Listen up folks, the UCC commercials and the real reason NBC and CBS BLOW

[xultar]

Telly Savalas brought up a good point in a thread from last night.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=2800946&mesg_id=2800946

It can't be the whole Gay and Lesbian thing. NBC has openly Gay characters and shows Queer Eye commercials.

So, what is the real reason NBC and CBS won't show the United Church of Christ commercials?

My opinion it is BushCo. The Nazi organization ruining our country. NBC and CBS both know that the UCC commercials aren't good for BushCo and his fundie-Nazi kool-aid drinkin base. So it is all political and nothing to do with openly Gay or Lesbian sexuality.

Discuss...

[Sara Beverley]

1. Great point. They should be reminded about this.

We have got to keep the pressure on and expose their hypocrisy. It is clear manipulation and control of the media by the fascist regime now running and ruining our country.

[gratuitous]

2. A few points

NBC runs ads for its own shows because they make money off the shows. They can't make money showing a "controversial" ad like the UCC submission, and they might invite some unwelcome scrutiny from the ever-capricious Michael Powell and his hellish little minions at the FCC.

The major media in this country are extremely vulnerable to right-wing intimidation, and have been for over 50 years. During the Red Scare of the 1950s, the networks pulled shows based on the say-so of a grocery store owner who had a "chain" of three stores in upstate New York. Anyone who appeared on a network television show who had suspicious ties or sympathies (for example, Paul Robeson) would be targeted by this nutjob and his fanatical cohorts. Say, Robeson appeared on the Arthur Godfrey Show, sponsored by Swanson Frozen TV Dinners. Signs would go up in this guy's stores over the Swanson display that customers buying this product were supporting Communists. Swanson's sales would fall off, Swanson would contact the network, and the network would inform Arthur Godfrey that he should exercise a little more care in booking his guests.

Today, a similar dynamic is involved, and no overt threat or fine or discipline even has to be mentioned. NBC, all on its own, decides that the UCC commercial is "controversial" and trumps up some bullshit reason for not running it. The Bush administration doesn't have to lift a finger, because NBC will censor itself so as to protect those fat defense contracts its ownership at General Electric is so dependent on. The Bushistas can honestly say that they didn't have a thing to do with the cowardly decision by NBC. NBC went into the tank all by itself.

Of course, meanwhile, NBC will gladly run all sorts of ads for stuff you can't buy, such as prescription drugs that might wind up killing you. But that pleases large pharmaceutical companies, so that's okay. Showing a church where everyone and anyone can walk through the front door is subversive, controversial and above all, bad for bidness.

If any of y'all are ever in Portland, pop by Peace Church of the Brethren. Our doors are similarly open.

[nostamj]

3. Tolerance will not be Tolerated

that's a message. the "god" of the bush 'christian' fascists do NOT tolerate. period.

an agenda of hate and fear (and ignorance) has no room for tolerance, understanding or communication.

[ezee]

4. Ditto, have been thinking this all along. n/t/

[noonwitch]

5. I don't think it's fear of Bush's FCC, I think it's fear of hate mail

There is nothing in the ad that violates FCC guidelines, therefore nothing that the Bush administration can do about it. When they've gotten states to pass constitutional amendments forbidding gay marriage, do you really think an ad like this would be considered much of a threat to their agenda?

The networks are more afraid of massive volumes of hate mail from the pharisee right, and of a possible boycott. If they weren't, they'd run the ad.

[xchrom]

6. nope -- don't think so...

others, like bill cosby for instance has warned the gay community not to become too enamoured of the puff pieces depicting gay folks on the television.
the folks shown on tv bear little resemblence{and i love queer eye} to the live that real gay people live each day -- the net works know this -- they feeding the public an acceptable, cartoon version of something warm and fuzzy. not reality.

these are sophisticated, powerful and mostly straight white men making these decisions. and they have biases -- and trust me more than a few know the bush family and others like the bush family well. they are, in fact, all swinging in the same set and possess similar values.

this was openly bigoted against gay folks and sending a clear message to organizations who openly and vocally show them support.

it was quite blunt really.

[J-Lo Biafra]

7. Networks are evil, and I refuse to support them.

I read instead.

[Crunchy Frog]

8. I think the reason doesn't have to do with

portrayal of gay sexuality, which was so subtle in the ad as to be pracically non-existent. It was the negative portrayal of a conservative church that was the real problem. They objected to the suggestion, implied in the ad, that those churches behave in an intolerant fashion.

In Bushworld, it will be unacceptable to offer up any criticism of the conservative/fundie churches that help make up the Repuke power base.