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Oct. 30th, 2005 04:43 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
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Not to start a TOS vs TNS thing, but whats everyone's response to the comments made in this post on a forum I found randomly?
"Give it a chance."
That was the oft –repeated mantra of the folks on the old Sci-Fi board. Give the new show a chance, don’t pre-judge it; watch it, see what you think. So we did. We watched it and in the spirit of fairness, we matched words with deeds, here at Colonial Fleets, and created a completely separate but equal sub-forum, strictly for new show conversation. It seemed to be the right choice, at the time.
Since then, we have been educated to the mindset of the author that the offerings on this show, called Battlestar Galactica (2003), were to be a reflection of society and we were challenged to "think about it;" that there would be parallels to real-life events such as the Sept 11 attacks and told, by the author, to "make your own judgments as to what they say to you;" and that this new show would completely "re-invent" the sci-fi genre.
Well, we have thought about it and have spoken those thoughts on these forum pages, for much of the past 2 years. Ever since the new series came about, this fanbase has been in a tenuous place and Colonial Fleets was often a tension spring within the fanbase for allowing and even promoting, at times, discussion of the new series. Through that time, we made a concerted effort to separate the comments from the commentator and to keep the debates focused on the issue. Primarily, though, each of us has strived to employ our own personal standards of morality and decency when presenting these thoughts.
An example of these standards of decency and morality can be witnessed by the following remarks by our good friend, Malkyte, who very eloquently expressed the thoughts of many members, here and elsewhere:
"Throughout the many years of human existence, there has always been a line. A line that represented on one side, the best of human decency and morality, and on the other, the pure animalistic and monstrous evil that humans can be. This line has moved back and forth throughout those same years, and depending on individual experiences, it has always been in different places.
"Society in general has appeared to become more tolerant of rude and disrespectful behavior, to the point where it is celebrated when someone is deviant or rebellious. It’s rather disheartening and disturbing at the same time. But our society more and more rewards liars, killers and celebrity deviants, who in some cases are only in the news because of the crap they do, and not for any talent they may possess."
We share those same concerns about society and can see, for ourselves, the truth in the remarks. In addition, we agree that the "line" has been shifting back and forth with a decided tilt toward the less than desirable aspect of human society. We also realize that the entertainment industry has "pushed the envelope as far as they could", only because we have allowed them to do so.
We have allowed the entertainment industry to tell us that
it was "ok" to have a baby's neck snapped (the script originally called for Number Six to drive her finger through the baby's skull);
it was "ok" to draw a parallel of sympathy toward the terrorists who carried out the Sept 11 attacks - in other words, we got what we deserved;
but, the straw that snapped the proverbial camel's back was the use of rape as a military torture tool in the "Pegasus" episode.
We will NOT allow the entertainment industry to tell us that it is "ok", at any time, for a rape to occur. It does not "advance the story", it glorifies a horrible aggression upon another human being.
After nearly 2 years of this "educational experience", we have reached the conclusion that the movement of the line must cease. While we absolutely hold no ill will toward our Fleets family members who are attracted to the show, we can no longer willingly sanction discussion about a show which goes against so many of our innermost values.
Mr. Moore, your show has had many events which have driven us away from its potential enjoyment. The negatives have far outweighed the positives, and in this case, the negatives have finally come to a head that cannot be ignored.
no subject
Date: 2005-10-30 11:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-31 09:10 am (UTC)