Sky showing Bruce Almighty

aliasojo

I've stayed out of this until now, because although I didn't agree with ticklemouse, I do respect her opinion and I fully understand her depth of feeling about this subject.

However, I do wonder if the issue is being clouded slightly? Ticklemouse made the following comment:

Offending a few people? I think that nearly 1/4 million people dead, by the time this is 'over' is more than a few people. The death toll for this country alone will be in the hundreds. I don't want 'sanitised' tv - I just want a bit of thought by the schedulers.

and the point is, that the amount of people who have tragically lost their lives has no bearing on the amount of people who may have been offended by this program. I would hazzard a guess that people who were affected by this disaster would have more important concerns than a few seconds clip in a movie. :-/

Life is harsh at times, that is the reality. We go through all sorts of difficult situations and have to deal with the aftermath as best we can.

I think people may have had a 'knee-jerk' reaction to this film but if you take a minute to seriously think about it, is it really that bad?

With complete respect to everyone, I do think we need to keep a sense of perspective, the realities of life are what need our attention. Is the fictional stuff shown on t.v. worthy of our indignation?

We're not talking about a lengthy program rubbing our noses in the unpleasantness of life, we're talking about a few seconds of fiction. Badly timed perhaps, but I don't think anyone would say that it was done deliberately to cause upset, would they? I think we need to accept that there will be times where something a little inappropriate may occur and the important thing is how you deal with it.

I genuinely believe that we need to take things like this in our stride, I think the world has enough horrible things happening in it that we should be concerned about, without making things worse by worrying about more trivial matters.

aliasojo

Sky played a warning before the film started telling people that the tidal wave scenes were in the film.  If you're so offended your TV has an "off" button.  You can use it whenever you lile.

If this was the case, then I don't believe you have any grounds for complaint at all I'm afraid.

Those who may have been offended, were suitably warned and were perfectly able to switch off. Those who were not likely to be offended could continue to watch, Sky appears to have catered for everyone, IMO.

Sofa_Sogood

Sky played a warning before the film started telling people that the tidal wave scenes were in the film.  If you're so offended your TV has an "off" button.  You can use it whenever you lile.

Whilst I respect everyone's views on this, I think, if Sky issued a warning, it probably begs the question if they too thought it might be offensive to some people. Otherwise why the warning?

I'm sure they could have rescheduled it for a later date.

crana999

I don't really see why delaying it a few weeks would help. It's not like anyone affected directly by it is going to forget, and I hope the British at large won't all forget within a couple of weeks either..?

Sofa_Sogood

I don't really see why delaying it a few weeks would help. It's not like anyone affected directly by it is going to forget, and I hope the British at large won't all forget within a couple of weeks either..?

Not sure what the answer is tbh. I just thought if they had to give out a warning it might have been a bit tactless on their behalf. I didn't see the film so I'm not sure how it would affect people.

I based what I wrote on what I try and stick to when I'm posting. If I have to think twice about posting something then I don't post it.

Still can't see why it couldn't have been rescheduled though.

But you're right too. I doubt many people will forget what's happened in a hurry - regardless of when it's shown.

aliasojo

Whilst I respect everyone's views on this, I think, if Sky issued a warning, it probably begs the question if they too thought it might be offensive to some people. Otherwise why the warning?

I think the word 'some' is the key here. I personally think that the majority of people would not have been offended and I think Sky probably felt the same.

I daresay if they thought the majority would have been offended, then they perhaps would have pulled the film.

I think it would be wrong to have stopped the showing of it, just in case some people were offended and that by screening a warning, they were at least trying to take everyone into consideration.

jellyhead

the point's been made that if it had been the twin towers in the film it would have been pulled or edited (wasn't everything with a reference to terrorism pulled? i tried buying a james bond video that year lol!), i wonder why the same doesn't apply to the tsunami.

biglugs

Similar feelings over "You've Been Framed" on ITV on Saturday which included a "hilarious" bit of film in which people got surprised by a large wave which swept over the edge of the seawall and soaked them.
Cue lots of canned laughter as people got a shock and had to run from the waves!
About as insensitive a piece of television as it's possible to show.
Well done ITV.

Ticklemouse

Well, I didn't know about the warning beforehand - I watched it on multi start, and must have missed the first few seconds if they issued the warning before each screening. However, I agree with the other poster - if it needed a warning, then they must have known people would be offended/upset, however many that is.

I am completely calm now, but it is interesting to see the posts that appear. It will also be interesting to see what Sky's reply to me will be.

I want to reiterate that I am not for 'sanitised' and 'pink and fluffy' tv. I feel there is a genuine need to show such programmes about disasters, whether man made or natural. I am also not an over-sensitive, lily-livered, smelling-salts sort of woman (with any apologies to those out there who are ;D ) It's just that I'd been talking to a friend who is more closely involved with this disaster (without wishing to expand) and who was horrified to learn of it's screening. And I can't see why clips of the twin-towers were edited out of films, because of the deaths of 3000 but, when the towers were OK, but this clip involving a similar disaster was allowed to be shown. (I am in no way belittling the 9/11 disaster BTW)

This disaster will quite rightly stay at the forefront of our thoughts for a long time to come. I know that someone has said what difference will a few weeks make. Well, at the moment, there are many people who still don't know what has happened to friends or family. Within a couple of weeks, I am sure that they will know if their missing are alive or dead/missing presumed dead. Once they have this confirmation, then they can start their grieving processes. Maybe this few weeks would be better than having it inadvertantly flung at them at this time. This last bit is just my thoughts as I type. I luckily have had no experience as yet of close family bereavement, but feel that is what I would want. Don't shoot me if it is not how you have/would feel.

jellyhead

i think showing it in a couple of weeks would be okay.

i posted a gripe about channel 4 sibtitling the phrase flock off at half four in the afternoon and got lots of people telling me it's just life and i shouldn't be so upset about my kid reading those subtitles, but it does get to you at the time.