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I Predicted The Left Would Ban 'Gone With the Wind'
Townhall.com ^ | June 10, 2020 | Todd Starnes

Posted on 06/10/2020 10:47:21 AM PDT by Kaslin

HBO Max has removed the Oscar-winning Civil War epic "Gone With The Wind" from its library over concerns about racial tensions following the death of George Floyd.

I predicted this would happen in my new book, "Culture Jihad: How to Stop the Left From Killing a Nation." I would sincerely encourage you to get a copy and prepare to defend our great name from the jihadists.

I was ridiculed by many in the conservative and the leftist media for my assertion that we were approaching a day when book bannings and movie bannings would become the norm in American society.

And producers for several well-known primetime conservative television hosts refused to promote the book. As I've said many times in the past, most of the people who work in conservative media are not in fact conservatives.

"'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," HBO said in a statement said. "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 film won eight Oscars including best picture and made history when Hattie McDaniel became the first black American to win an Oscar for her performance.

"These depictions are certainly counter to WarnerMedia's values, so when we return the film to HBO Max, it will return with a discussion of its historical context and a denouncement of those very depictions but will be presented as it was originally created because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed. If we are to create a more just, equitable, and inclusive future, we must first acknowledge and underhand our history," the HBO statement continued.

In 2017 the Orpheum in Memphis made national headlines when they decided to ban the beloved Hollywood classic.

“As an organization whose stated mission is to ‘entertain, educate and enlighten the communities it serves,’ the Orpheum cannot show a film that is insensitive to a large segment of its local population,” Brett Batterson, president of the Orpheum Theatre Group, said in a statement.

The film was later returned two years later after massive local and national outrage.

John Ridley, who won an Academy Award for "12 Years a Slave," praised HBO's decision to censor the film.

"It is a film that glorifies the antebellum south. It is a film that, when it is not ignoring the horrors of slavery, pauses only to perpetuate some of the most painful stereotypes of people of color," he wrote.

I wonder if Mr. Ridley would be so bold as to call for the banning of rap and hip hop music that glorifies violence against police officers and women? It's doubtful.

"Let me be real clear: I don’t believe in censorship," he wrote. Now that's laughable because that's exactly what he's doing.

"I don’t think 'Gone With the Wind' should be relegated to a vault in Burbank. I would just ask, after a respectful amount of time has passed, that the film be re-introduced to the HBO Max platform along with other films that give a more broad-based and complete picture of what slavery and the Confederacy truly were," he wrote.

"Or, perhaps it could be paired with conversations about narratives and why it’s important to have many voices sharing stories from different perspectives rather than merely those reinforcing the views of the prevailing culture," he added.

As I wrote in "Culture Jihad," the Left is hell-bent on tearing down statues of Robert E. Lee and Christopher Columbus. They are banning books like "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," "Little House on the Prairie" and "To Kill a Mockingbird."

And unless freedom-loving patriots of all races and political parties rise up these jihadists, we will live the dystopian future predicted in George Orwell's "1984."

Remember his prophetic words.

“Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped."

Our statues are being toppled. Our streets are being renamed. Our books are being rewritten. And our films are being destroyed.

The Culture Jihad has begun, ladies and gentlemen. Read my book.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: 1984; bannedlist; cenorship; culturalmarxism; culture; gonewiththewind; hbo; hollywood; movies; orwelliannightmare; racism; revisionisthistory; theleft; toddstarnes
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1 posted on 06/10/2020 10:47:21 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

>>, and we felt that to keep this title up without an explanation and a denouncement of those depictions would be irresponsible.”

Do they put denouncements of Roman Polanski at the beginning of his films or do they remove them from their online and tv libraries?


2 posted on 06/10/2020 10:49:06 AM PDT by a fool in paradise (Joe Biden- "First thing I'd do is repeal those Trump tax cuts." (May 4th, 2019))
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To: Kaslin

It has opened been suggested for years that “gone with the Wind be banned. So I’m not surprised.


3 posted on 06/10/2020 10:49:20 AM PDT by BunnySlippers (I Love Bull Markets!)
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To: Kaslin
"It is a film that glorifies the antebellum south. It is a film that, when it is not ignoring the horrors of slavery, pauses only to perpetuate some of the most painful stereotypes of people of color," he wrote.

