Wednesday, November 17, 2004

Sorry, I'm not done with the soapbox yet.

I didn't say much about Armistice Day(Rememberance Day, Veteran's Day) last week because I, well, I don't know why I didn't say anything. But I'm not going to let this go. I sat in my living room last Thursday, as I imagine many people did, and I watched Saving Private Ryan. I enjoy that movie, and I think it helps me understand what people went through on D-Day and how horrible war is.

What's got my boxers in a bunch this morning is this article, well not the article itself, but the facts therein. Censorship has always been a hot topic with me- and I'm not likely to back down. We're talking about a guy who turned in a photo essay of a nude pregnant woman in high school- in high school(yes, we were both over the age of 18, by the way) and caught some hell for that. Seems my christian teacher had problems with naked, unwed, pregnant teenagers or something. I was trying to do something artistic, and I think I did a fairly good job.

Allow me to try to come back to the point. The christian right is upset at the stations that aired said movie because of the graphic violence and language. Artistically speaking, I belive that the movie is trying to show us the reality of what war is, and while I'll believe that there are no atheists in foxholes, I have a damn hard time believing that someone who just ran through 50 yards of Nazi bullets is going to say "thanks be to you lord jesus, for sparing my life during this ordeal. My faith in you is everlasting and as true as ever."

I'm guessing they're more likely to say something like "fuck- that was close."

Mind you the christian right also tried censoring Schindler's List yet another movie that tries to teach us that wars aren't all pretty marching and happy-happy joy-joy only the enemy is hurt and they don't make messes when they die. Why? Because there's nudity in it. Sorry if that offends you Reverend Tightass, but sometimes life is downright ugly, and if you're going to try to convey that in a movie, sometimes you have to get real. Sometimes it means showing how shockingly depraved one group of people who are trying to force their ways on other people can be.

Anyways, my train of thought has run completely off the tracks, unfortunately. I would like to acknowledge that I was in a very good mood this morning, despite being terribly sleep deprived, but we had a nice turnout for pub quiz last night, and I want to thank those who came. Thanks.

I'm going to try to stay off the soapbox for a while. It seems to be angering up the blood.


3 Comments:

Blogger Ms. K said...

i totally agree with you.

censorship is bullshit. the stuff that the religious right tries to censor are often just ugly versions of the truth that doesn't fit their "cause."

at least, though, this is an outright attempt to censor stuff. there is so much information that gets censored that people don't realize is censored. then it's really bad because people are making totally uneducated decisions that often have severe impacts (sort of like this last presidential election...) because they haven't been presented all the facts.

so i like to think that it's a much bigger problem than just not showing people a movie here and there. at least people can go rent those movies if they really want to see them. if all the major news networks in america decide to show selective information then it's much hard to figure out the "truth" from the "lies" being told by our government and the religious right which, unfortunately, have become somewhat synonymous.

9:14 AM  
Blogger jen said...

Yet more fuel for your fire:

The Viagra Ads featuring the "V" as devil horns behind the man...well they've been pulled in numerous markets as having a santanic reference....

I find this HILARIOUS as I didn't think the Religious Right HAD sex, and ceratainly not for any reason other than breeding good christians, thus the big V probably isn't marketed toward them anyways!

10:21 AM  
Blogger Dave said...

That commercial is filled with sex- and, oh gee-jimminy-jillikers, who used to be the posterchild for Viagra? Oh yeah, your old pal and presidential hopeful, Bob Dole!

The christian right can kiss my pre-marital sex having, drinking, swearing, staying out too late, atheist ass.

10:34 AM  

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