The Jim Henson Company Puppets to perform at the 2011 Grammys

[Drtooth]

People who study language say this word (f***) is unusual in that, though it is used a lot, a lot of places, and has been used a lot for centuries, the taboo does not wear off, as it does for other words which no one is surprised to hear.

In other words, what is really unusual is not how bad the word is, it is how we still "need" it to be bad. Really bad.

That's the thing. We LET it control us and power us. We create a Frankenstein, and freak out when it attacks the villagers. People are afraid of being desensitized, but somehow, that's not necessarily a bad thing. If we take away the shock out of the shock value, it's essentially nothing. Maybe that's why I saw this so mildly... the shock is pretty much gone from me when it comes to cuss words. It's how they're used in certain context that would still bug me. That said, horrific violence in real life shocks me, yet when I see it on TV and know it's not real, it just doesn't have the same impact, unless it's a specific situation.

But then again, we're all a large hammer drop on a barefoot from saying it anyway. unless you have uncanny self control.

 

[D'Snowth]

it is still necessary to have some sense of standards. I mean look at TV in general and how low it has sunk.

50 years ago, you were prohibited from showing two people in the same bed on TV. 50 years later, that's all you see when you turn on the TV.

 

[CensoredAlso]

The difference is all TV's have an off button. If I was in the Coliseum, I was going to be eaten by lions. I couldn't turn off their jaws.

Agreed. But at the same time, the world is only as we make it and only what we're willing to fight for. Nothing will change if we just turn if off and ignore it.

50 years ago, you were prohibited from showing two people in the same bed on TV. 50 years later, that's all you see when you turn on the TV.

Exactly, all we do is go from one extreme to the other.

 

[MelissaY1]

Agreed. But at the same time, the world is only as we make it and only what we're willing to fight for. Nothing will change if we just turn if off and ignore it.



Exactly, all we do is go from one extreme to the other.

I agree with some of what you're saying, heralde, but why should something be censored on a PRIME TIME show. This is what the song was, what the music is. Heck that's why the song got FAMOUS. People weren't offended by it, they were ENJOYING it, hence why it gained the popularity that it did.

If people are uncomfortable with watching something, I get that. There's stuff on T.V. I don't like to see, but I don't prohibit others from watching what I don't like. I just change the channel. I agree with Dr. Tooth's post that the FCC has gotten quite overboard with a lot of things in recent years. And because of that we have become too much of a PC and overly sensitive society.

 

[CensoredAlso]

I agree with some of what you're saying, heralde, but why should something be censored on a PRIME TIME show. This is what the song was, what the music is. Heck that's why the song got FAMOUS. People weren't offended by it, they were ENJOYING it, hence why it gained the popularity that it did.

If people are uncomfortable with watching something, I get that. There's stuff on T.V. I don't like to see, but I don't prohibit others from watching what I don't like. I just change the channel. I agree with Dr. Tooth's post that the FCC has gotten quite overboard with a lot of things in recent years. And because of that we have become too much of a PC and overly sensitive society.

Well let me be clear I am not talking about censorship. But just because some people enjoyed something doesn't make it edgy or particularly creative, which I assume is what the Henson Alternative is going for. The Muppets were able to be edgy in the past without restoring to this stuff.

No offence to the people who did like it, I'm just sharing my opinion.

 

[MelissaY1]

Well let me be clear I am not talking about censorship. But just because some people enjoyed something doesn't make it edgy or particularly creative, which I assume is what the Henson Alternative is going for. The Muppets were able to be edgy in the past without restoring to this stuff.

No offence to the people who did like it, I'm just sharing my opinion.

No you're entitled to your opinion, I just don't see how it's taking a step backwards for them. If anything this was a GREAT step for them, they have the movie coming out later this year, (and yes I know it's not with the characters we saw on the Grammys) but it's revamping not only maybe the Henson Company as a whole and bringing it back to people's attention, but they performed on one of the biggest songs of the year, with one of the biggest artists out now. I don't see how it can be viewed as a bad thing.

 

[CensoredAlso]

No you're entitled to your opinion, I just don't see how it's taking a step backwards for them. If anything this was a GREAT step for them, they have the movie coming out later this year, (and yes I know it's not with the characters we saw on the Grammys) but it's revamping not only maybe the Henson Company as a whole and bringing it back to people's attention, but they performed on one of the biggest songs of the year, with one of the biggest artists out now. I don't see how it can be viewed as a bad thing.

Well again, biggest artist does not equal good artist. That's all I'm saying.

 

[MelissaY1]

Well again, biggest artist does not equal good artist. That's all I'm saying.

No it doesn't, but whatever you think of the music, it's a good move for them. There's no stepping around it.

 

[CensoredAlso]

No it doesn't, but whatever you think of the music, it's a good move for them. There's no stepping around it.

I think it remains to be seen. Again, no offence.

It's not that I don't want them to move forward. It's just that following the latest fads and gaining some publicity does not automatically equal moving forward.

 

[jcnegron]

This thread is long now.

I just wanted to comment that I have never heard this song before until I saw the video with the puppets performance, and I liked the music very much. It has a 70's feel on the music. After reading this thread i realized there are several versions of the same song a uncensored, a censored and a sanitized version.

I thought that they cleaned the song for this performance but then I found that it has been available since just a month after they released the original one.

I am thinking of getting the clean one, I liked it better, because the lyrics fit better in the music. Funny that in this age of downloads, you can get your albums á la carte.