This “censorship flap” is so contrived that I can’t bring myself to name the contrivers or even invoke the obligatory reference to gambling in Rick’s Caf … no, I … just … can’t … do … it.
However, there is a kernel of “what the heck?” in here that some might see as interesting enough to warrant coverage: Does a TV commercial really need to carry a warning label because it beckons to related content online that may be unsuitable for the tube?
Yes, according to the contrivers who shall not be named. … But allow me to be the first to call BS.
Let’s refer to the tiresomely cheesy domain name registrar as Yo Momma, the overexposed celebrity spokeswoman/race car driver as Monica Fredericks, and, the selectively uptight television network as XYZ. Headline on the press release: “Censors Force Yo Momma to Use ‘Content Warning’ on Indy 500 Ad:”
XYZ broadcast network censors are requiring Yo Momma to use a graphic warning on its new commercial. The warning is not because of what viewers will see on television. It is aimed at warning about the ad’s “continued” content, which viewers will be asked to watch online … during the May 24 Indianapolis 500 Race telecast.
The commercial is called “Speeding.” It revolves around IndyCar’s most popular driver and Yo Momma Girl Monica Fredericks, who is pulled over for speeding on a desert highway. As the commercial ends, viewers are directed to see the rest of the story online, and of course the humor unfolds in legendary YoMomma-esque fashion.
Those meanies at XYZ, why are they always picking on Yo Momma?
Actually, here’s how I see the negotiations having gone:
Yo Momma: “We’ll sponsor the car race you’re televising if you promise to ‘censor’ our TV commercial so we can act all shocked — shocked! — and get ourselves a little free PR.”
XYZ: “We’ll do you one better: Instead of just ‘censoring’ your commercial — that’s so hackneyed — we’ll ‘require’ that you slap a warning label on it. It’s win-win, baby: We won’t be accused of pimping the extra-raunchy stuff you guys always serve online, and you’ll still get the free PR.”
Yo Momma: “Brilliant! This is why you’re in the television business and we hawk domain names to cybersquatters.”
As for Monica Fredericks, well, she should have listened when her parents warned her about what might happen to her reputation if she got into the wrong car with the wrong kind of fellas.
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