Just another long, meandering incoherent rant.. don't mind me
Yep, those were the misdemeanours in question. It's strange that the BBC had to cut it out entirely. Not from a broadcasting guidelines POV - you clearly can't broadcast a program with adult language before the watershed - and that applies to what goes on their site too. The BBC are publicly funded too so it's best not to p**s everybody off. What's odd is that they couldn't do what they normally do for adult content which is just to put a simple notice on the program stating that it contains bad language and the "over 16" tickbox; you could even state the specific times where the language occurs. The technology is there to do that, it must be. Instead, they took
forever (for a sports event) to edit out the language. Usual BBC red tape. Then again, they are quite busy at the moment
The annoying thing is, even utilising such technology you would still get complaints..
On the actual complaints: I admit it's a more legitimate charge than the usual complaints the BBC receive (all the time over here there are stories about how the BBC received x many complaints, sometimes before a program even aired). For example after a particularly controversial episode of Top Gear where Clarkson insulted Mexicans/dead prostitutes/various ethnic minorities/etc, you will usually find a few hundred people complaining, which begs the question why do they watch the show in the first place when known for its style of humour? Everybody has a right to complain; but before that almost always the luxury of not tuning in.
You have to feel most people who complain about TV shows generally are 1) having too much time on their hands, 2) have an over inflated sense of self-importance ("I'm offended therefore this shouldn't ever happen"), and 3) Have a very misguided perception of the world. I mean, I doubt the people who complain with some level of rationality at something like Abu Dhabi are the same people who actually follow or involve themselves in any serious political issues in the world - you know, the actual problems. They just hate bad language and by god they will tell you. It just amazes me how some people want to live in their own insulated, unrealistic world. I bet half of these thin-skinned moaners live in the fear driven England of the Daily Mail and are scared of anything that remotely bursts that bubble - bad language included. The other half are at the other end, "multiculturalists" who are so politically correct that at the mention of any sensitive topic, like a reference to an ethnic minority, will immediately take "offence" without ever bothering to understand the context of the joke, because they aren't racist honest and they love other cultures (just don't ask them anything about other cultures).
For Abu Dhabi, the worst case scenario is a child learned a new naughty word slightly earlier than they would have done. So what? Get over it. Nobody got pregnant and nobody died. Sh#t happens, is I believe the phrase here. Try having a responsible, open conversation about language with your kid, including why bad language needs to be used at the right time, etc, instead of writing a letter. If you were an adult and you were offended well I don't even know where to begin, presumably they would be too "offended" by the wealth in Abu Dhabi in comparison with the wealth of the child who was exploited to make the television set they were watching the race on? (Do kids get exploited to make TV's? I am not sure. If they don't then they should: I'd love my next TV to be cheaper)*.
BUT, and after a much meandering post, it is fair enough to be unhappy about swearing at that time of day on TV and you wouldn't want it becoming the norm. It's just the complaining that's absurd, unless you are absolutely consistent in your logic and what you complain about, which none of these people will be because they're stupid enough to be offended and think that's actually important.
The worst thing about these cases (not so much here where sponsors and teams would already have warned their drivers one way or another), is that these unbelievably small minorities get way too much exposure compared to the 99.9% who just get on with it.
*Complaints to the BBC
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