Maybe the Dalek will sue?

[caddyman]

This week’s chronicle of the drab and mundane commences with the observation that yet again the world evinces signs that proprietary madness is now the rule and not the exception. In support of my argument I offer the following article in today’s Times.

The BBFC (for my US/Canadian readership, that is the British Board of Film Classification – censors, in other words) have banned the DVD sale of the Doctor Who episode “Dalek” to anyone under the age of 12. Why, is it too scary? Apparently not, no. They have banned it on the grounds of “excessive cruelty” towards the dalek.

It seems that today’s kids, seeing someone be beastly to a piece of rubber in a tin can will feel compelled to drill each other through the head, or something similar.

Political correctness gone mad.

Again.

Last night I watched Bubbahotep on DVD. Quite the oddest movie I have seen for a long time. I quite enjoyed it, I think - I certainly wasn’t bored by it, and didn’t feel as though I’d wasted part of my life watching it, but I have no similar movie against which to gauge my appreciation of this opus. Very strange. My main area of concern is over the question of movie makeup and the hiding of Bruce Campbell’s chin. Where’d it go?

Comments

[agentinfinity.livejournal.com]

I saw Bubbahotep the other day. It wasn't quite what I was expect - in an absurd way it was quite poignant. I liked it though, and it was definitely different, as you say.

I hate the sterility that people want to bring to children and family media. I remember when I used to read Batman comics, and someone wrote a letter complaining that Batman was supposed to be a good rolemodel for kids, and so blah story arc wasn't appropriate. To which they replied that no he wasn't supposed to be a good rolemodel, he was a vigilante nutcase. I think that Doctor Who is generally a breath of fresh air because they don't rely on violence and weaponry to solve problems, but it also presents complexity and horror, which is also good.

[keresaspa.livejournal.com]

I am soooo tired of hearing how you can't do anything now because it might offend children. When did Britain become a childocracy anyway (I'm sure there's a more proper name for it but I couldn't be annoyed to find out). And aren't these the same people who throw bricks through complete strangers windows and indulge in "happy slapping"? It really is time to knock this pc crap on the head. I admit I know little about Doctor Who but my understanding has always been that the Daleks are bad eggs who need a good sorting out. What next- being nasty about Hitler should be banned because it might upset children.

[agentinfinity.livejournal.com]

I think it's a bit unfair to target your ire at children because a bunch of adult film classifiers said they can't watch some Doctor Who episodes. I would have been gutted if someone had deprived me of my regular doses of Sofie Aldred when I was a kid.

[keresaspa.livejournal.com]

Hey, I'm an unfair kind of guy :-)

Actually I was just using this particualr example as a marker for the way society is going. Every day practically we hear about something else being banned because of children. The Kentucky Fried Chicken ads are the most recent example of something that do-gooders are wnating to suppress because of these hyper-sensitive ankle biters. You would think to listen that children are all avatars incarnate who are being corrupted by everything and anything. Having been a child myself (no, honestly) I know that they can be right little buggers just for the sake of it.

[mr-h-r-hughes.livejournal.com]

Bubba-Ho-Thep was very good an not quite what I was expecting either. I found it really sad, not something you'd expect of a fim about Elvis and undead Egyptians.

[agentinfinity.livejournal.com]

The tendency annoys me as well. Fer example, Walmart refusing to stock films and music that don't represent their idea of family values means that certain films and music never gets made. But I definitely place the blame with adults. We've ended up with a situation where parents and moral majority types have plenty of rights and no responsibilities where kids are concerned. I'd much prefer to see more darker, intelligent kids stuff like Dahl and Henson, and I did when I was a kid. If only these people would put their energies into making the world a lovely fluffy place instead of lying to their children.

[keresaspa.livejournal.com]

Well put. Why shield children from the world when you can improve the world as a whole. Case of screwed up priorities again, I guess.