Free the Bird

I want to start a campaign to eliminate censorship of the middle finger.

It is the only gesture you can't show on television. I googled "fcc middle finger" and found that there was some hubbub during the Golden Globes when director Darren Aaronofsky flipped someone the bird. Apparently, they received 18 complaints.

18? Really? Is that all it takes to make a stink? How many thousands of signatures will it take to get the law changed?

Is this really so offensive? Is the vague resemblance to an erect phallus an affront to dignity? And if so, how does it compare to, say, anything on South Park?

Apparently, "the FCC can restrict [the finger] from airing during child-sensitive hours -- 6 a.m. to 10 p.m." but I've noticed it blurred out on The Daily Show more than once, and that show airs at 11 PM.

So I want to create a campaign to legalize the one illegal gesture on American television. Considering that the finger is merely the suggestion of a dirty act or word rather than a forbidden body part or the word itself, this has been long overdue.