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May 05, 2004
M-I-C, K-E-Y, M-O-KGB!
Thanks to Tim for pointing this one out. Seems that Disney doesn't want to let Michael Moore's new film, "Farenheit 9/11," which divulges the long and tangled relationship between the Bush and bin Laden families over the last 30 years, see the light of day. Seems Michael Eisner fears that the film's political content could hurt Disney's reputation and influence among the party in power right now if he allows a film so critical of that party's leader to be distributed.
As Tim so eloquently put it, "corporate America is moving to censor itself out of fear from our own judicially selected president." He draws an apt comparison between the atmosphere in Putin's Russia and Bush's America. You should check his rant out -- it's a good one.
I have hated Disney ever since my then-fiancee -- honestly Doc, she was old enough to know better! -- loved Disney animation so much that we had to have every one of those movies on VCR when they were released... way too many "date nights" consisted of sitting around on the couch and being forced to watch "Robin Hood" or "Beauty and the Beast." (Somehow, this fact made the breakup even more infuriating.) But this move just gives me more tangible and logical a reason to hate them.
No company that engages in censorship based on fear of offending the government or a party in power should ever be tolerated. If I were you, I'd dump their stock, burn their tapes, smash their DVDs, and tell the kids you'll buy them Ice Age instead.
One last thought... Senator Lautenberg is rapidly becoming my favorite senator. Today, in reaction to Disney's positively Orwellian move, Lautenberg called for hearings into the pattern of politically based corporate censorship of the news media and the entertainment industry.
"While corporate leaders rarely exercise discretion over gross indecency or violence, we have seen a number of corporate conglomerates censor material recently based on political content," Lautenberg sad in a letter to Commerce Committee Chairman Senator John McCain... The New Jersey senator said in the letter that Disney, which recently distributed "Kill Bill: Vol. 2," which Lautenberg described as "one of the most violent movies in history," is refusing to distribute the new film by Moore because it is critical of President Bush.
Man, this is supposed to be the FCC's job... but since Michael Powell is the puppet of the far right, someone had to step up and watch out for you and I. Thankfully, Lautenberg seems up to the task.
