How do Dire Straits get away with saying 'f a g g o t' in the song "Money For Nothing"?

Question

These days if an artist uses even the most common profanity, it gets edited out before it receives any radioplay, yet 'Money For Nothing' contains the word 'f a g g o t' (three times) and I have never heard an edited version of this song on the radio.

"The litle f a g g o t with the earring and the make-up,
yeah buddy that's his own hair.
The little f a g g o t got his own jet-airplane,
that little f a g g o t he's a millionaire."

Answer 1

Becasue at the time the song came out no one cared that they said it, not even the homosexual community. I knew gays that loved that song. It was a time when people had better things to do than to complain about something for the sake of complaining. Now, the song has become so nostalgic that no one even thinks about it. Besides the lins is not such a central part of the song that it really matters.

There are lots of things that artists used to be able to say that they can't anymore, and that is just sad. Being sensative to the impact things have is one thing, but it has gone way WAY overboard.

Answer 2

The song is a satire--designed to make fun of attitudes some people may have, sung from the perspective of a laborer/redneck type person who perhaps would be short on education, understanding, and compassion. Just like Archie Bunker in the TV series "All In the Family," the attitudes are actually ridiculed, and due to time constraints or literary purposes, a short word may be used in place of a politically correct one. I wouldn't fret it--you may be taking it the wrong way.

Answer 3

You know I have wondered that too. I mean they bleep every other curse word out on the radio.

Answer 4

sorry if this offends u, but freedom of speech definitely applies to this situation.

Answer 5

hahaah thats rich, never relized that before.