Frankly, My Dear

at

Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind (1939)

This morning.

Vie CNN

A spokesperson for HBO Max, which like CNN is owned by WarnerMedia, told CNN Business that “Gone with the Wind” is “a product of its time and depicts some of the ethnic and racial prejudices that have, unfortunately, been commonplace in American society.”

These racist depictions were wrong then and are wrong today, and we felt that to keep this title up without an explanation and a denouncement of those depictions would be irresponsible,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that when the film returns to HBO Max, it “will return with a discussion of its historical context and a denouncement of those very depictions,” and will be presented “as it was originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed.”

‘Gone with the Wind’ pulled from HBO Max until it can return with ‘historical context’ (CNN)

Pic: MGM

Yesterday: Little Britain pulled from iPlayer and Netflix because ‘times have changed’ (BBC)

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61 thoughts on “Frankly, My Dear

    1. Tirtle

      Amazing gone with the wind paved the way for the first African American and female to boot for an Oscar
      Indeed Hattie playing mammy won it and was lambasted for playing the part by the NAACP

  1. paul

    Tom and Jerry cartoons come with an appropriate disclaimer now as well, hopefully they can do the same with this film so people don’t explode. It’s a shame that such a thing is needed though.

    “These animated shorts are products of their time. Some of them may depict some of the ethnic and racial prejudices that were commonplace in American society. These depictions were wrong then and are wrong today. While the following does not represent the Warner Bros. view of today’s society, these animated shorts are being presented as they were originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed.”

    1. ReproBertie

      See also “Tintin in the Congo” which includes a foreward stating “In his portrayal of the Belgian Congo, the young Hergé reflects the colonial attitudes of the time. He himself admitted that he depicted his Africans according to the bourgeois, paternalistic stereotypes of the period.”

  2. Shane Duffy

    Next in line will be the burning of books. Then the arts galleries will have to remove paintings. Some plays too will cease being performed. And dare you like or retweet the wrong post you’ll be ostracised. Folks, before the decade is out we’ll be living in a society resembling East Berlin before the fall of the Wall. Here’s a clip from The Lives of Others, watch he full film and prepare yourselves.

    https://youtu.be/SVwgr2yiW4c

    1. ReproBertie

      Oh no! The racists will find their racist language is no longer acceptable! Won’t somebody think of the racists?

      1. NobleLocks

        Having a different opinion does not a racist make. Calling someone a racist because they warn society that the Radical Left are now the Neo-Right is profound cowardice. Shane is correct.

        1. ReproBertie

          I didn’t call Shane a racist, even though his previous posts have strongly hinted at him being one.

          You keep saying the radical left are the neo-right like it’s an actual thing and not just a stupid throwaway comment designed to undermine attempts to end racism.

          1. NobleLocks

            I didn’t say you did call him one. If you actually read it that wasn’t said. You wanted it to be said it seems though.

            And it’s not a throw away comment. The Left have gone so far that they are 100% the new right.

            Censorious
            Anti Free Speech
            Violent activists
            Using Violence to force political change (the definition of Terrorism)
            Silencing all dissent
            De-platforming all those who even have a difference of opinion
            Repeat lies until they become the truth
            Labeling of all those who disagree with them (see TERFS) so that they can dehumanise them and make it ok to destory their lives. It’s ok it was only a Terf.

            ALL of these tactics are the tactics of the Neo-Right (the Radical Left) and they were also the tactics of the NAZI’s. I see NO difference. If you can’t then your conscience will have to live with these facts.

            And as for you accusation that I don’t want to end racism. A slur is not an argument.

          2. ReproBertie

            “ALL of these tactics are the tactics of the Neo-Right (the Radical Left) and they were also the tactics of the NAZI’s. I see NO difference. If you can’t then your conscience will have to live with these facts.”

            “A slur is not an argument.”

            Kinda responded to yourself there.

    2. Nigel

      ‘Slippery slope’ is regarded as a logical fallacy for a reason, you know. I wish people could get this hysterical over an observable scientific process of increased risk and disaster, like, oh climate change.

      1. Tommy

        And the protesters walk around in cloths made in sweat shops in places like Bangladesh and are no different than those who exploited the slaves of the past
        And what’s worse is the enlightened days

        1. Nigel

          Why I bet many of the old Abolitionists wore clothes made of cotton which may have been picked by slaves showing that the slavers were the real Abolitionists and the Abolitionists the real slavers! History, baby!

    3. george

      Yes, of course adding contextual information to representations of race in historical work is the same as burning books. Art galleries aren’t next, these discussion have been happening in art galleries for years. You might know that if you ever set foot in one.

      1. NobleLocks

        That’s right George.

        Just as long as everyone see’s things the way that you want them to be seen, that’s ok. There are so many free-thinkers spinning in their graves right now that if we wound them up in copper we’d solve our energy crisis.

        The Art galleries are next and I think it’s quite foolish to think otherwise. The puritanical Neo-Right won’t stop until all “wrong think” is purged. But you’d know that if you ever flipped through a page of Orwell.

