We’ve talked a lot about this issue of censorship around here lately. Let me repeat here what I’ve already said before. Individuals making a choice of what they themselves want to see or not see is NOT censorship. Censorship is when a person or group of people try to, in one way or another, decide what OTHER PEOPLE should be allowed or given the opportunity to see or hear. THAT is censorship.
We’ve talked a little about the documentary “Death of a President“, a fake look at what might happen in a world where President Bush gets assassinated. The movie took home the FIPRESCI Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. Many people are looking forward to seeing this film… but guess what… many won’t get the chance. Why won’t they get the chance? Because the major theater chains are refusing to show it.
It would be one thing if they didn’t want to show it because they thought it wouldn’t make them money. But they admit money isn’t the problem. The problem is that THEY’VE decided that they are the judge of what is appropriate for us to see and watch. The following comes from Yahoo News:
But the country’s largest theater chain, Regal Entertainment Group, has passed on playing the film, citing the subject matter as the primary reason. “We would not be inclined to program this film,” Regal Entertainment Group CEO Mike Campbell said. “We feel it is inappropriate to portray the future assassination of a sitting president, regardless of political affiliation.”
Did you get that? It’s not up to you or to me if it’s “appropriate” to watch… they’ve made the choice for us.
So let me get this straight you ignorant bunch of ass clowns… showing Orgies in movies is “appropriate”. Showing scenes portraying incest with minors is “appropriate”. Showing mass murders and genocide is “appropriate”. Showing a movie where a guy uses a blowtorch to take out a young girl’s eye for nothing but torture fun is “appropriate”. Showing fathers sexually abusing their children is “appropriate”. Showing terrorists flying planes into buildings is “appropriate”. But make a movie that theorizes what might happen in the world today if a president was assassinated… HOLD YOUR HORSES PARTNER! That’s “INAPPROPRIATE”. People can’t be allowed to see that!!!
Look, for those of you who may be tempted to say this is a politically motivated post, don’t forget that I’m the WOP who hates all gay people and minorities… remember? If this film were about Clinton, Carter, or J.F. Fucking K I’d still be yelling till I’m blue in the face about this. This is sick, in the purest sense of the word.
There is no way in hell you’ll ever be able to convince me this move isn’t politically motivated with elections in the US just around the corner. No way in hell.
But the irony of this whole sick mess is that people are judging the film before even seeing it… calling it “anti-Bush propaganda”. When in reality:
“Yes, it’s controversial,” Newmarket co-founder Chris Ball said. “It’s quite a compelling political thriller. In many ways it is sympathetic to George Bush. It talks about a rush to judgment.
And even if the film was nothing but political propaganda… that wouldn’t change a bloody thing. This is still a situation where the few, are trying to dictate what the many should be allowed to see. And that… is censorship. Censorship of the WORST kind. Because they’re not censoring just bad words, or a tit shot… no no no… they’re censoring theories, ideas and thoughts. It’s censoring our imaginations of thinking what would happen in the world if this horrible situation were to happen (assassination of Bush, or any president in the current global climate).
The theater chains are TOTALLY WITHIN THEIR RIGHTS to refuse to play this movie. But as I’ve said before… what is LEGAL isn’t always what is RIGHT.
Oh well… once the elections are over I bet they’ll have a sudden change of heart and allow the film to show. How convenient. Feel free to leave your thoughts and comments. Agree or disagree… at least we’re allowed to talk about it… and contrary to what the morons at Regal might think, talking is good.
