Sanitizing Hollywood, one DVD at a time

[Bodacious]

I couldnt care less what a bunch of whiney right wing crazies say ..until it's recognised by the American Medical association ...I say "POPPYCOCKS"

The AHA doesn't count?

The American Health Association of Boca Raton, FL has officially released a list of the symptoms of the disorder, and the AHA has opened its doors for free counseling and treatments.

Wait, you hate America, what do you care what they have to say? I will shut up.

 

[Foxtrot]

because they are editing content based on personal preference. Because they are not the people who had the original vision. because they were not involved in the creative process, because they are NOT filmakers ..BECAUSE THEY DONT OWN THE IP (intellectual property)

..it's like giving a 2 year old a paintbrush and asking him to "fix" the Mona Lisa

While I don't really agree with either side, I don't understand how the producers/directors/writers of those movies could be complaining. If I was getting even more money out of something and all they did was tone down the nudity and violence I would be more than happy. And if you think I have not been in that situation before, I wrote a little thing for the school newspaper and they had to censor out a few of my more political beliefs, I didn't mind at all because I was still getting it published.

 

[CptStern]

The AHA doesn't count?

florida huh? no sorry ...home of Jeb bush, dismissed ...if the american psychiatric association officially labels it a mental disease I'll recant, till then I'll file this under "rabid rightwing bullshittery"

Wait, you hate America, what do you care what they have to say? I will shut up.

just because you think I hate america doesnt make it so

 

[Pogrom]

The scene does not have to be taken out entirely it can just be modified.

If you sanitise the film by taking out the death of soldiers, then Gump's sacrifice in the war for his friends becomes meaningless.

Sanitising doesn't just mean removing gore. It means removing the violence. In this case showing death means showing violence. Imagine Forrest sitting back at the camp, having a BBQ. Word comes in that his best friend was just killed. Forrest gets sad.

Doesn't have the same sort of impact, eh?

but who gives them the right to selectively edit someone elses work? It's not their work, they have no right to tamper with it.

it's no different than the prudes who put a fig leaf on Michelangelo's statue of David

Agreed.

 

[Foxtrot]

If you sanitise the film by taking out the death of soldiers, then Gump's sacrifice in the war for his friends becomes meaningless.

I never said to take out his death, you do know people die without body parts flying all over right?

 

[CptStern]

you dont seem to get the fact that if you alter even a second of any film you alter the director's (and all those involved in the making of the film) intended vision. If he had wanted to cut that scene for whatever reason it's his right ..not some self-rightous group of individuals bent on hacking someone elses work in order to suit their twisted sense of morality

 

[Foxtrot]

you dont seem to get the fact that if you alter even a second of any film you alter the director's (and all those involved in the making of the film) intended vision. If he had wanted to cut that scene for whatever reason it's his right ..not some self-rightous group of individuals bent on hacking someone elses work in order to suit their twisted sense of morality

I am not arguing that, I am just saying that movies can convey the same message and be much cleaner. "twisted sense of morality"? you are very accepting of other cultures. But I can agree with you on that, I don't like ******s and their twisted sense of morality, lets go burn a few.

 

[Pogrom]

I never said to take out his death, you do know people die without body parts flying all over right?

But still having someone die onscreen can potentially damage young, innocent minds. Regardless of the level (or lack thereof) of gore.

My point is this: If you sanitise it to meet your own standards (rather than those of society) then you need to sanitise it completely.

No reference to anything that could be construed as violent (including death in any shape or form), sexual (even Forrest having a child out of wedlock is crossing the line) or vulgar.


Why should these people arbitrarily decide what is appropriate to be in a movie when there is already a service in place that does that? Run by professionals, I even made reference to it earlier in the thread.

 

[Foxtrot]

But still having someone die onscreen can potentially damage young, innocent minds. Regardless of the level (or lack thereof) of gore.

My point is this: If you sanitise it to meet your own standards (rather than those of society) then you need to sanitise it completely.

No reference to anything that could be construed as violent (including death in any shape or form), sexual (even Forrest having a child out of wedlock is crossing the line) or vulgar.


Why should these people arbitrarily decide what is appropriate to be in a movie when there is already a service in place that does that? Run by professionals, I even made reference to it earlier in the thread.

They decide what is best for their children according to their religion and beliefs, I don't see how some guy who knows very little about their religion could appropriatley make movies or a rating system for them.

 

[el Chi]

I don't see how some guy who knows very little about their religion could appropriatley make movies or a rating system for them.

Nor should they. This group of overly-sensitive people is a very small minority and I'd be offended and disgusted to the core of my being if film certifying bodies took their views as the yardstick against which films should be classified and even edited.

