Idris Elba: Racist Movies & TVs Shouldn't Be Censored

[RAMROD 96,583]

Idris Elba has an issue with the handful of films and television programs being removed from streaming platforms and the airwaves over racist content such as blackface. Over the last couple months, episodes of “30 Rock,” “The Golden Girls,” “The Office,” “Scrubs,” and more have been pulled for featuring blackface. Elba says in a new interview with Radio Times that these controversial episodes should not have been erased but updated with a warning or rating to ensure viewers know what racist content the programs contain.

“I’m very much a believer in freedom of speech,” Elba said. “But the thing about freedom of speech is that it’s not suitable for everybody. That’s why we have a rating system. We tell you that this particular content is rated U, PG, 15, 18. To mock the truth, you have to know the truth. But to censor racist themes within a show, to pull it — wait a second, I think viewers should know that people made shows like this.”

Elba continued: “Out of respect for the time and the movement, commissioners and archive-holders pulling things they think are exceptionally tone-deaf at this time — fair enough and good for you. But I think, moving forward, people should know that freedom of speech is accepted, but the audience should know what they’re getting into. I don’t believe in censorship. I believe that we should be allowed to say what we want to say. Because, after all, we’re story-makers.”

 

Full article at Source:

https://www.indiewire.com/2020/07/idris-elba-racist-films-tv-shows-not-erased-1234574117/

[DC 25,164]

6 minutes ago, RAMROD said:

“The Golden Girls,” and more have been pulled for featuring blackface.

I know exactly which episode that was, that wasn't supposed to be blackface that was a mud facial cleanser to make their skin tighter or something, and they had a POC family come over to their house, so when they walked out of the kitchen wearing that, that was the main joke, obviously it's not right, but I'm just showing you what the context was, it's not supposed to be blackface it's supposed to be a facial cleanser.

 

[JRCF29 8,152]

He'll be canceled next!

[papergangster 2,712]

5 minutes ago, JRCF29 said:

He'll be canceled next!

Why would he be cancelled? 

[SLAG 7]

8 minutes ago, JRCF29 said:

He'll be canceled next!

He will not be cancelled. 

[beaublue 3,872]

12 minutes ago, ProjectJoanne said:

I know exactly which episode that was, that wasn't supposed to be blackface that was a mud facial cleanser to make their skin tighter or something, and they had a POC family come over to their house, so when they walked out of the kitchen wearing that, that was the main joke, obviously it's not right, but I'm just showing you what the context was, it's not supposed to be blackface it's supposed to be a facial cleanser.

 

Thank you for giving context. I’ve never seen this before & now that I have I feel much better. Hopefully people watch this before jumping on the cancellation bandwagon but they probably won’t comprehend the context anyway.

[flyaway 15,350]

I hope no one gets offended by what I'm about to say, and if I do I hope you educate me as I don't mean to hurt anyone. It's just a thought. 

I kind of agree in a way that it's a portrayal of life during a previous time. I don't think it's really freedom of speech as he says, but It's part of the history of media. It should be a testament of a time when racism was portrayed as normal. And how we, as a society, have been able to learn about the offensive topics and create a more equal and more inclusive type of content with time. It's not really like the statues and monuments that glorify that segregational sentiment. These episodes and films could be used to learn what we should not go back to. If you censor them, you're pretending they never happened, which is in a way erasing a little piece of history. 

In my opinion, instead of censoring them, they should include a warning message that educates people about racism and how these values are not shared in today's society. 

[Rio 5,088]

Gone With The Wind, too.

 

Learn from them.

[DC 25,164]

3 minutes ago, lestyoufall said:

Thank you for giving context. I’ve never seen this before & now that I have I feel much better. Hopefully people watch this before jumping on the cancellation bandwagon but they probably won’t comprehend the context anyway.

Exactly, and the whole point of the entire episode is to fight racial inequality between relationships, it's literally in the video I showed you, granted there are VERY questionable things, but that's not the point of the episode.

[Whigney Houstan 806]

I honestly agree.  Context is important.  

[littlepotter 72,898]

Exactly, removing them is erasing history. Pretending to remove the episodes out of fear of hurting black people is pretty infantilizing (poc aren't so fragile as to be hurt by it to the point where they cannot bear to watch the episode) - they're just doing it to avoid controversy and accountability instead of apologizing for it and maybe donating to BLM. 

[HausOfAntonio 7,822]

EDIT: Ignore me I thought he was someone else 

[Guest]

It's not freedom of speech per say maybe he didnt use the right words, but I agree in keeping the episode intact and putting a warning before it. It's interesting for the next generation to see what people did back then 

[Twitter 14]

34 minutes ago, JRCF29 said:

He'll be canceled next!

Why exactly would he be canceled? 

[Twitter 14]

2 minutes ago, KanyeWest said:

It's not freedom of speech per say maybe he didnt use the right words. 

Nothing he said was incorrect?