"Money For Nothing" Banned ... Really?

One person can make a difference.

In the case of the Dire Strait's song "Money For Nothing," one person was all it took. Radio station CHOZ-FM in St. John's, Newfoundland played the album version of the song. Contained in the second verse are three uses of the word "faggot," and this offended one listener that happened to be a member of the LGBT community. After complaining to the radio station and receiving an unsatisfactory response, an additional complaint was registered with the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC). The CBSC is an organization comprised of broadcast industry professionals that monitor the standards of radio and television broadcasting in Canada. They look for the seven words you can never say on television and radio.

After careful consideration, the CBSC ruled "Money For Nothing" could not be broadcast over the Canadian airwaves. And predictably, the Canadian public went nuts. Cries of censorship went up almost immediately. The CBSC was inundated with emails and phone calls. At least two radio stations played "Money For Nothing" continuously for an hour in protest. It was the end of civilization as we know it.

At first glance, it would seem the CBSC decision was censorship and if not, at least bordering on censorship. In fact, the CBSC has no real power over what is broadcast in Canada. It can label things "not fit for Canadian airwaves," but it has no regulatory or legislative power. That hammer belongs to the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). The CBSC can recommend but it cannot enforce.

Plus, after reading the decision it is clear the CBSC neglected certain salient aspects of popular music. The first being context, which the Board claims does not apply to "Money For Nothing." The second is intent, and while the Board agrees that the use of the word "faggot" was not malicious or particularly nasty, it overlooks the circumstance in which the word is used. To smooth out the rough edges, the Board notes that "Money For Nothing" can be played in its edited version -- the version that was played on the radio when the song was initially released in 1987, the version most people have heard since then, and the same version included on Sultans of Swing, the Dire Straits greatest hits album released in 1998. 

So, while on the surface it appears the CBSC is censoring popular music in general and many arguments point to the use of other so-called objectionable words in other forms of popular music, and aside from the ridicule the decision has garnered from other parts of the world, there is no real damage done to Dire Straits, Mark Knopfler (the songwriter), "Money For Nothing," or popular music. Radio stations will continue to play the song, albeit in its edited version which was the one played initially, then the outrage will subside and the world will get back to what it was doing.

Chalk it up to bureaucracy trying to do the right thing.

And that is frightening.

The decision: http://www.cbsc.ca/english/decisions/2011/110112.php

Cross-posted at VideoJug: http://pages.videojug.com/pages/18118--Money-For-Nothing-Banned-Really-