knew that, but removing it disrupted the rhythm of the piece]]. It's still generally considered more offensive than just "fuck"; in ''Series/{{Deadwood}}'', for example, characters take great offense at the word, as they interpret it as a literal reference to incest.

* '''[[CountryMatters Cunt]]:''' This may be the only one of the seven which is ''more'' offensive now than when Carlin did the original routine -- not only is it forbidden on American network television, but Americans (and Canadians) avoid even using it in conversation. If you do, and a woman is around, she will slap you and no one will blame her -- use of the word alone is considered evidence of sexual harassment in North America. It's ''that'' offensive. But [[DidNotDoTheBloodyResearch across the pond, it's considered more acceptable]].

* '''Tits/Titties:''' Like "piss", it's more acceptable now, but it still causes issues. Carlin described it as the least offensive of the words on his list. It's still controversial; its use in an episode of the 1980s sitcom ''Series/TheTrialsOfRosieONeil'' caused an uproar, and it's rarely been heard on network TV since. Its acceptability may well be declining, as it's often considered a sexist term.

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]
* On ''[[Series/ThirtyRock 30 Rock]]'', Tracy Jordan, ever a beneficiary of the maxim that [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney rules don't apply to rich people]], decides to exploit the fact that he could easily pay the $50,000 fine for every time he swears on TV:

* Eric Idle, the mind behind "I Bet You They Won't Play This Song on the Radio", wrote [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4ajZ-5kTXka a about the FCC]] after he was fined for swearing.

* Amazingly, ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' managed to get away with saying "pissed" multiple times, despite being TV-PG on primetime Creator/CartoonNetwork. They eventually caught on and censored it.

* Eric Idle, the mind behind "I Bet You They Won't Play This Song on the Radio", wrote [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4ajZ-5kTXka song about the FCC]] after he was fined for swearing.

* In ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'', Michael Palin shows up with a set of slides showing words that can no longer be used on the program, all of them censored: B*m, B*tty, P*x, Kn*ckers, Kn*ckers, W**-W**, and [[InformedObscenity Semprini]].

* ''Series/Bottom'' had several theatre shows in front of live audiences, and as crude and rude as the TV show was it did not compare to what they would get away with in the privacy of the auditorium.

'''Nearby Child:'''You said "ass"!\\

* '''Twat:''' Carlin pointed out that it's the only part of the sexual anatomy that doesn't have a double meaning. "Snatch", "box", "pussy", "{{balls|gag}}", and "dong" (when used after "ding") can be used in a Disney movie if used properly, but there's no situation when you can get away with "twat".

* '''Tits:''' Like "piss", it's more acceptable now, but it still causes issues. Carlin described it as the least offensive of the words on his list. It's still controversial; its use in an episode of the 1980s sitcom ''Series/TheTrialsOfRosieONeil'' caused an uproar, and it's rarely been heard on network TV since. Its acceptability may well be declining, as it's considered a sexist term.

One word you might be looking for which Carlin never cited is "ass", and its derivative "asshole" -- both were banned from U.S. network TV at the time of Carlin's recording, except when using "ass" to refer to the animal. That one's also improved since then; "ass" can be heard every now and then, and while "asshole" is rare, it made its network debut on ''Series/NYPDBlue'' and was heard quite frequently on that show.

->'''Richie:''' Oh and another thing! We are not saying 'fuck' this year!\\
'''Eddie:''' Hey Ritchie?\\

'''Eddie:''' *Clears throat, then howls* CUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNTTT!!!!!!!

* ''TheSimpsons'' comic book in one issue showed a weary George Carlin talking about "The Seven Words You Used to Not Be Able to Say on TV But Are Perfectly All Right Now."

-->'''Mr. Krabs:''' Yessir, that is bad word number eleven. In fact, there are thirteen bad words you should never use.\\

* '''Motherfucker:''' See "fuck". A fan pointed out to Carlin that the word was redundant, and Carlin replied that he knew that, but removing it disrupted the rhythm of the piece. It's still generally considered more offensive than just "fuck"; in ''Series/{{Deadwood}}'', for example, characters take great offense at the word, as they interpret it as a literal reference to incest.

'''Grace:''' [[CurseCutOff Okay!]]

