I agree. Especially with the differentiation between altering a message and cutting a scene that does not add to the overall story and message and is only an in

I agree. Especially with the differentiation between altering a message and cutting a scene that does not add to the overall story and message and is only an inconsequential point in the work of art. There are really muddy waters to be traversed in other cases, but I fail to understand what the problem is in the specific case here. To name an example I am thinking of: changing the guns in E.T. imho actually changed the message, made the movie/story less understandable and painted a more rosy/pacifist image of US law enforcement. It changed the underlying critique against the government's reaction mode into nothingness. Not even a scene cut, but altered in a way to tell a different story. Also I would like for the originals to be preserved in an accessible way so that we can learn about gone times and what was normal/acceptable for people in these eras. To be able to have the 'true' sources as objects of study. And their reception and changing over time. This way we could learn. Edit: Typo