A Brazilian judge has ordered Netflix to pull the plug on The First Temptation of Christ, a controversial comedic Christmas special featuring a gay Jesus.
Monday, January 13, 2020
Brazilian judge orders Netflix to remove 'gay Jesus' comedy special
A Brazilian judge has ordered Netflix to pull the plug on The First Temptation of Christ, a controversial comedic Christmas special featuring a gay Jesus.
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3 comments:
Censorship really scares me, and it hits pretty close to home in a lot of ways! My family is from Iran, and needless to say, censorship in all aspects is alive and well in the country. I remember when I was visiting Iran when I little, I asked my cousin, who I was walking with in public, if the Ayatollah was a bad man. She very quickly shushed me and told me to never say anything like that again when we’re not at home. I’ll never forget that.
Movies in Iran are subject to a lot of different committees and rules in order to preserve the image of the Islamic Republic. Women are never allowed without their headscarf in movies (even when the character is at home, which is very unrealistic compared to real life). My dad recently told me, after I was telling him about the TV show You, that that the show would never make it to TV if it was done in Iran, because there is actually a committee that reviews movies and shows to make sure it’s appropriate for the public. Since You centers around a criminal who has yet to be caught, the committee would deem it “harmful” because it could potentially “inspire” and “encourage” the public to commit crime because they think they won’t be caught! I think that’s crazy, and as someone who loves film, television, and all the artistic choices surrounding those media, I think it’s so sad that filmmakers in places like Iran and Brazil have little creative freedom to make what they want to make!
Government censorship is honestly pretty dangerous and highly oppressive. I wrote a paper on censorship in china and japan for my IB japanese external essay, and it’s shocking what some governments will censor in order to keep their society in check with the strict rules and morals the people in charge have. These conservative governments limit mostly what is available and said on the media, but also news, advertisements, and more. It is a mixture of limiting information from the public but also propaganda and false or altered information. Every culture is different, and some are more conservative than others, yet I personally believe every individual should be able to form their own opinions on social and political topics without the government interfering. Often, like in the instance of this article, the government is attempting to suppress acknowledgement, exposure, and conversation about LGBT+ people. It is truly unfortunate and often, governments are at least partially responsible for the lack of progressiveness and “forward” or “modern” thinking within a culture.
I once saw somewhere that if you really want to make something controversial, mess with religion. Especially Jesus. So it was no surprise to me to see an article about a special where there is a gay Jesus is being requested to be taken down. Homosexuality and religion have quite the intense history with eachother so the creators knew they were going to turn some head with this concept. It was made to entertain, but obviously made to upset people as well. That being said, I don’t believe the special should be taken down at all. Anyone should be allowed to be able to express their art in any way. The power for it to be taken away from a government force is frightening in the entertainment industry and scares people into submission and silence. It may be offensive to some, but it does not aim to hurt anyone or make them less as people, so it has every right to stay on Netflix. I hope it stays on long enough for me to see it because I would be lying if I said I wasn’t intrigued.
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