Russia bans south park

[almaty 19]

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Prosecutors in Russia want to ban the award-winning satirical U.S. cartoon South Park, calling the series "extremist" after receiving viewer complaints, a spokeswoman said Monday.

South Park, a cartoon aimed at adults and featuring a group of nine-year olds in a Colorado ski town, has courted controversy from its 1997 debut, parodying celebrities, politicians, religion, gay marriage and Saddam Hussein.

Basmanny regional prosecutors office spokeswoman Valentina Titova said investigators filed a motion after deciding an episode broadcast on Moscow television station 2x2 in January "bore signs of extremist activity."

"In accordance with the conclusions made by experts from the court investigations committee, a claim has been filed against 2x2 for its broadcast of an episode of South Park," Titova said.

South Park has won two Emmy Awards and was first shown on the U.S. Comedy Central network. It is dubbed into Russian and rebroadcast on local networks, including 2x2, a channel which broadcasts animated series in Moscow and St Petersburg.

A representative for 2x2 was not immediately available for comment.

The Russian Union of Christians of Evangelical Faith had asked prosecutors to ban South Park after it said 20 experts had studied the show for its effect on young viewers.

The group's leader, Konstantin Bendas, said "South Park is just one of many cartoons that need to be banned from open broadcast...as it insults the feelings of religious believers and incites religious and national hatred."

"Our complaint is against a lot of cartoons, but this one was from South Park season three, episode 15," he said.

The episode, called "Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics" on the cartoon's website www.southparkstudios.com, first aired in December, 1999, and features the cast singing Christmas carols.

"It's one thing if they are on cable TV and viewers pay money and make a conscious choice. But young children should not be able to turn on the TV after school and watch this. They need to be defended," Bendas said.

Russia passed a 2006 law widening the definition of extremism to include "the abasement of national dignity" and "inciting religious and national hatred," which backers say was needed to stem a wave of violence aimed at ethnic minorities

[IAMX 3,055]

Seems this is a worldly trend. Russia and China like censoring speech directly, Australia likes telling other people what to find tasteful or offensive in banning video games and movies. Locally we're throwing people into free speech zones/cages.

Just not a world for individuality.

[Heracles 417]

Seems this is a worldly trend. Russia and China like censoring speech directly, Australia likes telling other people what to find tasteful or offensive in banning video games and movies. Locally we're throwing people into free speech zones/cages.

Just not a world for individuality.

It is also how we have one of the highest standards of living, lowest unemployment, much lower crime rates, higher house prices, lower poverty rate, higher average income in the developed world.

Let me ask you one thing, do you think people in CA or texas are living the good life or people in Europe..

Edited September 8, 2008 by Aficionado

[almaty 19]

i do, wog boy

[IAMX 3,055]

Seems this is a worldly trend. Russia and China like censoring speech directly, Australia likes telling other people what to find tasteful or offensive in banning video games and movies. Locally we're throwing people into free speech zones/cages.

Just not a world for individuality.

It is also how we have one of the highest standards of living, lowest unemployment, much lower crime rates, higher house prices, lower poverty rate, higher average income in the developed world.

Let me ask you one thing, do you think people in CA or texas are living the good life or people in Europe..

I think limiting speech and expression is ridiculous, regardless of your red herrings of standards of life.

[Heracles 417]

I think limiting speech and expression is ridiculous, regardless of your red herrings of standards of life.

What is life about? Talk or standard of living / quality of life. What was America built on talk or action?

Do you think anyone around the world is like wow America is so free, wish I was like that. Why don't you go to various international forums and ask them what they think of freedom of speech. They will laugh in your freakin face man. I am willing to bet money on it.

Edited September 8, 2008 by Aficionado

[HAL 9000 96]

I think limiting speech and expression is ridiculous, regardless of your red herrings of standards of life.

What is life about? Talk or standard of living / quality of life. What was America built on talk or action?

Do you think anyone around the world is like wow America is so free, wish I was like that. Why don't you go to various international forums and ask them what they think of freedom of speech. They will laugh in your freakin face man. I am willing to bet money on it.

And yet you fight tooth and nail all over this forum defending policies that limit those freedoms. ironic.

[IAMX 3,055]

I think limiting speech and expression is ridiculous, regardless of your red herrings of standards of life.

What is life about? Talk or standard of living / quality of life. What was America built on talk or action?

Do you think anyone around the world is like wow America is so free, wish I was like that. Why don't you go to various international forums and ask them what they think of freedom of speech. They will laugh in your freakin face man. I am willing to bet money on it.

That's great.

