So I bought season 6 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer last week. I love that show. Anyway, as I surfed around to see what had been written about various episodes I discovered that the BBC had a habit of slicing bits and pieces out of the show -- sometimes even entire scenes. Apparently some of Buffy was just too menacing or gorey for the British censors. While I have a number of problems with the American media and its own tendencies toward self-censorship, I'd just like to take this moment to praise our system, UPN and the WB. Thanks for not being as paternalistic and squeamish as the Brits. Thanks for letting me see the stylized, fictional violence that happened with some frequency on Buffy. It served to tell a larger story that embraced some basically all-American values, including just how horrible and wrong things like rape and murder are. Killing fictional characters can make for great and meaningful art. It can have that effect in books, in paintings, in movies, and yes, in TV. And thanks for thinking I was mature enough to make my own viewing choices. And as for the British .... stop letting the government make those kinds of choices for you.
Posted by armand at June 2, 2004 10:52 AM | TrackBack | Posted to Culture