My basic rambling type of blogishness where I tell you who I am and what I'm about. Although I promise on here to keep down the political stuff so as not to offend any delicate sensibilities. As if anyone's actually going to READ this...

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That's the article. In case you don't feel like clicking, here's the jist of it: Disney Corp is now banning all smoking in it's "Disney" Brand films and will also be moving to remove smoking from it's Touchstone and Miramax film line. In pre-existing movies that have smoking in them, anti-smoking PSA's will be be placed on the DVD or shown before the movie. Disney is also encouraging theatres to show anti-smoking PSA's before any movie with smoking in it.

Now, there are a couple of things that occur to me about this. The first is that Disney corp is a privately owned company and can do whatever the heck it wants with it's physical and intellectual properties. Secondly, Disney mostly makes movies for the kiddies, and many people believe that harmful messages should be kept away from the wee ones who are so easily influenced. Lastly, everyone admits that smoking is bad.

The other thing that occurs to me, pretty much screams in my face is that this is CENSORSHIP! Disney claims that it was created as much as a creative endevour as it is a business. Uncle Walt set about making cartoons, and then later movies and TV shows to educate as well as entertain. For Disney, who is in the business of essentually making art to come out now and unilaterally ban something from it's projects doesn't sit well with me. Especially when it's also trying to push these "reforms" onto it's other studios; studios that were set up in the first place to create entertainment geared towards an older, perhaps more mature audience. Films from Touchstone and Miramax feature sex and violence in them (as do some Disney movies on some level).

Jack Sparrow getting drunk, or bemoaning the loss of his precious rum must be okay because it's guaranteed to net 300 million dollars, not to mention robery, mayhem, and outright murder. Hypocracy?

Anyone who's ever worked in the 'Creativity for Cash' business will attest that sometimes you have to swallow your principles to collect that check, and it's well understood that he with the gold calls the tune, but what effect will this have in the long run? How far are we away from squeeky clean art and TV where nothing controversial is ever done, said, or attempted? Nobody can squeek louder than the Mouse.

When will we have reached a point in society where PC has reached a level that every thought, word, and action will have to be considered and approved? Maybe you don't like Robert Maplethorpe, or that guy who smeared elephant dung on the Madonna, but there isn't an artist alive who doesn't recoil from these pseudo-Stallinist tactics at some level.

Where will the line be drawn? What is the next thing the Powers that Be will decide that you are too delicate to view? The problem with slippery slopes is that the rate of acceleration tends to be exponential. Precedents can hurt as well as help. Mark my words friendlets, if this kind of thing is allowed to run unchecked, say goodbye to movies like Sin City and Trainspotting until there is nothing left but Fred and Ginger style syrupy, happily everafter romcoms. Don't get me wrong, I like Fred and Ginger; but when the fluff outweighs the substance, when the dessert becomes the meal all you become is fat and lazy.

Disney can do whatever it wants with it's money; but you are the ones supplying it. Let them know; call, email, snailmail, skywriting, whatever.

Once they start telling you what to say, they'll start dictacting how you think.

-Savagebadger

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please let me know.