I Don't See The Big Deal With 'Gone With The Wind'

Maybe it's just me, but movies aren't supposed to be real, right?  Some are based on true stories, but a movie is still entertainment when it's all said and done.  So, why does a movie need a disclaimer before it's aired on HBO Max?

'Gone With The Wind' is one of those movies that critics have raved about for decades.  I've never seen the movie nor do I care to do so.  It's just not my thing.  However, I have read about how black people were depicted in the movie as "willing slaves" or "incompetent".  Because of this, we end up with this movie that's been around since before my dad was born coming with a warning label as if we're incompetent as well.

Now, because I've not seen the movie then maybe I don't understand the extremes of which the slaves may have been depicted.  However, I don't think that you throw a disclaimer on it because of it.  Does that mean that we'll have disclaimers for music videos that show women being degraded by men?  Do we have a four minute speech at the beginning of "Old Yeller" because of what people may perceive as animal cruelty?

Look, slavery happened.  And it infuriates me to know that people were treated like that.  My people.  But, TV is make-believe.  The reason why 'GWTW' hasn't bothered me in my 48 years on this planet is because I haven't watched it.  And that's what I would advise people to do if they feel outraged about how blacks were depicted in this film.  Just don't watch.  Don't even sweat the "gone with the wind plantation" mentality.

Who cares if some white people watch it and get their jollies from seeing black people mistreated?  They were racists anyway if they got enjoyment out of that, so why make a big deal out of people who probably aren't going to change?

I don't want to see lengthy disclaimers in front of my movies due to racial insensitivty, excessive violence, gratuitous booty shots, or whatever.  No apologies in front of "A Time To Kill" or "Mississippi Burning" or whatever unflattering movies that may be out there.  And there are thousands of them.

Most people generally know what they are getting when they sit down to watch a movie.  And if they don't know and happen to get a few minutes into it to discover that there's something about it that they don't like then they can change the channel.

Maybe there's a discussion that can be had about whatever was unpleasing about the movie, but please don't force movies to do this regularly.  Let these movies serve as talking points for productive discussions about racism.  Although I appreciate the effort, but disclaimers still won't change the systemic racism in this country in my opinion or even come close.  That's an entirely different discussion.

No More Wall Street Bailouts!

"Every time I come in the kitchen, you in the kitchen." - Mr. Jones from the movie Friday.

That's what it seems like every time this country gets into a financial bind.  Every time the citizens get hungry, big corporations are already in the kitchen with their heads in the refrigerator.

The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic led to multi-trillion dollar bailouts of businesses and citizens in this country.  I get the citizens needing a hand, but huge corporations?  Again?

Why is it that these billion dollar corporations (that boasts huge profits annually) always seem to run out of money?  

That's a rhetorical question.  We all know it's because of campaign contributions.  Politicians wouldn't dare turn their backs on their buddies when there's a penny to be made.  Get them re-elected and you'll never be broke.

We've heard the phrase "too big to fail" being thrown around left and right, but is that really true?  Can you be too big of a company to fold?  And if that's the case, then what's the incentive for these companies to do anything competent when they know that Uncle Sam is going to bail them out each time they make a mistake?

I've seen a few local businesses in my hometown closed down.  Not because they had poor service or offered an inferior product.  But because the bailouts didn't do enough (if anything) for them.  They don't have the billion dollar profits to fall back on and friends in the White House to throw a few dollar their way.  

Times only get hard for those in the lower tax brackets.  And it's those in the lower tax brackets whose funds are paying to sustain these corporations.  It still won't prevent layoffs and it still won't prevent them from fleecing you for profits sometime in the future.

I'm going to need these incompetent CEOs who can't stretch billion dollar annual profits over the course of a few months to stay out of this country's kitchen.