Booth

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Today as I was browsing through the morning newspapers something really wound me up. Actually it was someone - John Beyer, leader of self appointed moral guardians Mediawatch.

Mediawatch was founded by Mary Whitehouse in the 1960's and was formerly known as the NVLA (National Viewers and Listeners Association). They are basically a pressure group, mostly made up of fundamentalist conservative Christians. It was independently set up to preserve 'moral values' in media and film (and now games) in the UK.

Mary Whitehouse would protest about anything and everything that could in some way cause offence. She also held a ridiculous notion that what we saw and heard would in some way influence grown adults to copy, monkey see, monkey do. This is a terrible insult to any right minded individual residing in the United Kingdom. And none of this had any scientific or psychological foundation. Whitehouse just believed it herself, so by default it must be true, even though she freely admitted that a lot of the things that she took exception to she hadn't actually seen.

Unfortunately quite a few people decided to join her on her moral crusade and John Beyer was one of them. Up until this month John Beyer (or "The Fascist Formerly Known as Mary Whitehouse" as I like to call him) was the director of Mediawatch. He's obviously missing his old job already as he's now decided to chirp in about the Lars Von Trier film Antichrist which has recently been released in cinemas.

His problem with Antichrist is that it's been released by the BBFC uncut. It's a film that has graphic sex acts, genital mutilation and is being bandied about (in the media) as a right old gorefest. And apparently four people walked out of it at the Cannes Film Festival this year. So for these reasons John Beyer wants to get rid of the BBFC as he doesn't believe they've done their jobs properly.

Part of this is because the BBFC have generally been much more liberal since the 80's and 90's where they would take the liberty of cutting films themselves in order to make them 'safe' to release. Now their role is to inform rather than censor.

Because John Beyer doesn't believe the rest of the country can make an informed decision for themselves he wants to reform the way films are classified and bring back strict censorship laws to the United Kingdom.

“Films of this sort, with such extreme content, should not be classified for public exhibition anywhere. The BBFC should have declined classification and rejected this film. When people are being entertained by mutilation, that is beyond the pale.” - John Beyer, July 2009
That last sentence highlights the lack of understanding that goes on at organizations like Mediawatch. John Beyer doesn't like the sound of it, so other people shouldn't see it. Hitler would have been proud.

A scene in Antichrist shows someone getting their penis mutilated. So is this going to be the start of some kind of mass penis mutilation copycatting? Obviously not because believe it or not, men are quite fond of their old chaps. And those that do like hurting their penises do it with or without seeing a Lars Von Trier film. It's because they like it. And you can't censor someone mangling their cock. If it's going to happen, behind closed doors it will.

Now Julian Brazier, who is the conservative MP for Canterbury and who has called for tougher censorship laws in the past, has also jumped on the bandwagon. It was only a matter of time before an MP saw the potential gains they could get from such a media outcry.

It's proposed that the government gets rid of the BBFC and creates a new government ran agency to censor what we as grown adults do and don't see.

Now I think I'm probably a good case study for proving these idiots wrong as I've seen many extreme films in my time, some terrible, some great, and in my 32 years I haven't killed anyone. I'm not a violent person and I don't take drugs. I'll admit I swear but I learnt that at primary school (so why don't we ban schools?). I'm pretty damn sure that the vast majority of people are likewise not affected by violent, graphic or so called 'offensive content'.

What does make me literally shake with anger is people who think they can decide for me what I can and can't watch. I feel like smashing something, far more than after watching the latest violent action or horror movie. And after a google search it seems other people are similarly angered in this way. So what can we do about this?

I propose we ban Mediawatch and censor their ridiculous outbursts as one day someone may read one of their quotes and is patronized to the point of a machete/gun spree killing. Trust me on this, as there's just as much foundation to this as any of Mediawatch's petitions, protests or claims. Lives could possibly be lost or corrupted by Mediawatch's very existence. When I read the quotes by John Beyer, I myself a mild mannered person punched a cushion in anger. I hate to think what would have happened if another person had been in the room - or I was a more violent man. It could quite easily have been someone's smiling face, a child or a pensioner. It could have been catastrophic.