Let them regulate movies for themselves. Let them tear apart works of art and provide themselves with lacklustre versions of the best films out there. Let them deprive themselves from what ought to be. As long as it doesn't affect me or the majority of the populous, they can do what they want. It makes me angry, but to be quite frank: f*ck 'em.
At the end of the day, it's their loss.

 

[CptStern]

I agree but we must be vigilant because this is one incident out of hundreds that the religious right has spearheaded in an attempt to eradicate any form of media that doesnt conform to their moral views. Censoring childrens programs, a nipple, radio shock jocks, live tv, movies, games etc are all part of a larger goal of santising american culture. I find it painfully funny that the people most concerned about the errosion of freedom of the media are predominatly non americans ..it's your country, it's your democracy; it should be YOU who is outraged that a small minority is attempting to change things for the larger majority. What happened to the civil liberities movement that the US is so famous for ...it's been effectively castrated since 9/11

 

[el Chi]

I agree but we must be vigilant because this is one incident out of hundreds that the religious right has spearheaded in an attempt to eradicate any form of media that doesnt conform to their moral views. Censoring childrens programs, a nipple, radio shock jocks, live tv, movies, games etc are all part of a larger goal of santising american culture

The furore over Janet Jackson's boob falling out was so laughable - didn't she have to make a public apology on TV? Whoopsy, it happened - it's not as if it was pornographic. I just find it strange, partly because in the UK, it would've revived her career in a huge way, whereas in the US, she gets branded as a filthy harlet. Well, there you go.
Either we Brits aren't as stuffy as we're meant to be, or we're smut-peddlers. I think it's somewhere between the two

Anyway, you're absolutely right about vigilance, but there's not a hell of a lot we can do, especially as we're non-US citizens. Even if we were, right-wing pressure groups representing the last bastions of taste and decency seem to hold far more sway than the left.

 

[CptStern]

The furore over Janet Jackson's boob falling out was so laughable - didn't she have to make a public apology on TV? Whoopsy, it happened - it's not as if it was pornographic. I just find it strange, partly because in the UK, it would've revived her career in a huge way, whereas in the US, she gets branded as a filthy harlet. Well, there you go.
Either we Brits aren't as stuffy as we're meant to be, or we're smut-peddlers. I think it's somewhere between the two

ya boobygate was a joke, we collectively laughed at that bit of craziness it was quite entertaining in a sick sort of way ..her careeer hasnt been the same since ...she publically apologised but so did that shell of a human: Justin timberlake who's popularity was left untarnished ..double standard hypocrisy, stifling moral backlash, whatever we label it, it is as vile as any radical islamist fundamentalism ..which I find so insanely comical seeing as that brand of fanaticsim is what the war on terror is all about

Anyway, you're absolutely right about vigilance, but there's not a hell of a lot we can do, especially as we're non-US citizens. Even if we were, right-wing pressure groups representing the last bastions of taste and decency seem to hold far more sway than the left.

that's what gets me ..where the hell are the civil liberties watchdog groups that were so prevalent in the 60's and 70's? Few young people have retained the spirit of activism and social awareness that their previous generations had. In part I blame big business that controls mainstream media. They make it literally impossible for young people to have any sort of socially positive icons to look up to. Where are the john lennons (ok he was a brit but he was vocal in the US) the bob dylans the abbie hoffmans of this generation? The youth of the 60's questioned their role in the world ..the youth of today is self-absorbed in amassing material possessions in lieu of developing their level of awareness

of course it's not true for everyone ..I'm often surprised at how well informed some young people are

 

[el Chi]

that's what gets me ..where the hell are the civil liberties watchdog groups that were so prevalent in the 60's and 70's? Few young people have retained the spirit of activism and social awareness that their previous generations had.

Perhaps in part it's merely a reaction against all that happened in the '60s-'70s.
One can see similar things in history, such as the Victorian stuffiness that followed a (relatively, at least) more liberal time in terms of sex, politics and philosophy.
Unfortunately, we inflicted that rigidity - particularly in regards to attitudes towards sex - on other countries that survive, in part, till today. Take India for example; a culture that invented the Karma Sutra is now extremely sexually repressed.

The point is: America is a young nation and there are a lot of stages it's going through that we can see time and again throughout history in nation's development: revolution against oppressive powers (particularly foreign powers); smaller somewhat similar nationettes (if I may coin a phrase) coming together to form a new unified nation; civil war; expansionism; the rise and fall of rigid social hierarchies; and the ebb and flow/reaction and counter-reaction of social attitudes.

There are, of course, more elements, but these are all things we can see in the US and, as I said, this repression and sense of "decency" and morality coming primarily from right-wing religious demographics can only last so long. I wouldn't be surprised to see a surge in liberal and equal thinking in the next generation.
I hope so, anyway.