* In ''Series/EverybodyHatesChris'', Chris hears his parents listen to the Carlin routine. He passes on the list at school to get laughs, but ends up in trouble for it. To [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar get the story onto network TV]], each word is replaced with its number in Carlin's list. The last line of the episode: "[[AtomicFBomb Number Threeeeee!]]"

* Amazingly, ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' managed to get away with saying "pissed" multiple times, [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar despite being TV-PG]] on primetime Creator/CartoonNetwork. They eventually caught on and censored it.

* '''Tits:''' Like "piss", it's more acceptable now, but it still causes issues. Carlin described it as the least offensive of the words on his list. It's still controversial; its use in an episode of the 1980s sitcom ''Series/TheTrialsOfRosieONeill'' caused an uproar, and it's rarely been heard on network TV since. Its acceptability may well be declining, as it's considered a sexist term.

On his seminal comedy album ''Class Clown'', the late great Creator/GeorgeCarlin encapsulated the bizarre censorship standards of US network television. Rife with violence, sexual situations, and other unpleasantness that would not be broadcast in most countries, US broadcasters avoided showing mundanities like toilets, pregnancy, and two-person beds until the 1960s or even later. Carlin's little list caused a furor from MoralGuardians, that forbade the list from being broadcast. When the legal dust settled, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the Seven Dirty Words might be acceptable for broadcast under certain circumstances, and that the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Communications_Commission FCC]] had the right to restrict broadcast content at times when children might be exposed to it. But they weren't exactly specific about any of it.

With the FCC given the unilateral right to grant and revoke broadcast licenses for nebulous reasons, they wield considerable power over the broadcast companies. They, in turn, generally do not monitor broadcasts on their own; action is initiated because of viewer or listener complaints. If the audience prefers coarser material, the broadcaster can get away with just about anything. Pushing the envelope in American network television has mostly been a game of "[[GettingCrapPastTheRadar try it and see if you get away with it]]."

It should be noted that when the term "American television" is used in this context, it refers to the FCC-controlled mainstream commercial networks. Although there are some residual regulations regarding broadcast hours, there are no bars to the use of language in cable broadcast channels (which greatly outnumber the network channels). Despite this "basic" cable channels (those which come standard with a cable purchase, unlike premium channels like HBO that must be purchased separately) tend to adhere to FCC guidelines voluntarily.

* '''Shit''' - ''Series/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 the idea was [[TakeThat viciously mocked]] by ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', broadcast by cable channel Comedy Central. Now a days you're allowed to say it on certain stations past 9 P.M.
* '''Piss''' - George Carlin, in later life, pointed out in at least one interview that the acceptability of "piss" is generally a question of whether or not it is an actual reference to urine -- "I got pissed off" is far less likely to get bleeped than "I got pissed ''on''". The first network broadcast that allowed "piss" to mean "urinate" was ''{{Literature/Shogun}}''.
* '''Fuck''' - The documentary ''Scared Straight'', which aired on a US commercial network in the mid-1970s, included several uncensored uses of the word. However, the only acceptable usage so far appears to be in similar documentary-style broadcasts.
* '''[[CountryMatters Cunt]]''' - The only one of the seven which may be considered more offensive now than when Carlin did the original routine. Not only forbidden in American network television, but in almost all conversation. [[DidNotDoTheBloodyResearch Considered extremely vulgar and misogynistic in North America, even though it is used more as a unisex term of offense in the rest of the Anglosphere.]] [[note]]It does not matter how many times you say 'but I didn't mean it that way' if you are not from the USA or Canada. If you use that word and a woman is around, she will probably flinch — and potentially slap you. Nobody will blame her. Utterance of the word is even considered justification for sexual harassment complaints. ''That'' is how offensive the word is in North America.[[/note]]
* '''Cocksucker''' - While "suck" and other forms are widely used even in G-rated media, and "cock" is acceptable if you're talking about chickens or preparing to fire a gun, "cocksucker" is still largely banned. If you want to know for certain, watch a non-{{Creator/HBO}} rebroadcast of the movie ''Film/BullDurham''; there is a scene that depends upon the word.
* '''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. Generally considered more offensive than the base word; characters in the HBO series ''Series/{{Deadwood}}'', for example, take great offense at the word as they interpret it as a literal reference to incest.
* '''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 ''{{Film/Grease}}'' in the scene where the T-Birds are mocking the cheerleaders, and when it was used in an episode of the 1980s sitcom ''Series/TheTrialsOfRosieONeill'', it caused an uproar and has rarely if ever been heard on network TV since, despite Carlin describing it as the least offensive of the words on his list (although by 2018 standards it is now considered a sexist term, unless you're referring to the bird species).