I also propose we seek out and remove politicians that try to exploit the subject of fictionalized violence instead of tackling the real crime that happens on our streets. And in some cases using fiction as a scapegoat for real crime in order to win many misguided votes to keep them in a very large wage courtesy of you and I the taxpayer - who will as a result have our right to decide for ourselves removed.

For me, and frivolity aside, that truly is morally corrupt (far more than a grotesque film) and should be stamped out immediately.
 
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Rob Wickings

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Couldn't agree with you more, Michael. It's bad enough that we have an unelected quango dictating what can or cannot be seen on UK screens without religious loonies with an agenda (I don't want to see this, and I therefore think you shouldn't be able to) shoe-horning pointlessly into the debate.
 

Cop

Making Dreams
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I wouldn't worry too much about 'them lot' they can kick and scream all they like - claiming that films like Antichrist shouldn't be displayed for public viewing.

Like you say, the BBFC are getting more liberal with the classifications because it is proven that we can handle watching graphic violence, sex scenes and drug abuse.

A multi-million pound industry that churns thousands of films like Antichrist out a week, which is good for the global economy. I would suspect BBFC are safe from do-gooders like them...

Those who don't like it, won't watch it, but moan about it, but give films like Antichrist publicity. There is nothing better than a small group of people protesting outside a cinema to market a film.

You should show him Diary of a Bad Lad
 
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Booth

Chief Bar Steward
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Cop said:
I wouldn't worry too much about 'them lot' they can kick and scream all they like - claiming that films like Antichrist shouldn't be displayed for public viewing.
I don't know about that Cop, it'll only take a few corrupt MP's with an agenda to begin some witch-hunt. It's happened before more than once and there's a good chance it could happen again.
 

Booth

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Infact, I'll mention two words... Ross & Brand.
 

Booth

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Thanks for the name check Rob :)

Though I think you are underestimating the likes of John Beyer and Mediawatch, not quite the full shilling though they are. To be perfectly honest, compared to Mary Whitehouse, John Beyer was benign. It only takes another MW to take over his role and we'd have another ridiculous witchhunt on our hands. That and of course some tragic event for the politicians to swarm around like flies. The fundamentalists and the politicians do seem to feed of each other to get their way.

The Mist is the perfect example of how a section of society are easily led under certain circumstances and religion, and Mary Whitehouse demonstrated this years before Stephen King did.
 

Joanna

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Thanks for putting out there your thoughts on 'this', Mike and Rob. It's been very interesting reading what you've both had to say. Though, Rob, you might want to correct this from your blog...

Rob Wickings on his blog said:
Michael Booth of Pleased Sheep Film heaps approbation on both Brazier and John Beyer of Mediawatch
:):p :eek:

John Beyer brings out less than calm thoughts in me, too. I remember him from his 'opinions' on gay kisses in Corrie. On the Canal Street kiss between Todd and Karl in 2004...which amounted to a kiss first cut away from as soon as it started, then only shown briefly from a distance (including through a taxi window!)...he said (of the kiss that I'm guessing he never ended up bothering to check out for himself)....

"People on the whole dislike that sort of scene in that sort of programme at that time of day. It seems to me that this sort of thing could cause a very high degree of public offence."

And on Todd and Nick's VERY brief touching of lips, he said...

"The producers should have more respect for viewers and public feeling. The complaints after The Bill and Casualty pre-watershed kisses showed what viewers think. It's just cynical exploitation of audiences to chase ratings....."

I mean, the vileness of this (twat)man just speaks for itself. :mad: And as for the Daily *SPIT* Star *vomits* (I'd like a vomit smiley on here!) and their front-page "shock sex scene that will sicken fans" on said Canal Street kiss....Well, I best not even get myself started on that one!... (They even had 'CORRIE GAY SNOG STORM' as a front-page headline in 2007...for a forthcoming kiss between Corrie's Sean and Sonny that was actually faked by the actors and so was never a 'real' kiss at all!) Bigoted, shameful idiots...

YUCK....
 
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