So? Whoever said GWTW was about the horrors of slavery?

4 posted on 06/10/2020 10:51:41 AM PDT by Sans-Culotte (With every passing day, I am a little bit gladder that Romney lost in 2012.)
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To: Kaslin
Ain't one damn bit of difference.


5 posted on 06/10/2020 10:51:49 AM PDT by budj (Combat vet, 2nd of three generations.)
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To: Kaslin

I predict that the left will ban the Republican party, and that the leadership will comply.


6 posted on 06/10/2020 10:52:42 AM PDT by JonPreston
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To: Kaslin

Even though Buttefly McQueen won an Oscar for her part in that film and a 10 year old MLK sang in his youth choir at the premiere of the film, not sure if he saw it though.


7 posted on 06/10/2020 10:58:50 AM PDT by The Louiswu (MAGAa)
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To: Kaslin

Here on the roads of Minneapolistan we get what they call BLACK ICE.. I hope they ban that, too. It’s super slippery and causes crashes.


8 posted on 06/10/2020 10:59:36 AM PDT by shelterguy
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When will the book burning begin?


9 posted on 06/10/2020 11:04:11 AM PDT by LilyBean
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To: Kaslin

Well, they got Little Rascals, Amos and Andy, Song of the South, Little Black Sambo banned. Why not toss in the most famous and probably the most perfectly done movie describing our heritage . . . and a novel besides.


10 posted on 06/10/2020 11:06:51 AM PDT by laweeks
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To: Kaslin

I am waiting to see my purchased copy of Django Unchained disappear from my library.


11 posted on 06/10/2020 11:12:13 AM PDT by jimbug
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To: Kaslin

12 posted on 06/10/2020 11:13:01 AM PDT by plain talk
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To: Kaslin

I’m actually surprised that it lasted as long as it did.

I see that it is on Turner Classic Movies quite regularly, how long before it disappears from there as well. TCM used to even run Birth of a Nation a couple of times a year, but I haven’t seen it on there for a few years now.


13 posted on 06/10/2020 11:22:31 AM PDT by euram
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To: Kaslin

It is significant to me that in their demands to censor, ban, and burn books the leftists have yet to say a thing about banning the book written by one of the people who inspires their activities the most.

Mein Kampf.


14 posted on 06/10/2020 11:28:23 AM PDT by MeganC (There is nothing feminine about feminism.)
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To: JonPreston

The Republicans should prepare themselves to kneel so they can get their heads chopped off by the mob—in the name of racial justice and equality...


15 posted on 06/10/2020 11:28:32 AM PDT by cgbg (Kneeling is a half measure--lefties need to dig a six foot hole and bury themselves in it.)
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To: The Louiswu

Correction. Butterfly McQueen didn’t win an Oscar for her role. Hattie McDaniel did win Supporting Actress Oscar for Mammy though and was the first black to win an acting Oscar.


16 posted on 06/10/2020 11:32:25 AM PDT by xp38
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To: Kaslin

Democrats equal the Taliban


17 posted on 06/10/2020 11:32:25 AM PDT by Truthoverpower (The guv-mint you get is the Trump winning express ! Yea haw ! Trump pence II!)
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To: Kaslin

I was just at my Netflix account and they have the DVD available for delivery subscriptions.


18 posted on 06/10/2020 11:34:41 AM PDT by Mark (Celebrities... is there anything they do not know? -Homer Simpson)
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To: Kaslin
American Film Institute AFI Top 100 Film List

#4 Gone With The Wind

Some of my favorite scenes in GWTW are Hattie McDaniel with either Vivian Leigh or Clark Gable. They are certainly among the funniest scenes.

19 posted on 06/10/2020 11:35:49 AM PDT by Daaave ("You Nexus huh? I design your eyes.")
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To: euram

Ted Turner loved GWTW so much he bought the rights to the entire MGM back catalog just to get GWTW. That is why TCM is MGM heavy in its content. Birth of a Nation as far as I know has long been in the publlc domain.


20 posted on 06/10/2020 11:38:44 AM PDT by xp38
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