Monday, March 22, 2010
Drink Matters!
Tis a Monday morning, and the wheel of life strafes my buttocks with a vengeance. Time to see what nugget of Nannyism I can deride today.
Let me see...oh yes..
Dear oh dear, universities certainly seem to have become somewhat prissy since I was a lad.
The University of Glasgow, once a proud bastion of the drinking classes, has had an attack of Nannyism and suspended a programme on its student radio station Subcity, and removed details of the show from the station's website.
For why?
Well it seems that the last edition of "Party Party" (that might give you a clue as to the subject matter), which was transmitted between 2100 and 2200 GMT on Sunday night the other week, involved a very "lively" discussion about drink.
It seems that the presenters claimed to be drinking a litre of tequila, swore (surely not!) and explicitly discussed sexual activities.
The presenters did manage to promote (once) the "responsible drinking" website Drinkaware. However, they then went on to encourage listeners to drink a shot of spirits for every tune they played.
Yawn!
Been there, seen it, done it!
We (students of Edinburgh) used to play a game watching the Alec Guinness film "Tunes of Glory", everytime someone in the film had a drink (and they did very frequently!) we had to have a shot of whisky.
The university, having completely lost its sense of humour, said that:
"If the contents of this particular programme are found to have breached the station's code, disciplinary action will be taken."
Tim Dye, chair of the Student Radio Association, said:
"Unfortunately when you give creativity and freedom to some people they run off with it."
Sounds to me as though he wants to limit people's freedom?
People are also free to turn off their internet radios if they don't like the show.
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I used to work in student radio at Bradford Uni and I can understand Glasgow's reaction. Radio licenses are expensive and there are limits as to what you can broadcast - strict ones.
ReplyDeleteI did a rock show and woe betide me if I let a record air with a swear word in. I had to edit my own recordings and make sure I vetted everything just in case.
I do agree with you in principle. It's a student station which should appeal to students and I bet the ones listening loved the drinking game. However, they're under the same rules as any other radio station in the country - which *is* fair, even if the rules themselves may not seem so. Bear in mind that anyone can listen to the stream, not just those at the university.
In which case then, it's the petty, Victorian rules on radio stations that should be lambasted, rather than the uni?
ReplyDeleteEither way, I say let the students have their fun. It's not as if non-students will be listening!
Isn’t the whole point of having a student radio station, manned by students, to appeal to.......students?
ReplyDeleteIf they are just going to broadcast boring shit that nobody wants to listen to, then the students will find their entertainment elsewhere.
It is not as if they would be damaged in some way by the antics of the presenters.
Anon, on balance I'd say "yes". The fines and censures for breaching the rules are harsh. That's *why* station managers monitor their output so carefully.
ReplyDeleteCompare TV output after 9pm with radio, particularly the language. Have you ever heard as much swearing on radio as on TV? There are reasons for it and the rules and guidelines relating to the license are those reasons.
Too many people wanting to stick their noses into other people's lives and force them to live their lives the way these people live theirs.....It seems to me that, since we have become a "more tolerant and diverse" society, we have become much less tolerant.
ReplyDeleteI was listening to Gold radio yesterday and I am pleased to report that the number of adverts from Nanny had decreased...This is a step in the right direction; All we need now if for Nanny to take off the remaining ones so that we can do back to listening to good music without Nanny invading our homes several times an hour with her messages!!
Gary - (popping on Nanny's advocate hat), they could be encouraged to drink heavily. Don't forget that binge drinking is *bad* and therefore encouraging people to do it - by leading by example or otherwise - is naughty and shouldn't be allowed.
ReplyDelete"Unfortunately when you give creativity and freedom to some people they run off with it."
ReplyDeleteBloody 'freedom'! Give it to people and they think they can do what they like!
For once, I have to agree with Nanny. I have no problem with people drinking in moderation but to encourage binge drinking strikes me as irresponsible in the extreme, bearing in mind the considerable health risks and the fact that it can lead to anti-social behaviour and violence.
ReplyDeleteMosher, I don't think student internet broadcast are covered by Offcom rules.
ReplyDeleteKen
Ken, worth a check - you could be right. Do note that the station does occasionally get a short-term "public broadcast" license and the management team could simply be maintaining a code of conduct at all times.
ReplyDelete"Unfortunately when you give creativity and freedom to some people they run off with it."
ReplyDeleteNeither creativity nor freedom is "given" to people. Freedom can be taken away, and creativity punished or suppressed, but the exercise of freedom and creativity is something that occurs naturally and spontaneously, without any dispensation from Nanny. Only one of her most mindless minions could see it otherwise.
Are people so easily influenced by what they see or hear, or have we all become immune to it all?
ReplyDeleteIf I watch the television and see an advert, it doesn’t make me want to rush out and buy the product, and if I were a student listening to radio show, I wouldn’t want to get drunk just because the presenters were having a few drinks.
I do have a mind of my own and I feel that others are not so easily swayed either.
And binge drinking........Who says that it is a huge problem?
It only became an issue after the smoking ban came into force, giving the state something else meddle with.
Lord of Atlantis:
ReplyDeletemoderation, binge drinking, irresponsible, health risks, anti-social behaviour?
Are you a libertarian blogger or not?
Well said Black Sea. Freedon is a birthright, not something to be given out or with held at the whim of another.
People are more than welcome to change channel / station / website if they encounter content or people (cyber bullies) that they object to. Too many people chose to complain rather than ignore.
We will have run out of things to ban long bafore everyone is satisfied.
Bucko said...
ReplyDelete"Lord of Atlantis:
moderation, binge drinking, irresponsible, health risks, anti-social behaviour?
Are you a libertarian blogger or not?"
Yes, I am a libertarian, but it has to work both ways. I have no objection to people having a drink. However, feel I should be equally able to walk through town on a Friday/Saturday night, WITHOUT being abused, threatened or assaulted by someone who has had too much to drink.
Friday / Saturday night knobheads are people that cant handle a couple of pints of piss weak lager. They are the ones that need sorting out, not some kids with a radio station that none of us need bother listening to if we dont want to.
ReplyDeleteA lot of folk can actually make up their own minds and can behave without being influenced by others. I dont beleive in banning something on the off chance that a bad thing may happen as a result of it.
Yes, I am a libertarian, but it has to work both ways. I have no objection to people having a drink. However, feel I should be equally able to walk through town on a Friday/Saturday night, WITHOUT being abused, threatened or assaulted by someone who has had too much to drink.
ReplyDeleteYes, but have you ever walked through ‘town’ on a Friday or Saturday night and been abused, threatened or assaulted, or like most people, is it just a problem that you have read about or seen on television?
It sounds to me that this alleged problem is being blown up out of all proportion in an effort to further regulate the consumption of alcohol.
Some people may occasionally get drunk, but they always have done.
I can imagine that the dwindling number of bar and club owners in the Country can only dream about hoards of people coming to their establishments and binging.