Ignorance is bliss…. And you were free to be so.

All of which overlooks the primary factor here, the 1st Amendment only specifies that the government cannot restrict your speech, it does not apply to private enterprises such as businesses. People so often fail to realize this. Your employer has an absolute right to control what you say and when and where you can say it. Imagine a kid at the local hamburger joint claiming his free speech “rights” were imposed upon because the manager doesn’t want him to say “would you like fries with that you mother F’er.” That’s patently ridiculous, the manager can and would fire his butt in a heartbeat, and it would not violate his rights at all, as the business is not government.

Don’t they teach civics and such in schools anymore?

Free speech is not an absolute right. There are a variety of situations that demand a bit of restraint. The old “You can’t yell fire in a theater” comes to mind as an example. We certainly wouldn’t want a radical Muslim cleric using the radio to make suggestions about appropriate locations and times for jihad.

However, I have to confess that I am a bit torn on this one. I have no use for Opie and Anthony, and the fact that they, and some of their listeners, would find the discussion of raping ANY woman funny makes me shudder. They consider themselves on the cutting edge, but I have to wonder what edge they reference. Is joking about rape just good clean fun or does it provide incitement for some of their more feeble-minded and less restrained listeners? Does it diminish the seriousness of the real crime of sexual assault? I worry about the coarseness of our culture, especially with people like Opie and Anthony trying to keep themselves in the spotlight by pushing the bubble.

On the other hand, there is nothing illegal about what occurred on their show, and as such, the proper method to voice disapproval should have been to contact the XM network and any sponsors who may be involved. I am content to let the market drive the content on satellite radio, so long as the content does not cross over into the advocacy of violence, which in this case it nearly did. If allowing people who like the content of Opie and Anthony’s show, or Howard Stern’s show, to have access to a paid venue to listen to them means that other forms of speech are freer, I think it is an appropriate price to pay. As Severian said, if we allow these sophomoric morons to be censored, what is to stop an angry listener from insisting he or she is offended by conservative commentary, and demanding censorship of Limbaugh, Hannity, or Franken, for that matter?

It’s amazing how if you criticize someone, some people automatically assume you want them jailed, fired, or killed.” -NC Cop

You see, the problem is that nearly everytime you hear someone complaining they DO want the offending party fired, or jailed, or whatever. It’s getting frustrating that the shows that I like always have to watch their back, just in case someone wants to throw them off the air. I love O&A because they just don’t give a damn about the people who would normally try to censor you in the name of “PC” or “Decency”. I fucking tired of people interfering with what I like.
And I can’t stand the false outrage that I always hear in conjunction with these sorts of storys.

And in answer to one of the first questions you posed, If O&A got raped or had someone who was close to them raped how would they react. Well, they would a.) laugh about it and goof on themselves, and b.) unleash the Pest Army upon the unfortunate rapist. That’s what O&A would do.

I dont want the Government to step in and regulate the Pay Satelite services (Of course things that would put us as Americans in harms way should be regulated). We give the government an Inch and they will take a Mile. What we need to do to fix many many many of the issues of this great United States is the following.

Make people realize they are responsible for every single action they make( I am so Gosh Darn tired of people blaming everyone else for thier problems instead of maning up for what they do)

Stop asking what the Government or others can do for you and start asking what the Hell you can do for yourself or others.

If a girl gets pregnant under the age of 18 then it is the parents responsibility to help their daughter to take care of that child. The man that helped to create the child definitely should be “partially” (as in 50%)responsible in helpin to support and take care of the child. IT TAKES TWO people to create a child NOT JUST ONE.

Welfare and other services of that type should be an “Emergency Help” for those that need it. Not a crutch people use to be freakin lazy.

Criminals clogging up our jails… This is a HUGE problem in our society. Give the criminals a punishment that is befitting to thier crime. If they savagely killed another person they need to Die. I know alot wont agre with what I just said and that is okay. I feel that if people started seeing that when you commit a crime like murder or any other brutal crime that ends anothers life, and what the consequences are for actions like that it wont definately make them think twice or possibly chose not to do it.

Sorry so long winded and also sorry a bit off topic. Agree with me or hate me it doesnt matter. I just though I would post that I am a super nice, loving and normal guy that enjoys hearing things on the radio that is explicit. Just because I hear it and enjoy it doesnt mean I would do anything they did or suggested.

John

O&A were on XM Radio, a subscription service which people must pay to be a part of. The only people listening to that show were people who WANTED to.

When I turn on Comedy Central and see Chris Rock or Dave Chapell make fun of white men using nasty steretypes I get offended and I change the channel. Why cant you do the same? Should we make a big stink about those comics? Its a double standard

So what are we going to move on to next – attacking old Richard Pryor records, and Lenny Bruce LPs, and Red Foxx, George Carlin, and Chech and Chong, and Eddie Griffin, and Chris Rock, and other media that is consumed almost exclusively by those who PAY to experience these people’s own particularly blue and explicit adult word play? The outrage should be in our loss of freedom!!!

I just think that decency can’t be regulated by the government, nor should it. Unfortunately as a species, human beings seem to be gravitating more and more to the “If it feels good, it must be right” attitude, regardless of who it may hurt or offend.

As I said before, joking about a rape is despicable and they should be ashamed of themselves. I don’t think it has anything to do with being on public airwaves or not. If the same people had heard Imus’s comments on satellite radio, they would have made just as big of an issue out of it.

I’m in the group that wants them fired. Not saying you or ST are. But if they got fired, others would think twice about crossing the line of decency on the airwaves.

It’s amazing how if you criticize someone, some people automatically assume you want them jailed, fired, or killed.

No one raped anyone!

ST: “Would they be laughing if someone were talking about doing that to their mothers or sisters or wives?”

Probably not, but they wouldn’t try to get that person fired from their job.

I understand the problem people have with with this audio, but the people who PAY TO LISTEN to them don’t have a problem. The story about the “Shock Jocks” who said something shocking isn’t a surprising story.