Friday, March 25, 2011

Germanic Correctness

Apparently the German t.v. police are nipply over a prime-time cartoon show.

German Television has put a moratorium on meltdowns in "The Simpsons."

Reacting to the real-life nuclear disaster unfolding in Japan, Pro7, the channel that airs "The Simpsons" in Germany, will be reviewing current and future episodes of the show and remove or replace any that feature a disaster at Mr. Burns' nuclear power plant. ...

Are these folks just noticing that nuclear power has its downside? Do they think if they blot out the unpleasantness as depicted by the Yellow Family, everyone in Bavaria and along the Rhine will have their beautiful minds put at ease?

I know that Germany, France and other European countries have lots of nuclear power plants, and that they would no doubt prefer that the citizenry doesn't dwell on melting fuel rods, hydrogen gas explosions, and cow's milk that glows in the dark. But if people are allowed to watch the news out of Japan, they can probably handle whatever Homer, Marge and Bart Simpson toss their way.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

The way you respond to this news is very American. What you describe is a government trying to police or decieve their citizens by putting their heads in the sand. This simply doesn't happen in Europe the way it does in America.

I am sure this decision is made out of respect for the victims of the disaster. Compare it to U.S. television stations monotoring their content on planes flying into buildings after 911.

There are reasons to be against this policy, but the way you formulate your response is simply not opportune.

Anonymous said...

Yes, of course the reason that they are pulling reactor meltdown episodes is because the German people get their education about nuclear power from cartoons. Not out of respect for those in Japan, heavens no.

Typical posting for this blog. Guys, the 60's are over - put down the bong and your copy of this months Mother Jones.

Anonymous said...

Would one of the oh-so-enlightened Europhiles who posted above please share with us benighted Americans how censoring an American cartoon in Germany does something for the Japanese people? How would anyone in Japan have a clue that the German culture police had done this great favor to them?

According to this article, the German people are in a panic about nuclear energy, not out of sympathy for Japan, but about their own nuclear dependence.

Mowgli said...

First of All, it wasn't Pro7 Germany but Pro7 Switzerland which decided to censore the Simpsons. Second of All, it was an decision in respect of the victims and they will continue soon to show it uncensored.

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