Live events, to avoid these and other dirty words, often refer to a seven second delay. Note that live events are NOT immune to the dirty words; these seven seconds between recording and broadcasting allow the networks to add in last-minute edits like censorship and captioning but there have been many occasions where dirty words have been broadcast.

Carlin's follow-up album, ''Occupation: Foole'', features a redeux of the Seven Words and augments it with three additional words:

* '''Fart''' - Like "tits," a cute word, no harm (in recent years, "fart" has become widely used, even in PG-rated programming).
* '''Turd''' - You can't say it but who wants to? (Another word that, in the years since Carlin cited it, has become more acceptable to use on TV.)
* '''Twat''' - On the list because it's the only part of the sexual anatomy that does not have a double meaning. "Snatch," "box", "pussy", "[[BallsGag balls]]", and "dong" (when always accompanied with "ding") can be used in a Walt Disney movie when used properly, but "twat" remains isolated.

Ironically, one word omitted from both versions of Carlin's list is "ass" and its derivative, "asshole," both of which were banned from US network TV at the time of Carlin's recording, except for (in the case of "ass") referring to the animal. In recent years, "ass" has become acceptable in most network programming, while "asshole" made its network debut in ''Series/NYPDBlue'' where it was used frequently; other than this outlier, however, the word generally is not heard on commercial network TV.

Unrelated to the EightDeadlyWords. Nor to the SevenDeadlySins.

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

* ''TheSimpsons'' comic book in one issue showed a weary George Carlin talking about "The Seven Words You Used to Not Be Able to Say on TV But Are Perfectly Alright Now."

[[folder: Film ]]

* In ''Film/BruceAlmighty'', the eponymous Bruce is trying to convince his ex to come back to him, and has the following conversation:

'''Nearby Child:'''You said ass!\\
'''Bruce:''' It's okay if I'm talkin' about a donkey.
** But then he goes and ruins it.
-->'''Bruce:''' ...If I said "hole", as in assHO-
-->'''Grace:''' ''(cutting him off)'' OKAY!

[[folder: Literature ]]

* A paragraph in Part III, Chapter VI of ''Gulliver's Travels'' describes the "decoding" of letters and papers to "prove" their authors guilty of plotting against the state. This process consists of replacing one noun with a related one ("...they can decypher a Close-stool to signify a Privy-Council; a Flock of Geese, a Senate..."). One of the substitutions is to replace "a Sink" with "a C---t" (censored thus, or replaced with "court", in most printings, but the intended word is fairly obvious).
* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Literature/TheTruth'', one of the characters actually says "--ing" rather than the full word (presumably "fucking").
** Pratchett once mentioned that he occasionally gets mail worried that children will start saying "--ing" as though it actually ''is'' a swearword, which goes to prove two things: First, profanity is what you make of it, and second, there is nothing that someone, somewhere, won't take offense to.
*** It's a speech impediment...
*** ''And'' one character adapts it, gleefully saying "ing" (without the dash) and admitting that it makes her feel better, though she wonders what it means.
** This particular VerbalTic first appeared in ''Literature/{{Mort}}'', spoken by a different pair of thugs:
---> First Villain: Well, -- me. A --ing wizard. I hate --ing wizards.
---> Second Villain: You shouldn't -- them, then. ''[Effortlessly pronounces a row of dashes.]''

