January-2015-1

Vince Tracy’s Music Ramblings
Originally from Birkenhead, Vince began work at a local hospital
radio station before joining BBC Radio Merseyside. Significantly
influenced by Radio Caroline as well as great entertainers like
Morecambe & Wise, Tommy Cooper, The Two Ronnies and DJs
such as Jimmy Young and Steve Wright, Vince has chatted with
hundreds of celebrities - musicians/actors/sports stars/politicians.
His website lists many of them. To listen to his daily blog/podcasts
go to http://www.vincetracy.com/blog9 or to view his website go to
http://www.vincetracy.com
Who decides?
I remember Boy George's first appearance on
my TV. It was on Top of the Pops. Like many
others I sat and watched in disbelief. Was
this a boy or was this a girl? It was a pivotal
moment for transvestites and cross-dressers
as the BBC had opened the floodgates and just
about anyone has been on our TV screens ever
since. Boy George was certainly a very good
singer but his subsequent life has opened many
questions in my mind and none greater than
who decides on the censorship of what we see
or don't see on TV.
As a teacher, I had to undergo rigorous
checks in order to be allowed to teach classes
of children and older students. The need
for teachers to be checked for decency and
suitability has become UK policy. I have no
problem with this and if you've had children then
you will probably feel the same. Despite all the
checks teachers acting unprofessionally hit the
headlines every week of the year. Obviously,
the checks are not uniformly rigorous.
The television has a very long-lasting
effect on all our minds. How many of us can still
recall pivotal moments on UK television? Let's
look at one or two of those pivotal moments on
UK TV.
Do you remember the first gay kiss on
mainstream TV? It was shown on EastEnders
(January 1989) and at the time there was a
huge groundswell of feeling that this was wrong
and the BBC had made a dreadful mistake.
Lately, it would appear to me that TV producers
are having another look at this particular issue.
Many of the soaps include gay kissing scenes.
The idea might be to encourage mainstream
viewers to accept the gay kiss.
The producers of the soaps have said
on many occasions that they see their role as
addressing such issues in society. We shouldn't
have a real problem with this although it would
seem the producers and actors never have
to go through the rigorous police checks that
teachers have to adhere to and we all should
understand how the mass media affects
people's minds. Otherwise, why do marketing
professionals spend so much money producing
their advertising campaigns?
In essence there should be nothing
wrong with this as many would prefer acts
of love and affection rather than aggression.
However, I suspect there might be a hidden
agenda in which acceptability is the key issue.
In the original EastEnders kiss I think it was a
doctor that was involved. This made it a double
whammy. It could also have undermined the
status of doctors as many in the profession do
seem to let the side down in the media.
In the 1970s and 1980s it became
fashionable to promote racial equality and
rightly so. The media played a huge role in
this as well. First, we had a programme that
included a very racist Alf Garnet. Then, we
had a programme with a black lodger in Rising
Damp where Rigsby's racial comments could
be ridiculed. Next, there was a programme
called Mixed Blessings where we had a mixed
marriage if my memory serves me well. And
then, there was a black family called The
Fosters, and ultimately there was Asian TV.
So, it is easy to see a progression where social
policy might be clearly linked to our Television
viewing. The evidence is there for us all to
judge.
Television is a powerful tool and we all
know it can be used for good or for bad. It is
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