ABSTRACT
The controversy over the protection of children from indecency on the airwaves is not new. The regulatory record in the indecency cases is exceptional in the FCC’s attempt to tell broadcasters how to do their work. Literature on gender and humor provides one base of social research for studying actionable and nonactionable content. Women in mass media have been shown to be portrayed as “incompetent” when the role is outside the traditional home setting, often with emphasis on emotions, attractiveness, submission and failed relationships with men. The symbolic reality of broadcasting may be more stereotypical than social reality, particularly for heavy media uses.