* [[JustForFun/TheZerothLawOfTropeExamples Zeroth Law]] example: Theatre/TwelfthNight by Creator/WilliamShakespeare:
-->By my life, this is my lady's hand[writing]; these be her very '''C''''s, her '''U''''s a'''n'''d her '''T''''s and thus makes she her great '''P''''s.
** That's hardly the only one, either. The title of ''Theatre/MuchAdoAboutNothing'' itself has several (intended) meanings, including the [[GetTheeToANunnery "nothing"... in other words, women's parts.]] In Theatre/{{Hamlet}}, there's this scene:
---> '''Hamlet:''' Lady, shall I lie in your lap?
---> '''Ophelia:''' No, my lord.
---> '''Hamlet:''' I mean my head upon your lap.
---> '''Ophelia:''' Aye, my lord.
---> '''Hamlet:''' Or did you think I meant '''[[CountryMatters count]]'''[[CountryMatters ry matters]]?
---> '''Ophelia:''' I think '''nothing''', my lord.
---> '''Hamlet:''' That's a fair thought, '''to lie between maid's legs'''.

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* In ''Series/EverybodyHatesChris'', Chris hears his parents listen to the Carlin routine. He passes on the list at school to get laughs, but ends up in trouble for it. To [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar get the story onto network TV]], each word is replaced with its number in Carlin's list. The last line of the episode: "Number Threeeeeeeeee!"
-->'''Mrs. Morello:''' Chris, I would like to have a word with you. In fact, I'd like ''seven'' words with you.
-->'''Narrator:''' Number one just hit the fan.
* An episode of ''Series/That70sShow'' featured the gang listening to the record. Eric went through the rest of the episode using the numbers to insult people. Donna (on Eric's suggestion) later tricks a rival radio DJ into playing the record on the air to get the other woman fired.
** Leads to a case of CriticalResearchFailure though, as if one substitutes the actual words in for the numbers, Eric seems to be misremembering them. He gets some right ("You think your one don't stink, well three-off you threeing three!"), but other times:
--->You are one sixing, sevening monkey-fiver. (translatiion: "You are one motherfucking, titsing monkey-cocksucker.")
*** Special mention, however, goes to what Eric says after the above trick goes into place (said to Donna): "Now, let's go home and five all night."[[note]]Translation: "Now, let's go home and cocksuck all night."[[/note]] Either Eric meant "three" all night, or he was looking for a little tongue action.
* [[Series/HaveIGotNewsForYou Have I Got Unbroadcastable News For You]]: Despite being exclusively for home video the producer would like to point some words not to mention in the recording...
---> '''Producer''': Wee-wee, piddle, nipples, farting, winkle, poo-poos, front bottom, semolina-
---> '''Richard Wilson''': ''Semolina?''
---> ''Producer waves hand in 'Don't even go there!' manner.''
---> '''Producer''': Penetrate, fallopian, renal, rectum, post-coital and simultaneous multiple orgasm.
---> '''Richard Wilson''': What about 'fuck'?
---> '''Producer''': Oh, yeah! You can say fuck! Got to sell it to the thirteen-year-olds, after all.
* ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' has a similar bit, with slides showing the words that can no longer be used on the program: B*m, B*tty, P*x, Kn*ckers, Kn*ckers, W**-W**, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Semprini]]. Semprini? -- OUT!

-->"You really bleeped up this case."
-->"Of course, he didn't actually say bleeped, he said..."
* Whilst it is probably not a direct reference there is a [[Series/TheTwoRonnies Two Ronnies]] sketch about a swear jar in a pub to raise money for the church idea. All of the swearing is censored by beeps, klaxons and so on (with each clearly meant to be a certain word, a whooping noise being much worse than the others and worth £1 rather than 20p.)
* In ''Series/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
* Somehow both averted and played straight in the show ''Series/ShitMyDadSays,'' which took the unorthodox step of invoking the first dirty word ''[[IntentionallyAwkwardTitle in the title]]'', but censored itself with SymbolSwearing. As noted on the page, it's probably the only show on television whose proper title is literally illegal to say on any of the stations it airs on. Thus it usually got referred to as "Bleep My Dad Says." Ironically, many viewers' DVR players refused to recognized the non-alphabetic characters in the title, making it impossible to find. The show turned out to be a major flop; make of that what you like.
* The Creator/ComedyCentral [[TheRoast Roast]] of Creator/BobSaget had Jeff Ross pay tribute to the recently deceased Carlin at the time, by announcing seven ''more'' dirty words that will never be said on television: "And the Emmy goes to Bob Saget!"
* In the episode of ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' involving the film ''Film/TheMagicSword'', before they read the fan letter, there's a brief conversation about naughty words, inspired by the film's seven curses. The crew suggests dirty words which you ''can'' say on television, among them [[BigStupidDoodooHead "hinder", "booger", "poopie", "kaka", "dingaling"...]] Recurring catchphrase "dickweed" was probably the most offensive.
* Inverted on ''Series/MythBusters'', where Adam rattles off a list of numerous synonyms for "shit" that the producers ''will'' let them use, in their test of the adage: "You can't polish a turd". (Yes, both "shit" and "turd" were bleeped out.) This was one of them that he said, "And we can only say * this* twice!" Jamie immediately says it again, thereby forcing it to be censored. The (hilarious) point was that that sort of censoring was rather ridiculous. And it was.
* Series/TheDailyShow paid homage to this in a November 2014 segment. Every one was bleeped except "tits."

