Hi Folks,
The so called "Religious Right" is mounting an assault on one of the foundations of capitalism: intellectual property rights (see the work of Douglas C. North for discussion of the importance of property rights to the function of capitalist economies).
So what is the attack on intellectual property? It comes from a series of companies that seek to censor (they call it "editing") video releases of films to satisfy demands by Mormons and conservative Christians for "sanitized" films.
These companies purchase DVDs, edit out all the violence, sexual innuendo, nudity (or exposed underwear), and references to homosexuality and then resell the censored DVD to conservatives who want to see movies but don't want to have see someone else's point of view.
Here are some links to these companies' websites so you can see them on their own terms:
Clean Films
Family Safe Media
Family Flix
The Directors Guild of America has been embroiled in a legal fight with these and other companies. The censor companies claim that the DGA is engaging in restraint of trade. The DGA claims these companies are violating US copyright laws. The companies respond by claiming "fair use."
I'm not going to say that the Republican party is behind these companies. But I will say that these companies are symptoms of the same social movement that has taken over the GOP. And this movement is a threat to American democracy and modern society.
Comments? Discussion?
Sunday, May 01, 2005
The Anti-Market Right Wing
Posted by Raised By Republicans at 12:12 PM
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7 comments:
Umm...what's your beef again with the "Religious Right"? I'm confused.
// posted by BronxPundit
My problem with them is that they seem to have a rather shallow committment to the foundations of democracy and capitalism (which are linked phenomena). This latest movement is an attack on intellectual property rights which are known to be one of the most important elements of a functioning capitalist society (why produce, innovate or invent things if you can't be assured your efforts will yield rewards to you and you alone?).
This isn't my only "beef" with the religious right. I also don't like that they think that any limit on their ability to govern the lives and educations of others is a limit on their religious freedom.
I'm sure others who check out this website have their own problems with them and are more articulate than I.
// posted by Raised By Republicans
I'm only a thirteen year old girl from Australia, and just came across your blog by chance, but I do like politics and things like that. I think the whole religious censorship thing is very pathetic. Just because you don't approve of homosexuals doesn't mean you can't see anything about them! Do they think it will contaminate the minds of their children and turn them gay? I don't like guns, but it doesn't mean I want to get rid of all positive references to them on movies! It seems like America is going backwards on its censorship laws, going from a secular model like ours to a super-conservative one! And it seems like America is completely going against the whole "Freedom from government" thing they are proud of. I was reading in the newspaper yesterday that a Florida court blocked an abortion for a homeless, unemployed thirteen year old girl, because she is apparently too immature to decide whether she wants a child. So she's to immature to decide whether she wants to have a child, but mature enough to raise one. I personally wouldn't have an abortion, but then I personally wouldn't get pregnant at my age. But she is and she has deemed herself unable to be a proper mother, which I'm sure wasn't exactly an easy decision, and the courts tell her she isn't mature enough to decide? She was mature enough to get pregnant in the first place! I think that whole thing is very silly. I love America, but I don't like the way its headed.
// posted by Melanie Holtz
Hi Melanie,
Thanks for your comment. RE: the 13 year old in Florida. Most states (including Florida) have laws saying that children bellow a certain age cannot legally consent to have sex at all. No state considers 13 year olds mature enough to consent to have sex. I've heard speculation that the man who got this girl pregnant is a former foster father. See she is also a "ward of the state." That is, her parent(s) had been neglecting her or had been sent to jail or something and she was in a foster home. These are approved by the state governments so there are two scandals here: 1) how did this child get pregnent while living in a state approved foster home 2) why won't she be allowed to get a legal medical procedure to end a pregnancy that by law she could not possibly consented to. Florida (the governor of which is President Bush's brother), has had repeated scandals with the management of its foster program. Earlier a 2 year old child "dissappear" when agency officials checked in on her in her foster home after monthes of no checking.
// posted by Raised By Republicans
That settles it. I'm going to buy G rated DVDs and religious DVDs, edit out all the prayer, add some sexual innuendo and nudity (include exposed underwear in profusion), and toss in frequent references to repressed homosexuality amongst religious conservatives and then resell the them.
A good start might be a Veggie Tales DVD that features the Reverand Jerry Fallwell, hollering "Allahu Akbar", and Tom Delay, carrying a large link of summer sausage, cavorting in womans underwear whilst Tinky Winky (from the Teletubbies for those of you without little kids) whacks them over the head, in turn, with his purple purse and screams "Take it like a man, Nancy boy!" over and over. I'll make millions (at least, until I am shot dead in the name of Jesus).
// posted by Me
You would have to do it in secret so that these people would buy and view the stuff.
// posted by Raised By Republicans
let's see them release an edited version of Fahrenheit 9/11. it's not on the "movies we will not edit" list...
// posted by matt
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