So what's so productive about banning video games and movies from adults? This is something Australia does. Is there a reason why adults can't make this choice themselves and government needs to for them?

This is actually directly related to the post of mine. What you suggest I don't care to discuss because it completely detracts from the discussion of a specific thing at hand, instead goes off in la-la land about everything else.

[Heracles 417]

So what's so productive about banning video games and movies from adults? This is something Australia does. Is there a reason why adults can't make this choice themselves and government needs to for them?

No. Like many other countries out there with a higher standard of living, we are not interested in becoming a San Jose, La , CA whatever.

[IAMX 3,055]

So what's so productive about banning video games and movies from adults? This is something Australia does. Is there a reason why adults can't make this choice themselves and government needs to for them?

No. Like many other countries out there with a higher standard of living, we are not interested in becoming a San Jose, La , CA whatever.

So what is the productive or necessary reason for banning video games and movies from adults? Can adults not make a conscious choice of what is offensive or not to them?

[Heracles 417]

So what's so productive about banning video games and movies from adults? This is something Australia does. Is there a reason why adults can't make this choice themselves and government needs to for them?

No. Like many other countries out there with a higher standard of living, we are not interested in becoming a San Jose, La , CA whatever.

So what is the productive or necessary reason for banning video games and movies from adults? Can adults not make a conscious choice of what is offensive or not to them?

The same reason numerous other OECD nations with a high living standard do so. Or are they not as free?

Edited September 8, 2008 by Aficionado

[IAMX 3,055]

So what's so productive about banning video games and movies from adults? This is something Australia does. Is there a reason why adults can't make this choice themselves and government needs to for them?

No. Like many other countries out there with a higher standard of living, we are not interested in becoming a San Jose, La , CA whatever.

So what is the productive or necessary reason for banning video games and movies from adults? Can adults not make a conscious choice of what is offensive or not to them?

The same reason numerous other OECD nations with a high living standard do so.

What reason for Australia, since you're Australian?

It's a very simple question, really.

[Heracles 417]

What reason for Australia, since you're Australian?

It's a very simple question, really.

Protecting the society from ####### that Crappywood produces. Ensuring we keep both violence and crime to a minimum. These are just simplified responses off the top of my head.

The results of such measures speak for themselves. What is the homicide rate in California alone. What is the homicide rate for the entire nation of Australia..

[IAMX 3,055]

Protecting the society from ####### that Crappywood produces. Ensuring we keep both violence and crime to a minimum. These are just simplified responses off the top of my head.

The results of such measures speak for themselves. What is the homicide rate in California alone. What is the homicide rate for the entire nation of Australia..

So the correlation is that movies and video games cause people to kill one another, or do despicable acts, because of the content on them? That's funny. Being a gamer for 20 years now (the least fuzzy being the last 15), I have yet to encounter a shooting at all, and being a person who's always hung out with video game players, the only negative reactions I ever saw was a kid throwing a fit because he was told he couldn't play anymore, which was a discipline issue, not one related to the actual game itself or the content on it.

I'd hate to break it to you, but the people in CA that are out shooting each other.. I doubt they watch much TV or listen to video games. These things costs time and money. But that's just from someone who lives in California. What would I know?

Irony is, Canada has a different approach, and yet, their crime isn't half as bad. Literally, 5 times better, and they have guns, violent movies, violent video games, etc.

No correlation there, just belief and misinformation.

[Heracles 417]

So the correlation is that movies and video games cause people to kill one another, or do despicable acts, because of the content on them? That's funny. Being a gamer for 20 years now (the least fuzzy being the last 15), I have yet to encounter a shooting at all, and being a person who's always hung out with video game players, the only negative reactions I ever saw was a kid throwing a fit because he was told he couldn't play anymore, which was a discipline issue, not one related to the actual game itself or the content on it.

I'd hate to break it to you, but the people in CA that are out shooting each other.. I doubt they watch much TV or listen to video games. These things costs time and money. But that's just from someone who lives in California. What would I know?

Irony is, Canada has a different approach, and yet, their crime isn't half as bad. Literally, 5 times better, and they have guns, violent movies, violent video games, etc.

No correlation there, just belief and misinformation.

There are countless studies out there linking kids exposed to violent games, with a desensitization to violence.

Canada's Constitution is quite similar to that of Australia's. Both countries certainly do not have a do as one pleases approach to laws. A little off topic and probably beyond your scope but why do you think no other developed nation is using the presidential style system and rather uses a form of the parliamentary system. A system where the government and not the courts has the power to enact policy to protect its citizens and residents.

Edited September 8, 2008 by Aficionado