[[folder: Music ]]

* Music/{{Blink 182}} has a number of yawn-and-you-won't-hear-it short songs that are largely [[RefugeInAudacity excuses to]] use profanity. One of them -- the ironically-titled song "Family Reunion" -- uses the Seven Dirty Words, including the three auxiliary words (You can hear it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBIID49cMI0 here]]. Language warning, obviously.) After four verses consisting entirely of those ten words repeated rhythmically, the song finishes with "I fucked your mom".
** And then an "outtake" by Tom in a wobbly tenor:
--> "''I wanna suck my daaaad, and my momma too--'' Oh, is this thing on?"
* Music/TimMinchin plays with this. "I saw the word ''fuck'' on the front page of the newspaper--all they had to do was spell it ''f** k''." He goes on to point out that by contrast, you couldn't get away with a normally innocuous word like ''finger'', even if you spelt it ''f** ger'' in "I want to finger your mum."
* Music/FlandersAndSwann spoofed the swearing and censorship brigade as early as TheFifties, with a song called ''Pee Po Belly Bum Drawers''. The song title was printed on the album cover as "P** P* B*** B** D***".

--> ''The only track you probably won't want to play is "Damage, Inc." due to the multiple use of the infamous "F" word. Otherwise, there aren't any "Shits", "Fucks", "Pisses", "Cunts", "Motherfuckers" or "Cocksuckers" anywhere on this record.''
:: This may be an homage to Carlin, since it consists entirely of six of his SevenDirtyWords and excluded the one he said didn't belong on the list, namely "Tits". It wouldn't be the first time Metallica did this sort of thing in a ShoutOut - they changed the spelling of Creator/HPLovecraft's story "Literature/TheCallOfCthulhu" for their piece "The Call of Ktulu" in part because Lovecraft wrote that [[MediumAwareness saying, or even spelling out, Cthulhu's name]] would [[SpeakOfTheDevil draw his attention]].
* Music/MontyPython parodied this trope in a similar example to Voltaire's example above with "I Bet You They Won't Play This Song on the Radio", which uses {{Sound Effect Bleep}}s to censor parts of the song. The listener's mind makes the song sound a lot dirtier than it actually is. It apparently actually ''did'' get played on the radio, though.

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* In ''[[VideoGame/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice Sam & Max]]'' Season 2, you can actually change the "seven words you can't say on television" to Items on a Grocery list. (Cantaloupe, Melons, Chicken Breasts, Oregano Vanilla and Soda), changing these words allows you to hear the name of a character that was being censored (It was ''Dick Peacock''), and every time the words of the new list is said by a character, the word is censored.

[[folder: Web Original ]]

* ''Website/{{Cracked}}'': In 2008, Michael Swaim decided to make a list of "[[http://www.cracked.com/blog/7-words-you-cant-say-on-the-internet-without-starting-a-flame-war/ 7 Words You Can't Say on the Internet without Starting a Flame War]]" as a tribute to Creator/GeorgeCarlin.
** The words were also referenced in the After Hours episode "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIZdz_99QyM Why Indiana Jones Secretly Sucks At His Job]]", in which, after referencing Carlin's role in ''Film/{{Bill and Ted}}'', Swaim's character recites all seven of the words, much to the horror of everyone else at the table. The only one that wasn't bleeped was "tits."
* ''WebVideo/EpicRapBattlesOfHistory'': A season 6 battle features George Carlin, and he [[MediumAwareness acknowledges that since he's in an Internet video]], he can use all of them. [[ClusterFBomb And he does.]]
-->'''George Carlin:''' Now, there's seven words you can't say on a TV set,\\
But this is the pissing fucking cunting Internet\\
And my cocksucking motherfucking bits are the tits!\\
Non-stopping brain droppings like my wit’s got the shits!

