Viewer Discretion Advised

The following is a weekly 60 Minutes commentary by CBS News correspondent Andy Rooney.

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You often see that warning on the screen before a television show: Viewer Discretion Advised. The suggestion is that children shouldn't watch it. What it does, of course, is alert the kids to be sure to watch.

We're trying to get a younger audience here at 60 Minutes, so I thought if we showed that warning "Viewer Discretion Advised," maybe more kids would tune in to watch me.

A lot of people hold the Ten Commandments as their standard of decency, but some of those commandments don't make much sense. I mean, my neighbor doesn't even have an ox. I live by four or five of the Ten Commandments. I don't steal, I don't lie very often — once in a while — and I never use dirty words. I say "damn" and "hell" occasionally, but nothing vulgar. No body function words.

I think it's wrong to use dirty stuff to attract an audience to anything. I don't mind some nudity, but I hate filth.

There's some dirty stuff on television, but less than there would be if we didn't have a federal law that says: "Whoever utters any obscene, indecent or profane language shall be fined or imprisoned not more than two years, or both."

I don't know about "whoever," but I know they've never imprisoned anyone for 20 minutes, let alone two years, for saying something dirty on television. They have fined broadcasters millions of dollars over the years. CBS was fined half a million for the Janet Jackson bare-breast fiasco two years ago at the Super Bowl. I thought CBS got a bum rap. You couldn't really see anything. Cable television can do what it wants, of course.

The law also says it is a federal offense to broadcast obscene material any hour of the day or indecent or profane material outside certain late-night hours.

I'm a little fuzzy about the difference between obscene, indecent and profane, and I don't know why dirty stuff is any more acceptable late at night than during the day.

The fact of the matter is we all have to behave in a way that's better than what comes naturally to us.


Produced By Andy Rooney

[rkiyama]

Andy, I think you'll get younger audience little by little. I'm 24, and I've been watching your segments for more than 6 years. It's hard to accomplish that here in Mixico, because the pirate satellite signal is sometimes hard to get, and when I can't, I try to read your commentary on the website. My point is, you should keep trying to produce constantly with the quality you had when you spoke about mel gibson, or abu ghraib, and you'll get a bunch of young persons, who love your fine and irreverent sense of humor! Keep up the good work.

[tinker3478]

Andy Rooney, you're a national treasure!

[prak78821]

Andy,

Here is a refresher course for you and everybody else:

Profane: Dialogue that contains words like f**k and s**t.

Indecent: Dialogue + Visuals that HINT AT sexual or excretory organs or activities. For example, this would be mainstream *** scenes and other nudity. An exception is made if the conext of the scene/dialogue is medicine-related.

Obscene: Dialogue Visuals that EXPLICITLY DEPICT sexual or excretory organs or activities.
An example of this is porn where everything goes.

Also, dirty stuff is more acceptable at night because children are most likely to be in bed at that time.

[gramto7]

CHANGING to Christian even....

[gramto7]

Snflwr4real is on a roll! Her medication evidently has a very long half-life, if she indeed quit taking it. Notice how she went from Osama picking her husband to God and Jesus helping her. Wonder how Osama feels about her shanging from Muslim to Christian in a flash like that?

[grumpas]

People like bunnybaum really grow tiresome! Those shows are fine if you like fluff and don't like any substance to your television! But, I prefer to watch things a little more adult and true to life! As I remember about the 50's it was not that great of television viewing! My mother was nothing like "Leave it to Beaver's" Mom! My father wasn't like "My little Margie's" dad either! Most parents were not like the television portray! It presents an erroneous image to children! One that few parents are able to live up to! They wind up thinking there is something wrong with their parents...when it's something wrong with television! I was never so happy when the sixties and seventies came along and they put some real life into television! I really hate to see the country headed back to that mindless state where real life is taboo again! Because some do gooder doesn't want to live in the real world!

Any time Clinton came on TV years ago I had to tell my kids to go in the other room

[bunnybaum]

My husband and I only watch what we feel is decent television material. Now a days, this would be the following: Everybody Loves Raymond, Little House of the Prairie, and the Brady Bunch. Other than that, television can be down-right filthy! We feel that if our children should not watch it, then we won't either. We like down-to-earth shows that an entire family can watch together. I feel television has lost everything it stood for back in the mid 50's. If they ever take off the "few" programs we DO watch, well then, I guess we'll have to read a book.

[arj4031]

A few questions for Mr. Rooney on TV "filth": Should we also expand the definition for those who are easily offended by any hint of innuendo? Shall we sanitize television beyond any reflection of reality, yet continue giving the nod to those who use gratuitous violence to "attract an audience"? It is interesting how that doesn't raise as many hackles.

There's arguably more of what some might consider "dirty" on European television, but are they really any ruder or more lacking in reasonable self-regulation than the average American? And who says we must always behave "better" than what comes naturally? Sometimes what comes naturally (vs. what's clearly contrived) may be no threat at all unless it impinges on the rights of others. As far as I'm aware, there's no parental right to an intimidating nanny government that indirectly manipulates the content of all channels, 24 hours a day.

[cup_of_joe]

Whatever medication snflwr4real is on, it's not working