*Bleep*

Ages ago when I used to chat in the chat room over at BlogExplosion, I struck up a conversation with someone who said they used a service that edited out the profanity, nudity, violence and sex from DVD movies. I think I was more shocked by the fact that up until this point in the conversation, they seemed relatively normal. Things were never the same after they told me they utilized this service.

Before I get too far into this post, I just checked the site, to see if it was still around after all this time, and as it turns out it's "Going Out of Business." I love it! Though, I know there are surely others out there that are doing the same thing (editing movies for "offensive" content). I also looked at their current list of edited films and among them are Adventures in Babysitting, Airplane!, Dead Poet's Society, etc. Talk about depressing.

The irony is, I feel like people who use this service don't actually like movies. Maybe the idea of them, but not the actual art of cinema. How can they? When a director makes his/her film, they do so with a particular vision in mind. If you come along and edit that vision, whether it be through a service like this or on network television, that vision is sacrificed in the name of someone else's morals and in the end, alters the entire perspective of the film.

I can't help but think that people who go to such lengths have much deeper 'issues' that are only going to get worse as time marches on. The other thing I find more than a little disturbing is that I'm sure some of the customers (if not the majority) are parents. These fuddy duddies are helping shape these kids' future psyches (and your future son/daughter in-laws). Yikes. BIG yikes. It's a therapist bill just waiting to happen.

I know how crazy it makes me when I see The Breakfast Club on television and hear Claire exclaim "Flunk you! Why didn't you listen to John?" or hear Bender exclaim "Eat my shirt" Ugh. And people actually pay for this. I'm not being facetious when I say this is seriously depressing. This one is a definite deal breaker. Too bad we can't edit these people's wombs.