People's Feelings Were Hurt, So Theater Cancels Showing 'Gone With The Wind'

Nick Kangadis | August 29, 2017
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That “slippery slope” that people are always talking about seems to be getting more and more slick on a daily basis.

The historic Orpheum Theater in Memphis, Tenn. has decided after “numerous” complaints that they will no longer show the 1939 classic film “Gone With The Wind.”

Set on a Georgia plantation during the Civil War, “Gone With The Wind” is essentially a romance drama that happens to take place in a turbulent time for the U.S. Hattie McDaniel, the black woman who played the racially stereotyped “Mammy” in the film, won an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, but wasn't allowed to attend the event in person to accept.

The manager of the theater released a statement on the cancellation of showing “Gone With The Wind”:

While title selections for the series are typically made in the spring of each year, the Orpheum has made this determination early in response to specific inquiries from patrons. The recent screening of Gone With the Wind at the Orpheum on Friday, August 11, 2017, generated numerous comments. The Orpheum carefully reviewed all of them. 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.

The movie has been out for 78 years. Why is it so offensive all of a sudden? Sure, the movie might have themes that contradict the present-day mentality, but it’s a period piece. Should people be prevented from viewing the first “Inconvenient Truth” documentary simply because there’s very little actual truth in it? Should we cancel or burn any showings or readings of any material that isn’t sensitive to every single person's feelings?

In theory, we should do the opposite. Exposing people to the sometimes harsh reality of life and history is truly how you “entertain, educate and enlighten” people. Life isn’t always rosy and handed to you on a silver platter. The sooner people understand that, the better off they’ll be.

You can be offended all you want at every little thing, but frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.

H/T: Fox 32- Chicago

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