Catholic League and Pullman
November 28, 2007
Check this out:
http://arts.independent.co.uk/film/news/article3201577.ece
After 500 years, the strategy remains the same: boycott a cultural product to make it the most popular thing since sliced bread. And now we have another example: with the release of Pullman's Golden Compass, the Catholic League has launched a campaign to boycott the movie, led by Bill Donohue, Catholicism's professional pugilist, whose presentation of Christianity on morning TV (two modes: `I'm very angry about this' and `I'm very, very, very angry about this') is by far the best argument for atheism of which I am aware. I find that he's best watched with the mute button on -- no danger of perforated eardrums that way.
Censorship doesn't work; boycotts simply make things attractive and more marketable-- it's why middle class rap artists put the `f' word into their lyrics; it played a significant part in making Protestantism appealing; and, Mr Donohue, it's just a movie. Whatever Pullman's intentions, it's a fantasy that can be understood just as fantasy. Or at least it could, until that helpful Mr Donohue interpreted it all for us.
http://arts.independent.co.uk/film/news/article3201577.ece
After 500 years, the strategy remains the same: boycott a cultural product to make it the most popular thing since sliced bread. And now we have another example: with the release of Pullman's Golden Compass, the Catholic League has launched a campaign to boycott the movie, led by Bill Donohue, Catholicism's professional pugilist, whose presentation of Christianity on morning TV (two modes: `I'm very angry about this' and `I'm very, very, very angry about this') is by far the best argument for atheism of which I am aware. I find that he's best watched with the mute button on -- no danger of perforated eardrums that way.
Censorship doesn't work; boycotts simply make things attractive and more marketable-- it's why middle class rap artists put the `f' word into their lyrics; it played a significant part in making Protestantism appealing; and, Mr Donohue, it's just a movie. Whatever Pullman's intentions, it's a fantasy that can be understood just as fantasy. Or at least it could, until that helpful Mr Donohue interpreted it all for us.
