Double Measures

Submitted by Abner Grech (Malta), Mar 24, 2008 at 09:13

We have to see the film first to be able to comment on it. I agree that freedom of expression does not mean that one is free to insult. I ask myself in which context are we taking this?! Will it be isulting for a Western lady to see how Islamic ladies live in their countries? Is it insulting for a white men living in a black community to be called 'White' ? Will it be insulting to advertise a running shoes to a human being who lost his legs in war? So if we take insult by definition than we end up not talking to anyone and halt every type of communication.

I ask myself......we people in democratic countries vote to have our believes rooted in our dailty lives. Some people vote to democrats, some to socialists etc, etc. Every loser in an electoral campaign will suffer emotionally and maybe economically and sometimes these wins or losses may determine our quality of life too! I know of many poeple that struggle to keep up with life.

Keeping the above in sight, like in a democratic election, when the movie is released, some people will win (agree) and some people will loose (disagree) but by essense to be fair the film has to be released even if it is offensive for some. If we believe that it is right to show documentaries of African people dying of hunger and thirst (which I find rather offensive) then we have to believe that it is right to show a person's or group of people's thought on another issue.

To be right every country must evaluate what the majority of the people would like in each and every occasion and root the release of a movie. No people ever go to watch a movie which they know that they will not like. If any movie shall be considered not welcome in a country then it must not be introduced but never shall a decision be taken to favour the relations between two different countries with different core beliefs and never shall be the relations based on internal decisions. The country that bases relations on another country's internal decisions will be manipulating, which is in itself wrong.

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