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New Australian Laws To Censor Terror DVDs
Posted by
ScuttleMonkey
on Mon Apr 16, 2007 04:43 PM
from the jihad-on-free-speech dept.
from the jihad-on-free-speech dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Within a few weeks, Australia may introduce new laws to censor films and literature deemed by the government to be supportive of terrorism. This is not the first time material has been censored in Australia, which has previously censored films and banned publications, including one titled Defence of the Muslim Lands (censored in mid 2006 by Attorney-General Phillip Ruddock). The proposed laws are aimed to target material such as a DVD by Feiz Mohammad containing some of his past controversial sermons calling for jihad and comparing Jews with pigs. The Office of Film and Literature Classification previously classified this DVD as 'PG', suitable for viewing by anyone under 15 years of age with parental guidance."
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Oh really? (Score:3, Insightful)
Will that include archival news and documentary footage about the US funding of the taliban and Iran contra?
Censor only those who would censor!
Re:Oh really? (Score:4, Funny)
Parent
What counts as "terrorist" ideas? (Score:3, Insightful)
Next, "terrorist" means minority party.
So...what movies would this include? (Score:3, Interesting)
Supportive of terrorism is even weaker (Score:2)
Example: "I think Bush should go!" well some terrorist group might have that goal too so by saying that I could be considered to be supporting the goals of some terrorist group and could open myself up to prosecution.
Oppressive societies have used and abused laws like this quite effectively
Re:What counts as "terrorist" ideas? (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
DVDs causing terror will be censored. Pretty simple.
I nominate this movie (Score:2)
Canadian Bacon [wikipedia.org]
'nuf said
Re: (Score:2)
Let the terrorists identify themselves (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Curiousity leads many people to many things, including terrorist videos. How does it make me a terrorist if I want to watch Die Hard as an example of how to take over a building with a small special ops team?
Re:Let the terrorists identify themselves (Score:4, Interesting)
I would agree, but could you imagine what would happen if the FBI (or Australian equivalent) started demanding the sales records from the local video stores? Hell, people don't want the FBI looking at library records and libraries are tax payer funded!!!
Parent
Censor != ban (Score:5, Informative)
Any free-thinking adult can still buy them.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
As I understand it, if the government censor refuses to classify a DVD, then you cannot legally buy it in Australia.
What an awesome PR move! (Score:2, Insightful)
Wow - Who does this guy know in government to do him such a favor?
If the US government did this, I'd own his complete works a week later. Hell, I've never even heard of him, and even the threat of another supposedly-1st-world government banning him makes me at least curious.
Good job, guys - Someday, you'll learn that for some problems, ignoring them will do a whole lot more to make them go away than active intervention ev
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Sales are slumping... Please ban my works!!
Re: (Score:2)
Reactionary? As opposed to what, exactly - Bending over and tacking it complacently, like a "good" citizen?
But anyway... Yes, actually, although I'd prefer to call it "civilly disobedient". The individual people can do a lot that we absolutely must not ever let the government get away with. I do not have the power to oppress the populace.
Ah ha, now we know step two (Score:2)
2. ???
3. Every teenager wants it! Profit!
Thank you Australia for missing in the lost step in our business model!
That's so dumb. It just gets them attention (Score:4, Insightful)
Incredibly dumb move. It just draws attention to some material that probably sucks.
Back in 1989, during the 2 Live Crew [wikipedia.org] censorship controversy, I remarked, after listening to their stuff, that without the censorship, they would have never made it off the South Florida club circuit. With the censorship controversy, they hit #29 on the Billboard 200. But by 1991, they'd peaked, and broke up around 1992. There was a "New 2 Live Crew", which went nowhere and broke up in 1995, a reunion in 1998, and another reunion in 2005. Nobody cared much. Wikipedia says "The two core members are still popular within the Miami Bass community and Dancehall goers".
Or, in other words, they're back on the South Florida club circuit where they belong. Censorship gave them their 15 minutes of fame.
How long will it be... (Score:3, Interesting)
The Passion of the Christ (Score:2, Insightful)
I mean it is a film of a man being tortured for two hours...
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
It's a non-event (Score:5, Insightful)
Don't forget that this is a country which took Fatcat, a children's programme featuring a big cat off screen on the basis that the cat had no clothes and thus indecently exposed him/herself (hard to know with a cat costume, really) to innocent children. On the other hand, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Power Rangers were perfectly OK. This is a country where on a BBC science show about the human reproduction pixelised the placenta (held by the reporter, no woman or baby in sight) for its explicite sexual nature...
There is already a terror censorship on books, now there will be one on DVDs. Business as usual.
I support this absolutely (Score:2, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
SONY: Fighting for your Freedom (Score:3, Funny)
Here's an Idea: Why don't don't they get SONY to distribute the Terror videos?
Most 'customers' would find it doesn't work on their video player. When they try to watch it on their PC, they get a SONY RootKit.
