On May 27, 1972, comedian George Carlin introduced America to the seven words you can’t say on television. Fifty years later, broadcast TV still bans those same words. But today, nobody cares.
Not because we care less about free speech, but because cable, satellite, and streaming services have practically made those restrictions obsolete.
Carlin used his platform to make a point that wasn’t actually about swearing – it was about the threat that government-mandated gatekeepers pose to free expression. A Federal Communications Commission (FCC) powerful enough to ban those words could potentially ban other ideas too.
Read Full Article »