1 year, 11 months ago
Is our current censorship of media a joke?
Before you start a tirade... I want you to look at it from a historians point of view.
The video below is a compilation made for the 2007, 72 Hour Film Festival.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNtNxhQmkt4
~Quote~
"All of the clips used in this film came from a reel of 35mm nitrate found in an old theater somewhere in Pennsylvania.
The projectionist clipped these scenes to meet local moral standards of the time.
Will our current forms of censorship look just as ridiculous to future generations?"
~/Quote~
How do you think historians will see our current censorship 100 years from now?
The video below is a compilation made for the 2007, 72 Hour Film Festival.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNtNxhQmkt4
~Quote~
"All of the clips used in this film came from a reel of 35mm nitrate found in an old theater somewhere in Pennsylvania.
The projectionist clipped these scenes to meet local moral standards of the time.
Will our current forms of censorship look just as ridiculous to future generations?"
~/Quote~
How do you think historians will see our current censorship 100 years from now?
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M$4 Answers
wow, what an eerie video. I think the music makes it seem creepy though. When i turned off the sound it was more confusing than eerie. Most of them are mildly sexual and i can see why some might want them censored. The clip I am most confused about is the girls with their arms around each other sitting down then standing up. I can't imagine how this would offended anyone ever, maybe the girls were supposed to be drunk and that might have been un lady like for the time being.
I think censorship is the number one obstacle in any form of art. It is not a bad thing though, It should be embraced. View it as a challenge, either that or aim your uncensored work to a crowd that will appreciate it. You cant ever appeal to everyone so why compromise your work in hopes of doing so? If the media tells you your work is too raunchy, then their target audience should not be yours.
In the future people will be confused by our censorship. Mainly because it will be hard to tell the difference between the videos that were and were not used for mainstream media. I'm sure some pseudo snuff films and hardcore pornography will surface with things like banned music videos, leading to further confusion. The banned video for "closer" by Nine Inch Nails is charming compared to what the internet has to offer. Things that are banned from the mass media are not even close to offensive compared to what google will find for me and I feel like In the future it will be hard to tell what came from rotten.com and what came from NBC.
Again, I don't think its a bad thing. People will be intrigued by the mystery of our censorship and it will be a driving force for them to figure out what life was like all the way back in 2010. If it was simple and all mapped out for them, there would be no interest in finding out more about this culture. There would be no interest in finding out about people like me and you if there was no mystery around us.
Really it doesn't matter if it is on television or not. Censorship is a way to create an image for a company, by saying they don't approve of this or that, they build an honorable reputation. Viewers will choose what company they approve of based on their reputation. I doubt they think they are saving the innocent minds of our children by choosing not to air things that are widely available. In other countries they show female breasts on television, is their country in shambles? no, not that i know of. They are just looked down upon by parents in our country.
So to answer your headline question, yes it is a joke. Jokes are often good to have around though, they make life more interesting. Censorship does not affect me, and it gives a fake security blanket to people who think it is protecting their young. More power to ya if you think its helping, but if me or your six your old child wants to see a picture of a vagina, we can find it. Censorship is really only aimed towards children, and people who want censorship to be enforced are most likely parents. I don't live in a parent or kids world, so what difference does it make? Just to prove my point I am going to swear out loud and see what happens......just as i suspected, nothing at all. No kids told me i was naughty and no moms gave me evil stares. This is my world! All the nudity and swearing I want is allowed.
I think censorship is the number one obstacle in any form of art. It is not a bad thing though, It should be embraced. View it as a challenge, either that or aim your uncensored work to a crowd that will appreciate it. You cant ever appeal to everyone so why compromise your work in hopes of doing so? If the media tells you your work is too raunchy, then their target audience should not be yours.
In the future people will be confused by our censorship. Mainly because it will be hard to tell the difference between the videos that were and were not used for mainstream media. I'm sure some pseudo snuff films and hardcore pornography will surface with things like banned music videos, leading to further confusion. The banned video for "closer" by Nine Inch Nails is charming compared to what the internet has to offer. Things that are banned from the mass media are not even close to offensive compared to what google will find for me and I feel like In the future it will be hard to tell what came from rotten.com and what came from NBC.
Again, I don't think its a bad thing. People will be intrigued by the mystery of our censorship and it will be a driving force for them to figure out what life was like all the way back in 2010. If it was simple and all mapped out for them, there would be no interest in finding out more about this culture. There would be no interest in finding out about people like me and you if there was no mystery around us.
