You scumbag, you maggot...

[andygates]

BBC Radio 1 have done it again.  I remember when they censored Captain Sensible used a word that began with 'c' - even though it wasn't the c-word.  "Golly baby, I'm a lucky catoblepas".  Well, now they've decided to cut the 'faggot' from the Pogues' Chrimbletide classic Fairytale of New York because "You scumbag, you maggot, you cheap lousy faggot" is insulting.  Of course it's bloody insulting, it's an insult!  But it's not a hot-button word of doom, you have to take it in context and that context is a pair of burned out raddled old romantic drunks. 

What do they want to replace it with?  "You scumbag, you maggot, you cheap lousy unicorn" ?

Fairytale is the one song in the whole benighted seasonal playlist (there's a point, where's the cheesy Hannukah music?  I want a techno remix of the dreidel song, dammit!) -- it's the only song that touches me.  It's a perfect little self-contained gem of flawed pure affection.  Hands off, gutless Bowdlerizing BBC, or Santa will send his ninja elves after you!

(Seriously, Beeb execs (I know you read this): We're British.  Stern stuff.  Not spineless fundies.  Don't give us our own Boobgate.  Please.)

Comments

[n-decisive.livejournal.com]

I'm appalled. Fairytale of New York is my favorite Christmas song. I love it to the point where I wouldn't have sung it for yesterday's post because I would have killed it.

If they replace faggot with the word, "braggart," then I've already heard it done. I was listening to the radio the other day and it came on, and I was waiting for "faggot," but didn't get it. I was confused! This would explain it, because I wouldn't doubt that the extremely cautious US radio stations would balk at the use of the word.