        1. Janet, dreams of spidercrab

          you need to wipe the spittle from your mouth,
          you aren’t frightening anyone with an ounce of cop on

          1. NobleLocks

            That’s right, Janet dismiss any opinion that differs from yours as that of the perpetually foaming. God forbid you’d come up with an argument instead of a slur. Is your position that tenuous that it cannot even withstand debate?

          2. Janet, dreams of spidercrab

            you don’t discuss you fling around wild rhetoric, I often have discussions with differing views on here, just ask Newsjustin, Giddy, Rob_G or SOQ to name but a few, because the will discuss not have mad rants..( ok not too many) ;)

        2. ReproBertie

          Some people don’t seem to understand that George Orwell wrote fiction. It’s all 1984 this and Big Brother that but they never seem to worry about pigs taking over farms and I didn’t see any Orwell fans throwing George Bowling around when MAGA and Sasamach were being touted.

    4. Clampers Outside

      That kinda thing, burning books, removing art, removing authors, etc. is already going on, in fairness.

      1. Clampers Outside

        Fair play to HBO for their approach to the movie Gone With Wind, to air it in full, and witj the accompanying discussion of context, rather than deny its existence.
        Context is usually lost on so-called ‘progressives’ who are just ban-happy numpties.

    5. Friscondo

      Ha, ha. The Stasi information gathering seems quaint today in light of what is being gathered by devices we all carry and have in our homes.

    6. Holden

      Nobody said burn the movie. They want to make sure it’s contextualized correctly. It will be back.

  3. GiggidyGoo

    So, the obvious next step is to pull all of the old western films that include references to Red Indians. And films about Travellers (Into the West). And put forewords to them all before re-release.

    1. GiggidyGoo

      (and of course programmes that are on the various Sky channels serving up old TV series depicting Blacks, Irish, Pakastanis, Chinese etc. in a bad light) Only Fools & Horses. Fawlty Towers etc. etc.

      1. ReproBertie

        Sounds good. Attitudes change and it appears people are no longer happy to accept racist stereotypes as entertainment. I can’t think of any good reason why people would argue for the right to portray the Irish as drunken idiots, for example.

          1. ReproBertie

            South Park starts with a warning about the offensive humour. The Walking Dead starts with a warning about violence and gore. I see no reason why other shows can’t do the same, if that is what is required.

        1. Tony

          Drunken idiots maybe not the best example Bert. In fairness we have a massive drink problem in this country. More like the right to portray the Irish ( like Punch magazine used to) as Neanderthals carrying pigs under their arms!

          1. ReproBertie

            Of course there are Irish people with drink problems, just as there are alcoholics the world over, but that doesn’t stop “drunken Irish” being an inaccurate racist stereotype.

          2. Janet, dreams of spidercrab

            poor Neaderthals get a bad rap, with out their DNA we would all be much more lactose intolerant and vunerable to many diseases, also at risk to a higher percentage of miscarriage, they left us many gifts in that 2 percent

  4. paval

    I look forward to driving my Volkswagen with a large sign attached to it, explaining the historical context in which the company was created.

    1. Nigel

      What’s it called when people mock critiques of cultural and historical racism by quoting endless examples, illustrating exactly how prevalent it is, without ever quite acheiving self-awareness about it?

      1. NobleLocks

        @Nigel What’s it called when you have a tiny, yet vociferous sub-section of society who are permanently offended on other peoples behalf, who are delusional to the point that, despite all of the evidence to the contrary, their censorious opinions are only really important to themselves?

          1. NobleLocks

            Lol, I would say the Donald Trumps base too but you know what, of all of their lunacy at least they don’t get offended on other people’s behalf. It seems the Neo-Right have that sown up.

          1. NobleLocks

            I do feel a bit like Cassandra. Watching y’all head off into oblivion despite my protestations

          2. sidhe

            oh how noble and enlightened you are compared to the rest of us plebs

            you’re no better than anyone who tars someone they disagree with as a racist, with your “radical left/neo left” bullshit

            as another commenter said here, you’re just as guilty as buying into a narrative as anyone else here. yours just happens to be of an opposing view to many here, you hypocrite

          3. Nigel

            These statue removals and contextualisations come from a greater and broader awareness of history, not less. If anything it’s anti-whitewashing. I’d be more concerned with the likes of Trump, creating his own reality instantly accepted by his supporters with every breath and every tweet. If they become truly ascendant you’ll have to claim to believe a dozen different and contradictory things before breakfast every day.

  5. V'ness

    Affirmative Action
    Not something I’d row in behind – same as with Gender Quotas
    And with denying our history

    But if it works, and gives people peace
    And it accelerates equality then it’s hard to object to without feeling like a Poo U Jack I’m all white right

      1. f_lawless

        Just a remark on how quickly things seem to have shifted into uber-pc territory.
        Back in April it felt ok to laugh at the staged photo and the originally intended humour behind it because it’s out of step with the modern era. In the current climate, many would probably deem it only tasteless and offensive. What do you think?

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