Really it doesn't matter if it is on television or not. Censorship is a way to create an image for a company, by saying they don't approve of this or that, they build an honorable reputation. Viewers will choose what company they approve of based on their reputation. I doubt they think they are saving the innocent minds of our children by choosing not to air things that are widely available. In other countries they show female breasts on television, is their country in shambles? no, not that i know of. They are just looked down upon by parents in our country.
So to answer your headline question, yes it is a joke. Jokes are often good to have around though, they make life more interesting. Censorship does not affect me, and it gives a fake security blanket to people who think it is protecting their young. More power to ya if you think its helping, but if me or your six your old child wants to see a picture of a vagina, we can find it. Censorship is really only aimed towards children, and people who want censorship to be enforced are most likely parents. I don't live in a parent or kids world, so what difference does it make? Just to prove my point I am going to swear out loud and see what happens......just as i suspected, nothing at all. No kids told me i was naughty and no moms gave me evil stares. This is my world! All the nudity and swearing I want is allowed.
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M$
I don't think our censorship is going to be looked at as it being as crazy as the censored imagery in that clip. I saw the documentary "This Film is Not Yet Rated" and it highlights just how ridiculous the treatment of sexual vs. violent content is.
So an action hero can murder hundreds of people, but pubic hair is getting close to NC-17 territory?
I think what will be examined about our times decades later is that people gave entertainment too much credit in the molding of young minds, and too little credit to the child's environment and upbringing.
So an action hero can murder hundreds of people, but pubic hair is getting close to NC-17 territory?
I think what will be examined about our times decades later is that people gave entertainment too much credit in the molding of young minds, and too little credit to the child's environment and upbringing.
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M$
In American TV people can shoot at each other and no one bats an eye, however one bare breast would whirl up a frenzy . . . this is madness.
I think our censorship looks ridiculous now.
The Janet Jackson nipple gate made the US a laughing stock among many nations, but it is also interesting to consider that in some nations a woman can't kiss on TV, and even showing her face would be a scandal.
It is all based on culture and I hope we get to the point where very little is taboo.
I think our censorship looks ridiculous now.
The Janet Jackson nipple gate made the US a laughing stock among many nations, but it is also interesting to consider that in some nations a woman can't kiss on TV, and even showing her face would be a scandal.
It is all based on culture and I hope we get to the point where very little is taboo.
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M$
A message to those that would or do censor anything.
I 100% think the entire media should be 100% uncensored and any censorship at all is 100% ridiculous. All censorship should be up to the individual and the complete responsibility of the individual, if you do not like something because of its content than do not use that media, do not read an article that offends you, do not look at a picture that offends you, do not participate in themes that you do not like and for sure do not infringe upon my ability to enjoy what I like with your filthy morals.
Your morality does not protect me, it offends me.
** No media personalities were injured in the creation of this answer and this message is not directed to any individual but to the larger group of people who would choose to impose their views on what I should and should not be able to view, read, or absorb in any way through the media.
I 100% think the entire media should be 100% uncensored and any censorship at all is 100% ridiculous. All censorship should be up to the individual and the complete responsibility of the individual, if you do not like something because of its content than do not use that media, do not read an article that offends you, do not look at a picture that offends you, do not participate in themes that you do not like and for sure do not infringe upon my ability to enjoy what I like with your filthy morals.
Your morality does not protect me, it offends me.
** No media personalities were injured in the creation of this answer and this message is not directed to any individual but to the larger group of people who would choose to impose their views on what I should and should not be able to view, read, or absorb in any way through the media.
source(s):
personal opinion
personal opinion
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M$
"The clip I am most confused about is the girls with their arms around each other sitting down then standing up. I can't imagine how this would offended anyone ever, maybe the girls were supposed to be drunk and that might have been un lady like for the time being?"
If you look at it again, especially the woman in the middle... you can see half way up the back side of her thigh! That was scandalous when just 10 years prior is was obscene to see a woman's ankle! I'm sure that middle chick was the silent era Brittany Spears.
Your are correct about creating a persona or image through censorship, I rarely look at it from a marketing point of view.
Ahh i see what you mean! very risky.
I'm glad you see my point about a company image, i thought it might be a little to vague. Whenever i hear about a large company trying to do something for the good of the public, i immediately think of how this would benefit them. Its only natural for me to think of censorship as a way to build up your own reputation under the guise of helping others. I just don't see what they are censoring besides their own company, which is just a drop in the ocean. I found a ripped up playboy in the woods by my house when i was 9 years old. Tipper Gore was not there to take it out of my hands.