 

[CptStern]

Perhaps in part it's merely a reaction against all that happened in the '60s-'70s.
One can see similar things in history, such as the Victorian stuffiness that followed a (relatively, at least) more liberal time in terms of sex, politics and philosophy.
Unfortunately, we inflicted that rigidity - particularly in regards to attitudes towards sex - on other countries that survive, in part, till today. Take India for example; a culture that invented the Karma Sutra is now extremely sexually repressed.

The point is: America is a young nation and there are a lot of stages it's going through that we can see time and again throughout history in nation's development: revolution against oppressive powers (particularly foreign powers); smaller somewhat similar nationettes (if I may coin a phrase) coming together to form a new unified nation; civil war; expansionism; the rise and fall of rigid social hierarchies; and the ebb and flow/reaction and counter-reaction of social attitudes.

There are, of course, more elements, but these are all things we can see in the US and, as I said, this repression and sense of "decency" and morality coming primarily from right-wing religious demographics can only last so long. I wouldn't be surprised to see a surge in liberal and equal thinking in the next generation.
I hope so, anyway.

some excellent points, I'm glad to see you're not as cynical as I am, as you seem to see the light at the end of the tunnel ...I'm still looking for a flashlight :E

...I think the most alarming aspect that it has come in a relatively short timespan ..9/11 seems to be the catalyst

hopefully a liberal backlash will surface sooner than later ..as I feel it may be too little too late at this stage

 

[el Chi]

some excellent points, I'm glad to see you're not as cynical as I am, as you seem to see the light at the end of the tunnel ...I'm still looking for a flashlight :E
...I think the most alarming aspect that it has come in a relatively short timespan ..9/11 seems to be the catalyst
hopefully a liberal backlash will surface sooner than later ..as I feel it may be too little too late at this stage

I'd like to think that it's never too late. Of course 9/11 was a catalyst for a more stringent reaction against "un-American" thinking; this idea that patriotism is similar to subserviance. However that, and the rising outcry against limits put on freedom is exactly what will catalyse the rise of an opposition to that. It's an opposition that will probably take some time to gain full momentum and one that will run into serious problems and opposition, but it's one that will eventually do well.

Human history inevitably repeats itself, in some form or another, and I don't see this as being that different. However usually it can take a few generations for things to change, which is why the hippy/peace movement was so radical - the sheer swiftness of it all.
The reaction to that was the "greed is good" sentiment of the '80s, and it's the repercussions of that that we're still feeling today, however the generations that grew up in the '90s and '00s have the potential to be different and to sway the future away from the bleak prospect of greed, of intolerance, of violence, of lethargy and apathy, of an increasing wealth divide.
It sounds idealistic, but I'm not saying that by 2030 we'll all be living in a utopia. I just think - with a cautious optimism - that the next few generations will at least begin to make a difference for the better.

It's the best we can hope for.

 

[CptStern]

for my son and unborn child's sake I hope you are correct. What I see of today's youth is discouraging ..actually it's not just the youth as it seems many adults are content in shutting themselves off from social awareness as well

 

[Direwolf]

I'd have to say that the liberal backlash is already alive and well, and has been for the past few years. I'm on a college campus and you can't turn a corner with tripping over a wide-eyed radical. It's one of the things that pushed me towards moderation.

 

[ComradeBadger]

Feh. It's nowt like that in the UK - people like the BNP, Veritas and UKIP are a joke - hell people even think the slightly-right of centre Tories are a joke

Go youth of Grammar Schools!

 

[el Chi]

Feh. It's nowt like that in the UK - people like the BNP, Veritas and UKIP are a joke - hell people even think the slightly-right of centre Tories are a joke
Go youth of Grammar Schools!

Good point. But to be quite frank, the people who vote for the BNP and Veritas and UKIP are all retards. And they're generally not the youth; some young people will vote Tory, of course, but that's not quite as bad.
Point is, if most people realise that they're a joke then it's not so bad. A lot of people are completely suckered in by the media witch-hunt on immingrants and gypsies. On the other hand, there are also a great deal of people who counter that and realise that it is, in part merely a scare-mongering tool to shift papers and get votes.

You saw how many people marched against the war in Iraq from all over the country and from many different backgrounds. It shows that people DO care about matters like that and that they ARE willing to get off their arses. It'll be very interesting to see the results of this year's election - the percentage of people who voted, the different demographics, etc.

I honestly think that things can get better, there are just a lot of ignorant wankers in the way.

 

[Kangy]

Edit: This isn't the UK election thread! Harr! 'Tis far too late for me.

Erm, anyway. I think that it's going to go through stages of power, really, although I really hate the way things seem to have to land in extremes right now. "Liberalism Is A Mental Disorder" as a concept makes me sick. What the heck? So any liberal thoughts=bad? Fantastic way to drag us into an Orwellian society there.