5 ms·

Just watch an old movie from about the 90s and you will be surprised how politically incorrect some of those movies were. They are just a reflection of what was

Just watch an old movie from about the 90s and you will be surprised how politically incorrect some of those movies were. They are just a reflection of what was acceptable in those days.

Pfhreak 8y ago
And in 20 years we'll watch media from this decade and be shocked at what we put in our media. Society advances, culture changes. Viewing the past through the lens of the present is always going to be a different exercise than viewing the present through the lens of the present.
- reaperducer 8y ago
  Society advances, culture changes. I agree with the second part of that. Not necessarily the first. Viewing the past through the lens of the present is always going to be a different exercise than viewing the present through the lens of the present. Unfortunately, we live in a culture of intolerance. A few months ago there was a race car driver who lost his sponsorship because of something his father said before the driver was even born.
  - komali2 8y ago
    >we live in a culture of intolerance This is quite the theory - do you have more backing other than the single instance you've just quoted? And what is "intolerance" and why is this "bad"?
    - reaperducer 8y ago
      You're asking for a lot in a very small space. HN isn't the proper forum to discuss this, and I can't take that much time away from work to educate you. If you can't see it for yourself, then there's nothing I can do for you.
      - komali2 8y ago
        That makes a lot of sense to me, so I'm curious why you lobbed the theory over the wall at a public forum with no intention of defending it. Would you believe me if I told you "we live in the greatest age of free speech in human history - our societies are more tolerant than ever before?" No? Well, I've given as much argument as you, so I suppose we are at an impasse.
    - zeveb 8y ago
      > > we live in a culture of intolerance > This is quite the theory - do you have more backing other than the single instance you've just quoted? Not the OP, but I recently saw this comment: > I never used the word tolerant but on that note, I don't think morally wrong views should be tolerated. The author was one komali2: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19230409 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19230409
      - komali2 8y ago
        Excellent diving in! I believe you are accusing me of hypocrisy - could you expand on this? I'm very interested if I can be caught out in fallacy, given how ardently I challenge fallacy when I find it. To note - literally, I did not use the word "tolerant" in the previous post, and someone made an argument based off a strange assumption that I did. I don't believe racism should be tolerated. Does that thus mean we live in an intolerant society? If I claimed my opinion set the cultural Zeitgeist, would you not accuse me of great arrogance?
        zeveb 8y ago
        I don't think that you're a hypocrite; I think that you're honest about your intolerance. But you're not the only one, and I think that you are an example of our current Zeitgeist, which is — I believe — one of remarkable intolerance for opposing points of view. Granted, we're all intolerant of something; the question is where we draw the line. I think that for quite awhile in the 80s and 90s the line was high, but now it's very very low in comparison.
        komali2 8y ago
        Maybe it would help to define "intolerant?" For example, I don't believe racists shouldn't be harmed for their beliefs, but I think their beliefs should be called out as harmful and immoral at every opportunity. That is what I mean by "intolerant." Do you have a different idea?
        zeveb 8y ago
reaperducer 8y ago
Yep. Society has changed a lot in recent history. Things that were considered OK in the 80's and 90's will end your career today. Example: The 1985 Dire Straits song "Money for Nothing" is shortened when played on radio in Canada, and on non-rock stations on Sirius Satellite Radio because it has a verse that is now considered unacceptable. Example: In the 1990's sit-com Frasier, it was mentioned at least once that people were being referred to psychological counseling for homosexuality.
komali2 8y ago
Agreed - it's quite remarkable. In conversations with non-white friends of mine, it's fairly eye-opening how recently they feel they've gotten a fair shake in films. Like, remember Mr. Yunioshi from Breakfast at Tiffany's? It's insane what they got away with.

Just watch an old movie from about the 90s and you will be surprised how politically incorrect some of those movies were. They are just a reflection of what was acceptable in those days.

Pfhreak 8y ago

And in 20 years we'll watch media from this decade and be shocked at what we put in our media. Society advances, culture changes. Viewing the past through the lens of the present is always going to be a different exercise than viewing the present through the lens of the present.

reaperducer 8y ago
Society advances, culture changes. I agree with the second part of that. Not necessarily the first. Viewing the past through the lens of the present is always going to be a different exercise than viewing the present through the lens of the present. Unfortunately, we live in a culture of intolerance. A few months ago there was a race car driver who lost his sponsorship because of something his father said before the driver was even born.
- komali2 8y ago
  >we live in a culture of intolerance This is quite the theory - do you have more backing other than the single instance you've just quoted? And what is "intolerance" and why is this "bad"?
  - reaperducer 8y ago
    You're asking for a lot in a very small space. HN isn't the proper forum to discuss this, and I can't take that much time away from work to educate you. If you can't see it for yourself, then there's nothing I can do for you.
    - komali2 8y ago
      That makes a lot of sense to me, so I'm curious why you lobbed the theory over the wall at a public forum with no intention of defending it. Would you believe me if I told you "we live in the greatest age of free speech in human history - our societies are more tolerant than ever before?" No? Well, I've given as much argument as you, so I suppose we are at an impasse.
  - zeveb 8y ago
    > > we live in a culture of intolerance > This is quite the theory - do you have more backing other than the single instance you've just quoted? Not the OP, but I recently saw this comment: > I never used the word tolerant but on that note, I don't think morally wrong views should be tolerated. The author was one komali2: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19230409 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19230409
    - komali2 8y ago
      Excellent diving in! I believe you are accusing me of hypocrisy - could you expand on this? I'm very interested if I can be caught out in fallacy, given how ardently I challenge fallacy when I find it. To note - literally, I did not use the word "tolerant" in the previous post, and someone made an argument based off a strange assumption that I did. I don't believe racism should be tolerated. Does that thus mean we live in an intolerant society? If I claimed my opinion set the cultural Zeitgeist, would you not accuse me of great arrogance?
      - zeveb 8y ago
        I don't think that you're a hypocrite; I think that you're honest about your intolerance. But you're not the only one, and I think that you are an example of our current Zeitgeist, which is — I believe — one of remarkable intolerance for opposing points of view. Granted, we're all intolerant of something; the question is where we draw the line. I think that for quite awhile in the 80s and 90s the line was high, but now it's very very low in comparison.
        komali2 8y ago
        Maybe it would help to define "intolerant?" For example, I don't believe racists shouldn't be harmed for their beliefs, but I think their beliefs should be called out as harmful and immoral at every opportunity. That is what I mean by "intolerant." Do you have a different idea?
        zeveb 8y ago

reaperducer 8y ago

Yep. Society has changed a lot in recent history. Things that were considered OK in the 80's and 90's will end your career today. Example: The 1985 Dire Straits song "Money for Nothing" is shortened when played on radio in Canada, and on non-rock stations on Sirius Satellite Radio because it has a verse that is now considered unacceptable. Example: In the 1990's sit-com Frasier, it was mentioned at least once that people were being referred to psychological counseling for homosexuality.

komali2 8y ago

Agreed - it's quite remarkable. In conversations with non-white friends of mine, it's fairly eye-opening how recently they feel they've gotten a fair shake in films. Like, remember Mr. Yunioshi from Breakfast at Tiffany's? It's insane what they got away with.