Politically correct wave of cleansing in streaming services
The southern drama maintains a “problematic” way of dealing with slavery and “racist prejudices”, said the American video provider HBO Max. "The racist representations were already wrong then and still are," said a spokesman for the streaming service of the US magazine Hollywood Reporter. However, the company would include the film in the program again with an “explanation of its historical context and a distancing from racist representations” in order not to disguise the prejudices that had existed.
John Ridley, screenwriter of the drama "12 Years a Slave" had previously asked for the film to be removed permanently because he "romanticized the horror of slavery". It is a film that "spreads some of the most painful stereotypes about People of Color at times when he doesn't ignore the horror of slavery anyway," Ridley told the Los Angeles Times. The greatest Hollywood talents at the time had worked to glorify the story, even though there had never been one. However, the film never made this claim, the story is fictional. After being removed by HBO Max, the classic suddenly became so popular that it is now one of the best-selling films on Amazon.
Little Britain is also out of the program
The BBC and Netflix have also "corrected" their program. They no longer offer the sketch series "Little Britain" because "Blackfacing" (black make-up of white actors to portray dark-skinned people) could be seen there. The social satire was known to make everyone crazy - without exception.
Matt Lucas, one of the creators, regretted the cult show years ago and told the Big Issue 2017 newspaper that he would no longer produce the series because society had changed and the show would hurt people today. The depiction of black people and jokes about transvestites was wrong and cruel. A second series by Matt Lucas, “Come Fly With Me”, which ended in 2011, was also removed due to racism charges related to “blackfacing”.
The "wave of cleansing" meanwhile washes further titles from the streaming services program. For example, the reality documentary “Cops” by Fox , in which police officers are accompanied on the patrol. Critics complained that the series showed a disproportionate number of criminals with dark skin tones and thus fired prejudices against black people.
The British video service UKTV removed a single episode of the series comedy "Fawlty Towers" last Thursday to check it for racism. The episode called "The Germans" was known for its "Don't mention the war" scene with John Cleese as Basil Fawlty. The actor was upset with the company's decision. Anyone who does not see that racism is criticized and not supported there is simply "stupid," said Cleese, according to the Süddeutsche Zeitung.
"Black Lives Matter" instead of comedy
When we say “Black Lives Matter,” we also mean “Black storytelling matters.”
With an understanding that our commitment to true, systemic change will take time – we're starting by highlighting powerful and complex narratives about the Black experience.
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But the streaming services not only remove titles, they also add new ones. Only politically correct is understood. Media company "Netflix" announced on Wednesday that it would release a number of series on racial injustice in the United States. Knowing that their commitment to a true system change takes time, start by emphasizing strong and complex stories of "black experiences". "'When we say 'Black Lives Matter', we also mean 'Black storytelling matters'," the company said on Twitter.
Netflix then presented a list of films with dark-skinned actors that are currently available on the video portal to "celebrate blacks".
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