Comments on: Censorship, Appropriateness, Taste

By: John ONeill

John ONeill — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 22:17:04 +0000

>closer to home, John, would you prefer me to take the link down?

Heavens, no. Something like this needs to be circulated as widely as possible. I’m proud to be able to help spread the word, even if in a modest way, here on the BG site.

- John

By: Judith Berman

Judith Berman — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:57:16 +0000

Oh, and I don’t know that it is an either/or choice, but all things considered, I’d rather live with the giant porn billboards than with elites with impunity to commit acts like that on the abovementioned video.

By: Judith Berman

Judith Berman — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:54:56 +0000

Hi, Peadar! By the way, I saw your book at Borders here. I was in the midst of a seemingly unending and Godot-like quest to cash a Borders gift certificate for my son (maybe that was on our fourth visit? “Sorry, mum, only the manager with the master key can accept the gift certificate. Come back tomorrow.”). Hopefully I’ll be able to find another copy back in the US.

By: Judith Berman

Judith Berman — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:47:06 +0000

That ABC news story illustrates the larger topic, as it has had quite a bit of content edited out as not appropriate for the website (content which as they used to say, can’t be described in a family newspaper), and it is still horrific.

With regard to appropriateness and taste closer to home, John, would you prefer me to take the link down?

By: John ONeill

John ONeill — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:47:44 +0000

Ugh! OK, I understand that your post took a different direction in the second act, but I’m still reeling from the torture video.

In fact, I was scanning your post for the first time while on a conference call this morning, and got so sucked into that article that I was only dimly aware that people were asking me questions on the phone. Boy, I hate that. I had to pretend my phone was muted. “I’m sorry… I think my phone is acting up. Can you repeat the question?” Plus, I may lose my breakfast.

I’ll have to come back and ponder the weird benefits of censorship on raising children free of commercialized sexuality… some time when my head is not full of images of a board with a nail in it.

- John

By: C - Foxessa

C - Foxessa — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:50:23 +0000

That relief from the relentless, constant bombardment of sexual images, and particularly the unclothed, come-hither images of women, everywhere, on and in everything, was one of the unexpected pleasures of spending time in Cuba.

Lately the gigantic billboards omnipresent here are basically showing porn stills.

Love, C.

By: peadarog

peadarog — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:53:25 +0000

Very interesting post. Thank you. Especially the unexpected relief from the objectification stuff.