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'', "Sailor Mouth":

** The concept of censorship itself is also played with later in the episode-throughout the episode, instead of actual swears, we hear any of thirteen different sound effects, the most common of which is a dolphin cackle, depending on which swear is being used (this is important). Later in the episode, after being soundly scolded by Mr. Krabs' dear old mum and forced to paint her house in order to atone for their sins, Mrs. Krabs stubs her pegleg and emits the sound of an old automobile horn. Mr. Krabs, shocked, cries, "Mother!" Whereupon Mrs. Krabs says, "What? It's Old Man Jenkins in his jalopy!" (Now just think about that for a minute or two)
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''
** After Kent Brockman was fired for saying "a word so vile it should only be uttered by Satan himself while sitting on the toilet", Grandpa remarks that in his day TV celebrities weren't allowed to say "booby", "tushy", "burp", "fanny-burp", "underpants", "dingle-dangle", "Boston marriage", "LBJ", "Titicaca", or "frontlumps".
** In the episode where Bart and Nelson go to war, Grampa is seen writing a letter about "words that shouldn't be used on TV", one of them (Family Jewels) turns out to be an example of StrangeMindsThinkAlike, as it was used a scene earlier.

--->'''Krusty''': I could even tell the FCC to take a hike. Look at this list of words they won't let me say on the air. ''(hands Bart a piece of paper)''
--->'''Bart''': Aww! All the good ones. Hmm, I never even heard of number nine.
--->'''Krusty''': That's 2-ing 13 while she's 11-ing your 5.
--->'''Bart''': Can I keep this?
--->'''Krusty''': Sure, no 12 off my ass.
** In yet another episode, Krusty is banned from television for ten years for saying the word "pants" on the air during the fifties. The word "pants" was, in fact, considered a dirty word at one time, though this was in the 19th century rather than in the 1950s. For that it would seem perfectly normal to still be an issue in Springfield, since they burn people at the stake for science. They move at a slower rate than the rest of the world.
** Krusty seems to like this one. From yet another episode:
---> '''Assistant:''' George Carlin on the line.\\

** And then there's Kent Brockman in a (supposedly) live newscast:
---> '''Kent:''' How can I prove we're live? ''' ''Penis!'' '''
* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': In the aforementioned "It Hits The Fan", the verboten words are revealed to represent a ''literal'' curse, each one associated with a dragon, and defended by the Knights of Standards and Practices. One of the less-well known dirty words is "Mee Krob", a Thai noodle dish.
* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' song about Lake Titicaca ends with the Warners stating their love of saying that word...think about it for a minute, ''por favor''.
--> Oh Lake Titicaca, yes Lake Titicaca
--> Why do we sing of its fame?
--> Lake Titicaca, yes Lake Titicaca
--> 'Cause we really like saying its name!
** Titicaca!

[[folder: Real Life ]]

* On Radio Caroline's 1977 New Year show, Dutch DJ Marc Jacobs responded to a ribbing by another DJ with the words "You motherfucker!" Jacobs later apologised on air, but since Caroline was a pirate station there were no official reprisals.

[[folder: Film ]]

* The ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' feature film, ''WesternAnimation/SouthParkBiggerLongerAndUncut'', brutally savaged the MPAA's rules for industry censorship as the driving force for the main story arc.
** In fact, the subtitle was original something more tame but less subtle. Censors got on their asses about it and they responded as you might expect Trey Parker and Matt Stone would.
*** To elaborate, the original title was simply: ''South Park Gone to Hell''. The censors refused to allow the word 'Hell' in the title, and in protest Parker and Stone changed the name to much more subtle (but INFINITELY dirtier subtext) ''Bigger, Longer and Uncut''. To their surprise it was approved.
*** The concept is pretty much the plot of the movie. As Kyle's mom puts it:
----> ''' Sheila Broflovski''' Remember what the MPAA says; Horrific, Deplorable violence is okay, as long as people don't say any naughty words! That's what this war is all about!

