Quote:
Originally Posted by Daemonia 
Saying that, I do object when Hollywood 'waters' down a film to a PG-13, that's rather stupid. But if it's a film that's aimed at the PG-13 age bracket from the start, then I don't have a problem with that. If you catch my drift.
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This is something that bugs me too.
Especially when they release unrated DVDs to claw in more cash. It's akin to the whole football kit scam that clubs pull on fans each season.
However, it does remind me of the way the moral majority in America created backdoor censorship in the 80s with music, which illustrates why the net has helped to combat such draconian thinking.
When Tipper Gore and the PMRC targeted Metal and Hip-Hop it resulted in the famous Parental Advisory stickers we all know and love.
In the US offensive artists, famously substandard porno-rappers 2 Live Crew, had their free speech protected, but retailers also have the right to refuse any product they please.
There are plenty of independent record stores in New York and LA, but if you life in a small Mid-Western town then the only option would have been the shop in the nearest corporate shopping mall.
These Malls were often owned by large companies like Wal-Mart, who supported the restrictive policies of the right wing and they could apply pressure to firms who rented units in their shopping centres.
Result? Large parts of the country couldn't access artists deemed unsuitable and censorship slips in the back door, the constitution is legally bypassed and record companies then apply more pressure on the artists themselves to alter their work.
The nets role in combatting censorship is clearly apparent, allowing people access to work that the Christian Right would rather seems crushed.
I wonder why our Government is bringing in Porn laws and new rules on file sharing for service providers. It must be frustrating for those in power to know that there's a tool for free speech that anyone can access that they can't control.
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