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Nofx & Censorship
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by
Pulse Team
June 30 - July 6 |
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Let it never again be said that the government
isn’t at least listening to something. In a recent
decision handed down by the Canadian
Broadcast Standards Counsil (CBSC), “Kill All
The White Man” by Southern California punk
rock institutions NOFX has been officially
placed on the list of songs deemed unfit for
broadcast. Responding to a complaint lodged
first to the Canadian Radio–television and
Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)
against CJKR–FM (Power 97 in Winnipeg),
who broadcast the song on its Punk–O–Rama
program at approximately11:15 pm on
November 19, 2004, the CBSC has decided
that “Kill All The White Man” was in violation of
the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’
(CAB) Code of Ethics in regards to the
glamorization of violence in the lyrics of the
song. “I’m just surprised that a totally silly joke
song got banned,” says NOFX frontman “Fat”
Mike Burkett. Burkett is also the owner of the
band’s Fat Wreck Chords label who also
distributes records by bands including
Anti–Flag and Propaghandi. “I’ve never written
songs for the radio. Our career has nothing to
do with the radio; we’re not a radio friendly
band. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s nice that
some commercial stations play us but we’re
not radio friendly. NOFX isn’t very political but
“Kill All The White Man” was banned because
of violence toward white people—but the song
was made by white people. I think it’s safe to
say that anyone listening to it knows that the
content’s satirical and that it’s a novelty song.”
The song contains, as the title suggests, the
refrain “Kill all the white man” as well as
suggestive lyrics including “The white man
come to pillage my village” and “He rape my
people and he rape my country”. The complaint
was originally filed by a listener of Power 97
who felt that the lyrics of the song were racist
and discriminatory. The CBSC concluded that
the song didn’t violate the Human Rights
clause of the Code Of Ethics because it was
basically the song creators’ legitimate political
criticism of what they saw as the imperialistic
policies of the white establishment. It was only
after further inspection that, while the song
didn’t violate the Human Rights aspect of the
Code of Ethics, it did fall prey to Clause 9;
dictating that broadcasters have to ensure that
programming on their stations does not
contain gratuitous violence in any form or
otherwise sanction, promote or glamorize
violence.
“It’s not a new thing for us to get complaints
about individual songs but, as far as I know, it’s
the first for NOFX,” says Ron Cohen, National
Chair of the CBSC. “I think our answer was
right. Satirical or not, the song isn’t appropriate.
Satire does not entitle those persons that are
being satirical to say anything they want in the
name of satire. The CBSC is a
complaint–based organization and it’s
unreasonable to think that, while only one
person voiced their opinion on this particular
matter, it isn’t an opinion shared by others.”
As a penalty, CJKR–FM is required to
announce the CBSC’s decision, once during
peak listening hours within three days of the
ruling and once more within seven days. As
well, within the 14 days following the broadcast
of the announcements, the station has to
provide written confirmation of the airing of their
statement, provide the CBSC with that written
confirmation and air check copies of the
broadcasts of the two announcements and
finally, pull the song. Apparently, no one is
more dismayed at the decision than Power
97’s program director, Lochlin Cross.
“Punk–O–Rama draws from the mainstream
and underground scene, and wouldn’t garner
acceptance from fans of that style of music in
Winnipeg if it didn’t,” said Cross in a recent
press release. “That song [“Kill All The White
Man”] was played on the show because it is
one of NOFX’s more popular songs. The show
in question was dedicated to the release of
NOFX’s greatest hits release, and it can be
found on that album. It was the understanding
of the host of the show that the song was
satirical in nature. While we at Power 97 don’t
agree with the CBSC’s decision, we are willing
to do what’s necessary to rectify the problem.”
When Pulse spoke to him, Fat Mike was
unfazed by the decision regarding his own
band but worried about the possible precedent
it could set in the future if left unchecked. “If it
was a different song it may have hit me a little
harder,” says Burkett candidly. “Like, if radio
was playing “Idiot Son of An Asshole” and it got
banned, I’d be pissed off because we’re
actually saying something. Commercial radio
plays garbage so what’re we really missing out
on? If they didn’t have these laws the content
wouldn’t improve. Radio stays away from
contraversy so you’re not going to hear
anything relevant. Even saying that though,
Canada has always been more progressive
than the States and this seems like a
backward step. I mean, NOFX is pretty
inconsequential; if System Of A Down started
getting banned because of their political views,
that would be potentially damaging I think
because they reach a lot more people. I’m not
going to lie and say that having one of our
songs banned isn’t a little disheartening, but
it’s not a decisive blow to the band by any
stretch. We’re still going to put out a new album
next summer – maybe it’ll get banned too!
[laughing] Radio is so screwed up; they ban all
the wrong things. There are so many more
pressing in the world than banning a novelty
song. And it was one complaint! I’m not
bummed at all.” [
BILL ADAMS]
The white man call himself civilized
Cause he know how to take over
The white man come to pillage my village
Now he tell me I have to bend over
Oh yeah, kill all the white man
No I don’t like the white man up in me
He rape my people as he rape my country
Everything I love and cherish, he try to take
away
We will be rid of him, soon come the day
Oh yeah, kill all the white man
Oh yeah, kill all the white man
Oh yeah, kill all the white man
Oh yeah, kill all the white man
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