Censorship.

In this post, we look at how a weblog owned by an individual has the ability to reach out and impact an audience with his content and opinions. We look at Yawning Bread and his recent comments on censorship in Singapore, with reference to a recent film that is to be shown in Singapore.

It has recently come to light that The Board of Film Censors (BFC) has imposed 'extra restrictive conditions' on the film 'The Kids are All Right', based on certain lifestyle issues. It was given a R21 rating, meaning those below 21 years of age are not allowed to watch it, and the board has confined it to one print, meaning it can only be shown at one cinema at any one time.

The film is about two lesbian parents using a sperm donar to have children of their own, and when the kids turn 18, they decide to find out who their father is. The reason for this extra censorship, is that the government of Singapore is concerned with the lifestyle (homosexual) of the 2 lesbian parents in the movie. They are trying to "discourage" this certain choice made by individuals in the community.

Whether or not this is a choice for the goverment to make is a story for another day. We want to look at how the Yawning Bread post has an impact on the society today.

Offical trailer of the film



The reason that the film was given that strict a rating was because it "normalised the homosexual lifestyle". This statement in itself is anarchic and no longer applies to the world we live in today. However, this is never published in the state-owned papers. The majority of the public would never know. With Yawning Bread and also famous local blogger MrBrown getting on the case, the public now have an alternative view and they know what our government is imposing on us. Today, it may be "lifestyle choice". Who knows what they will seek to hide from us in future?

Image Source: Just Jared

References:

1. What's more terrifying than sex?, 2011, Yawning Bread, viewed 10 Feb 2011, http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2011/02/18/whats-more-terrifying-than-sex-family/
2. Screening at a theatre near you...with this ONE print, 2011, MrBrown, viewed 10 Feb 2011, http://www.mrbrown.com/blog/2011/02/screening-at-a-theatre-near-you-with-this-one-print.html
3. Hollywood streams, 2011, The kids are all right - Offical Trailer [online video], avaliable at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdDSqgZ87fM, accessed 10 Feb 2011