Aug. 14 1988
A week ago (Aug.6) the Banner ran an AP story about yet another chapter in the war between the Yahoos and the principle of the free exchange of ideas. This particular illustration concerns the prior censorship of a movie, with people who are pleased to call themselves Christians battling to keep Universal Studios' "The Last Temptation of Christ" from being released, but we could just as well be dealing with the censorship of books, TV, newspapers, or any other form of expression and communication.
The story centers on a United Methodist preacher, Donald Wildmon, who has achieved a long record of activity designed to prevent us from reading or watching what we want, and tells of this man's efforts to lead a national protest against the film.
His aim is to insure that nobody sees it; some of his allies have gone so far as to try to buy the movie from Universal so that it can be destroyed.
And what is Wildmon's motive? Why is he expending so much of his effort and other people's money? Because he doesn't like the way the Christ is portrayed in the Nikos Kazantzakis novel the film is based on. Apparently Pope Leo's fifth century definition of Christ is wholly Man and wholly God doesn't sit well with Wildmon.
So instead of simply not watching a film he knows will offend him, as most of us would, he wants none of us to see it.
If Wildmon were an anomaly, his efforts would be laughable. But Wildmons are all around us, and they see those who don't think like them as a threat. They see different ideas not as exciting, but as dangerous. They are responsible for the insipid, non-controversial programming on TV because they are organized, and frightened advertisers and program managers listen to them. They are responsible for the fact that text book publishers are afraid to mention "evolution" in biology texts, even though Darwin's theory is the driving force behind all modern biology.
I'm amazed we're allowed to teach that the Earth revolves about the Sun. Surely some organized group must be offended.
What truly galls is the arrogance of the Wildmons of the world. What right does some jerk have to tell me what I can watch, what I can read, what I as a thinking adult can do? Why is he interfering in my life? Where does he get off telling me that his morals are better then mine? That his word-view is more accurate than mine? That his vision of the Golden Light is purer than mine? If this be a Christian, bring on the lions!
If you don't want to watch the movie, Rev. Wildmon, fine. But leave the rest of us alone.
*******
Not all TV programming is insipid. Home Box Office has renewed it's fin "Vietnam War Stories" series with all new episodes, and the first one is a corker, Called "The Fragging," it deals with soldiers in a company who hold their commanding officer responsible for the death of 19 of their number through a series of command blunders. To protect themselves, the soldiers in on platoon agree to "frag," that is, murder the C.O. by throwing a grenade into the latrine while he uses it.
The tale with its twice tragic denouement is tightly written for it's half-hour time slot, using an apparently unrelated sub-plot to bring the story to its climax, and the script is so true-to-life that those of us who were lucky enough to not be there think that this must have been how it was.
The superb acting and compelling, convincing art direction put you right there amidst the tension and fatigue, the drugs, the admirable and the hateful. From the opening service with a scratchy phonograph record playing "Taps," to the realization when they take off their tin pots and combat gear that these are KIDS, to the on-screen death of on o f these kids, the images are superb.
If this one doesn't grab you, nothing will.
Too bad it's 15 years to o late.
The next episode, "Separated," runs Sunday at midnight, so snort some NoDoz or kick-start your VCR. If you missed the first episode, HBO has a habit of re-running its original programming every few months.
Mac Rush works in the Banner's composing room.
I think in this column my dad realized that he could do more then just write reviews.
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