"I knew you'd take all my honey, you selfish mother****."

"What I really wanted to do with this video is take a decidedly pop song, which on the surface has a quite shallow meaning, and turn it into something deeper. The idea that America is full of young people that are inundated with information and technology and turn it into something that was more of a commentary on the kind of country that we are."

- Lady Gaga on her video Telephone, E! News Daily. Italics are mine.

I've read most of the analysis for Lady Gaga's Telephone video, including one from ABC News, the Atlantic, and one from the blogger that was promoted by Gaga herself in her Facebook and Twitter accounts, who has analyzed the video in two parts (part 1, part 2). But I haven't read anyone's comment about one thing that was really obvious in the video: why was Gaga's "motherfucker" not censored and Beyoncé's was.

I have been preoccupied with it for days on end last week. And then, after having breakfast, it hit me: it's a criticism on American prudishness on TV. I tweeted about it (here, here and here), which is promptly ignored by people, so I am writing it down to elaborate it further.

My "aha!" moment was probably inspired by an interview of Alexander Skarsgård--the guy who played Gaga's boyfriend in the Paparazzi video--in Attitude magazine, February 2010 issue. On America and their strange attitude towards TV, he said, "You can show someone bashing someone else's head in or kicking someone in the face, but to show a nipple... I don't get it. How's that worse?"

Not that it was a new thought but since I have abstained from TV eversince I moved here in Denmark, it reminded me how arbitrary and spotty American censorship can be. I should know: most of the good stuff showing on Philippine TV comes from the US, at least in cable TV.

Anyway, back to video. In literary criticism, we are taught that quotes from the piece of literature we are analyzing supports and advances our argument. But since I am discussing a video, I'll just show screen captures to support and advance my point about Gaga's commentary on American censorship in her video, Telephone.

To start with, let us remember that Gaga and Beyoncé were on the road, driving the Pussy Wagon, when Gaga said, "..but you can still see the crack in that motherfucker's reflection." No censorship there. "Fucker" part was even emphasized by Gaga.

Beyoncé sings her part, then they enter a diner, which is an American invention.

It might be a stretch to say that the diner represents America, and when they entered the diner, in effect, they entered America. But even the place mats support that notion.

And then there was Gaga shown dancing in the kitchen and adding poison to every meal. Gaga serves the food, Tyrese takes the bottle of honey from Beyoncé and pours it into his plate, eats greedily then dies--cheek on his plate. Then Beyoncé says, "I knew you'd take all my honey...

... you selfish mother(bleep!)"

American flag nails over Beyoncé's mouth? America censoring her. Take note that only the "fucker" part in "motherfucker" was bleeped out, when the entire word is a cussword.

Some people say that the reason why Beyoncé's was bleeped out and Gaga's wasn't is because Beyoncé is a goody-two-shoes pop star and Gaga is not. I beg to disagree. There's nowhere in the video where that is evident.

I rest my case.