Re: Banned Books
David L. White (d-white@nwu.edu)
Fri, 26 Sep 1997 11:44:26 -0500
Make of this what you will:
In Cincinatti last year, a video store came under attack for renting child
pornography. The film in question was Pasolini's "Salo: 120 Days of
Sodom." While this is indeed a horrifying film (very disturbing) it is not
pornography, but a 20 year old art-house film from an internationally
renowned director. There was a huge uproar, the media blew it all out of
proportion, the police confiscated the film, etc. The video store had a
policy that prohibited minors from renting the film. During the whole
furor, someone discovered that the book on which the film was based (by the
Marquis De Sade) had been sitting in the public library for years available
for check out to people of all ages.
No one is interested in banning dangerous art, they're interested in
banning high-profile art. Films are the new "perceived" dangerous medium.
Dave