* ''[[Series/ThirtyRock 30 Rock]]'': Tracy Jordan decided to exploit the fact that he could easily pay the $50,000 fine for every time he swore on TV.
-->'''Tracy:''' I'm off to appear on Martha Stewart Live. Oh, it's gonna be ''raunchy''!
** The moral is: [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney if you got money, you can say whatever you want]]

[[folder: Newspaper Comics ]]

* One StoryArc in ''ComicStrip/BloomCounty'' referred to finding the word "[[InformedObscenity snugglebunnies]]" as offensive. A strip in this arc had Milo and Binkley, upon notification, yelling "SNUGGLEBUNNIES!" repeatedly until being cut off mid-word. And mid-panel; the fourth panel was blank, presumably because the strip was cut off.

[[folder: Web Original ]]

* ''WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd'': The "TV version" gag during his ''VideoGame/Action52'' review:
-->'''AVGN:''' Whoever came up with this is an ass''[bleep]''! ''[{{beat}}]'' ...Ass! ''[{{beat}}]'' ...Hole? -- '''ASS''[bleep]''!''' ...Television makes ''a whole lot'' of sense.

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* The ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' episode "PTV" blasted the FCC with both barrels, portraying them as going so far as to censor [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NDPT0Ph5rA real life.]]
* On ''WesternAnimation/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 ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' attempts to take on the Muhammad representation controversy, they get shut up by the network, a fact that the show has picked up on.
** After the network censored one episode, they decided to show how screwy the censorship is by testing what exactly the network thought was "too much". Apparently Muhammad and an aesop about intimidation and fear (which didn't even mention Muhammad) isn't ok, but [[RefugeInAudacity a mentally handicapped kid getting raped by a shark]] is.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'', in the episode "The Story of 'Whomps'" dealt with a made-up word ("Whomps") which was deemed offensive by the adults.

[[folder: Other ]]

* Eric Idle wrote a song about the FCC after he was fined for swearing. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4ajZ-5kTXk]]
* In addition to his ''I Bet You They Won't Play This Song On The Radio'', a parody on the use of [[SoundEffectBleep random sounds]] to beep out swear words.
* The chorus of Aerosmith's "Just Push Play" has the phrase "fuckin' A" deliberately muted, the next line rationalizing that "they're gonna bleep it anyway". Subverted in the last verse, where "fuckin' A" is untouched, but "bleep" is censored. [[DoubleSubversion Double Subverted]] when it was released as a single with a completely rewritten chorus, with no "fuckin' A", censored or not.
* The Goth musician Voltaire released one song entitled, "The Dirtiest Song That Ain't", lampooning censorship. He deliberately left certain parts of the song blank, with the words being implied by the rhyme scheme; one of the words that was likely censored was "shoulder".
* While german laws aren't even half as strict as the FCC, certain musicians can't get their songs on the radio without heavy censoring. While some musicians played with that by choosing their own Bleep sounds, others go the full way and simply accept that they're not gonna get on the radio. The worst songs of that caliber sometimes get mentioned on the channels aimed at younger audiences, with a censored excerpt playing to show just ''how'' bad it is ("Pussy" by ''Music/{{Rammstein}} and some songs by rappers such as Sido or Bushido ended up in such displays).

* When ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsonsMovie'' is broadcast on television, Marge's line "Somebody throw the Goddamn bomb!" is censored to a varying degree, depending on the network: some cut the "God" part, others delete the swear entirely.

** The concept of censorship itself is also played with later in the episode-throughout the episode, instead of actual swears, we hear any of thirteen different sound effects, depending on which swear is being used (this is important). Later in the episode, after being soundly scolded by Mr. Krabs' dear old mum and forced to paint her house in order to atone for their sins, Mrs. Krabs stubs her pegleg and emits the sound of an old automobile horn. Mr. Krabs, shocked, cries, "Mother!" Whereupon Mrs. Krabs says, "What? It's Old Man Jenkins in his jalopy!" (Now just think about that for a minute or two)

* '''Twat''' - On the list because it's the only part of the sexual anatomy that does not have a double meaning. "Snatch," "box", and "pussy" can be used in a Walt Disney movie when used properly, but "twat" remains isolated.