Let's get offensive...it's ridiculous

by The Rebel 13 Replies latest jw friends

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  The Rebel

  Wow shall I start with classic books and films? No let's start with T.V and what was never high culture- " Confederate flag gets Dukes of Hazard yanked" . Ok this was just entertainment to me, that I never recall being racist. Personally it offends me that they remove if from T.V.

  Before we move on to " high culture" let's stick with T.V and " The Tom and Jerry Show" This cartoon series has been banned because its racist and too violent-what next Bugs Bunny?

  Here is a great website " Banned Books Awareness and Reading for Knowledge Website" please check it out,this list of books is incredible " Tom Saywer" " Huck Finn" and I must mention " Gone with the wind" as we also have talk of banning the movie.

  Personally I don't think any book should be Banned,Its ridiculous, so thankfully we have the ALA office for intellectual freedom which records hundreds of attempts by individuals and groups to have books removed from our libraries and class rooms.

  Was what i have written offensive to you, or do I have a point this banning of our past, our entertainment and our classic literature is ridiculous?

  Thanks for reading.

  The Rebel.
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  SecretSlaveClass

  Banning any literature sets us on a parallel course with the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. In a democratic society what happened to individual choice and debate? Once again we have others deciding what's best for us as a society. Perhaps I'll wimd up living in the Amazon somewhere to escape these lunatics.
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  The Rebel

  Secretslaveclass " perhaps I'll wind up living in the Amazon". May I suggest Fitzcaraldo to you in which Klause Kinski, brings Opera to the Amazon. A brilliant Wernor Herzog movie.

  Back on topic, times and the English usage change and I totally agree the " n " word is offensive now, but at the time Tom and Huck were written it was not used as a racial slur. However why I write, is I have just finished flicking on my remote trying to find an action and adventure show to watch, it's so depressing " F" this and " F" that. Every character a low life and aggressive. I could go on about what the real " talents" needed of an actress in these shows are,but let's end with the observation that most of these modern action and adventure shows would never have been able to get on air in my day, and I can't help but wishing that were the case today.

  The Rebel.
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  SecretSlaveClass

  Rebel: Agreed on all points. I rarely watch movies anymore, let alone action thrillers, they all come across as clones of previous scripts dependant on CG special effects to make up for the lackluster scripts. I prefer good human drams and great dialogue but I'll choose a good documentary over any work of fiction any day.
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  Vidiot

  Pssh...

  I want spaceships and explosions!
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  JeffT

  A couple of years ago here in Seattle a Native American woman saw the word "savages" in her daughter's copy of "Brave New World" and tried to get it removed from the school reading list. Best comment following the article about it "maybe if she read the whole book she'd find out the 'savages' are the good guys."

  I agree with comments above, censorship is a bad course of action.
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  The Rebel

  Go set a Watchman, is Harper Lees new book, Atticus Finch is a racist and people are outraged. They don't seem to understand fictional characters are allowed to be what ever the author wishes.

  Mind you the book is an early draft of " To Kill Mockingbird" and I think it would have been best left on the files.

  The Rebel
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  Slidin Fast

  In terms of racism and misogyny the bible could be on the banned list. Literature should be read with an eye on the attitudes and times extant when the work written. It is easy to condemn through 21st C glasses but times change.

  There is a rich heritage of literature, it helps us to understand the attitudes of the time and the lives people had to endure. You don't have to accept those standards but what a loss it is to ban them.

  I remember my ignorance in meeting a young black woman in the d to d work when I was young. She told me how much racism she had endured. I had no idea. My later reading gave me an understanding of this side of human life and made me aware of that side of life. Yes I admit I had a very sheltered childhood, you don't choose your parents.

  So go ahead read widely but learn to use critical thinking as you go.
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  The Rebel

  Slidin Fast, you make a great point about critical thinking, and of course it's much easier to do that IF we are fortunate enough have the Internet. Which is great, because whilst I don't agree religiouse magazines like " The Watchtoer" and " Awake" should be banned, I am very grateful they can be exposed more easily for what they really are.

  The Rebel.
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  The Rebel

  Having spoken so much about censorship, I remember as a child how angry my father was when the seat belt law came in to effect. He was Fing and blinding, " bloody government, their is no freedom in this country anymore" Now remembering back to those times I sat on my mothers lap on the passenger seat in that tiny mini, it sends shivers down my spine. " sorry dad, you were wrong on that one"

  The Rebel.