Now imagine the look on Osamas face when he sees a 'Spyware Detected' Popup. I can't think of a faster way to flush a band of Mujahadeen out of their cave.
Having a Constitution would've helped... (Score:2, Interesting)
But the British Empire never gave its subjects one...
Then, again, even the Free Speech-protecting Constitution is no guarantee of Free Speech, as the presence of rather draconian laws against possessing child pornography in America demonstrates...
We may all be revolted by the child pornography, but we have to remember, that the defense of pornography in general (Larry Flint et al.) was based on the Free Speech argument — not on the usefulness of the art or anything like it.
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
One rule for you, one for Him (Score:4, Informative)
Very Welcome Promotion (Score:3, Insightful)
What's needed to counter this is not repression - "repress a religion, and it will flourish" (Frank Herbert), but a social outreach campaign to seek to discover why these pissed-off young westies are so easy to reach, and how to entice them into other less destructive outlets for their energies.
No such thing as a free ride (Score:3, Insightful)
NATO Terrorism (Score:5, Interesting)
Both should be condemned as terrorist acts and their justifications dismissed. Governments are just as capable of committing terrorist acts as small non-government groups are. The problem is we allow governments to get away with it time and time again, whereas we actually make some effort to pursue the "small guys".
Pessimistically (Score:2, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Optimistically... (Score:5, Insightful)
So instead of being able to counter racist propaganda with reasoned debate and counter evidence, it all goes underground and spreads unchallenged and unopposed.
Saying that people you disagree with are not allowed to talk makes it look as though you are unable to counter what they say.
Parent
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Not that I support censorship in general, but I see this as far more appropriate to censor than almost anything else that's already being censored. All the other stuff is just fiction.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Humans are rationalizing beings, not rational beings.
No censorship. (Score:5, Insightful)
Besides, where is the line drawn? When you allow the government to "censor films and literature deemed by the government to be supportive of terrorism", does that mean the DVDs used as an example? Or does that also include any news story that mentions any weaknesses in any industry, port, airline, or in safety procedues? Any news story critical of the military or armed forces? Any book or website that in any way, discusses anything that conceivably (or inconceivably) could be used as a weapon?
Is disagreeing with your government's stance on terrorism "supportive of terrorism"?
Is all of our news subject to redaction by official goverment goons?
Sorry, but censorship is not "appropriate".
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Who, if they're going to be taking that stuff seriously, are probably also irrational and impossible to engage in a debate.
While censorship can easily be a slippery-slope, you have to remember that in Australia there are still checks and balances in place. While free speech is enshrined in America, it sometimes seems like that's the only
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Agreed. C'mon Aussie, don't let your politicians set a precedent for other nations (like NZ!) to follow. Make some noise and get it repealed, 'cause you guys are better than that.
--
Don't call it "terrorism", because I'm not afraid.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
If it enters public discussion, it gives the impression that there are two sides to the debate. And if there are two sides to the debate, then it seems rational for a person to sit on either side, so long as they have some reasons to give (whether or not they are good).
Censoring this DVD will go a long way towards stopping the ideas from spreading...much more so t
Re:Optimistically... (Score:4, Insightful)
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
He is the attorney general, not governor general, elected like any other member of parliament.
He is an arsehole, not for the incorrect reasons you have given, but because he is a borderline fascist.
"And why people voted to keep us under a monach I will never know."
Perhaps because they were confused like you? More probably they realised that having as many checks and balances as possible is a good thing for normal people.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Most of the people producing these things aren't doing it for money. They're doing it because they're true believers. If we give the appearance that any idea, no matter how controversial or stupid, is being suppressed it will only generate more interest in it.
Look at holocaust denial. Everyone who knows anything about the subject knows that the holocaust happened, but giving the appearance of sup
Re:Optimistically... (Score:5, Insightful)
The Bolsheviks are the most obvious case of this- attacking the Czar for classism and his secret police, then setting up the NKVD/KGB and creating a two-class society of party members and dead people.
But also look at the American Revolution- setting up the Constitution in reaction to what they saw as broken about the Magna Carta.
The Islamic extremists are mimicing thier mythology about what the Zionists want to do to them.
Evil always begets evil, no matter what.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I really don't think this is the same kind of censorship. GTA3 was removed from store shelves because it failed to meet the required classification of "Mature" and there is no "Restricted" rating for video games.
This, on the other hand, is the deliberate surpression of political speech under the guise of "terrorism".
If you wanna compare the lack of R ratings for video games to something, compare it to our stupid "net bet" laws. Fuckin
Re: (Score:2)
This isn't a new thing.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
If you're dealing with a bunch of peasants who are too primitive and uneducated to be able to behave in a fashion that is in their own long term self interest, religion will allow a wise man to say to his fellows "Forget why we should live this way, GOD said to live this way, so do it." and they do.
This will allow them to behave in a co-ordinated fashion, and that is going to provide them benefits.
But it makes them sheep.
If you follow a religion, you're following a cult of a dead wise