April 23, 2008

• WCFQ: Freedom of Speech

  Writer’s Choice Featured Question #1

  D. Should there ever be limits to the, “Freedom of Speech?” Why?  L_O_R_D_X101

  This is a loaded question, but just the kind I like…

  Should there be limits on freedom of speech? No, of course not. Individuals should have the presence of mind to self-censor depending upon their company or audience, but I take issue with writers and movie makers who censor their work to appease the over-sensitive censors.

  Now let’s face it… our rating system for movies sucks… because it’s not a rating system, it’s a censorship program. Producers end up self-censoring in order to get a PG or PG-13 rating as opposed to an R. Personally, I’m more interested in seeing an R rated movie than one that’s self-censored itself to placate the Oprah-infatuated masses. I know that the producers like to appeal to the widest market available to make more money, but by appealing to the broadest audience possible, it ends up appealing to no one.  Really horror movie makers… stick to your guns or don’t bother making a scary movie at all. A PG or PG-13 horror movie might as well be Disney.

  If I go to a horror movie, it’s because I want to be scared. It’s an adrenaline rush. I’m an adult. I like R rated movies. But they just don’t make too many of them any more and the ones that get an R rating are usually for nudity. I’d rather just be told there’s nudity, and I’ll avoid it myself. I don’t feel that nudity or sex forwards the plot of a horror movie whatsoever. The problem is that people are going to let their little kids watch these movies despite the fact that they know they’re too young, so the movie producers “dumb it down” to make it more palatable for children of irresponsible parents. The whole movie experience is ruined by the rating system anticipating these irresponsible parents and their negligence.

  But that’s not to say that a system of labeling movies wouldn’t be useful if it was actually accurate. The same goes for books… they’ve been discussing a way to rate books for years. (They do rate manga by age.) Now I may be jaded by the fact that when I was a kid, they didn’t have the selection of kid oriented titles they do now and so I grew up reading adult books (I learned to read on Tolkien), but books are pretty much already rated by genre. The same should be true of movies, don’t you think? If a movie’s horror, shouldn’t that automatically mean that’s it’s probably not suitable for kids? They do have children’s and young adult sections now, so it’s pretty easy for kids to find non-adult books to read in various genres (though I make a habit of reading the occasional kid’s book and some of them [last Harry Potter book, Bartimaeus trilogy] should be reassigned to young adult or adult). It’s really not too hard to find books of the appropriate level if you use your common sense parents. I hate parents who come into the store and ask why there’s no age recommendation on the back of the book. Um, it’s because it’s already a kids book. Stop trying to pigeonhole your child’s potential by only giving them books for their age-group. I was reading college level books by fifth grade. Heck, some parents censor books based on their religion. (No doubt some parents would freak out over my Pagan holiday entries at the bottom of every post.) Way to teach your kids to have an open mind mom and dad. Better to expose your kids to diversity at a young age than keep the blinders on until they join the real world.

  Our illustrious leaders keep saying that we’re heading into a recession and that is why people are not stimulating the economy by spending their money in stores. Bullcrap. The reason people aren’t spending their money in stores is because they’re putting it all in their gas tanks. People are being more frugal because they can see how fast the money goes when they fill up. But that hasn’t stopped bookstores and other retailers from kowtowing to the pop culture media(whores) and stocking their shelves only with things that have received the Oprah/NPR thumbs up. In effect, the retailers have begun censoring their own wares by only stocking things which have been advertised in the hope of luring customers in who are already familiar with their stock. It’s disgusting. What if you are not someone who listens to radio or watches tv? What if you’re just a reader who likes to wander in and see what what? You just can’t find good books on the shelves any more unless someone’s paid someone off to get it on a list of bestsellers or Oprah says it’s good. We’re not allowed to make up our own minds.

  Freedom of speech is being killed by censorship “for the public good” and the alleged economic depression. People are still free to say any darn thing they want, but getting it into print or onto the big screen is another thing again. If the censors say change this, this, and that or you’ll get an R rating, and the director of a movie does so in order to avoid the stigma of a “bad” rating, then they are giving up their freedom of speech. If a major bookstore does not carry a book because it hasn’t received national advertisements or endorsements from “popular” shows, then how is that any different from censorship? If the book is on the shelf, someone may see it. If the book never makes it to the shelf and receives no advertisement for whatever reason, then the expression of the writer has been stifled.

  No one has the right to limit a person’s freedom to speak or share with others their artistic vision. That includes critics, censors, and stores which make the media available. Just because these tactics aren’t obviously curtailing people’s right to free speech doesn’t mean that it isn’t happening. It’s just too subtle for most people to notice. It’s not some kind of conspiracy (except where the censors and rating commission is concerned); people are still free to research new titles and order them. Just don’t expect to walk in and find it on a shelf. Supposedly it’s just “good business” to carry things which have already been advertised, except the stores don’t even know that they’re shooting themselves in the foot by stocking only the most homogenized media available.

  Thus… my rant ends and I will self-censor by giving myself a B rating for my one (tiny) naughty word.

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  April 23rd

  The Vinalia Priora was held in honor of Jupiter and Venus. The wine of the previous year was broached, and a libation from it poured on the grass. Later on August 19th, there was the Vinalia rustica. Astarte, Tanith, Aphrodite, and Venus Erycina were also honored. Myrtle and the mint were offered with bands of rushes hid in clustered roses by woman seeking the goddess’ favor.

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  • 7:01 pm
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