The truth behind censorship

Last week Bill Hastings, Chief Censor of the Office of Film & Literature Classification New Zealand, came to Dunedin to inform Dunedin Year 13 students of the censorship process, writes Max Lequeux of Logan Park High School.

He brought along his own natural style of charisma and charm, presenting a pleasurable afternoon, shining the light on the devilish business of the censor.

"Sex, horror, crime, cruelty and violence," bellowed Mr. Hastings, across the 200 strong crowd in Hoyts cinema, "these are the 5 key objectionable subject matters in censorship."

Any citizen can submit an item to be classified, and the authority to classify ranges from film, book (in fact any print of writing), to any thing.

That's right; our government can classify ‘anything'. In other words the government has the authority to classify your e-mails, your letters, your family photos, your texts, pxts, and they do.

What is left of your privacy when the police can delve into your most private, possibly intimate moments?

And impose their idea of decency and public protection into your own life, to which no one else should be concerned.

But before we start a social uprising, I must admit that these powers are used wisely and to protect the public good, to stop paedophilic photographic and written exchanges. So as long as we live in New Zealand and Big Brother doesn't gain any political control I think that we are relatively safe.

To help us understand the many variables that the censors in Wellington have to contend with when classifying film, Mr. Hastings brought with him the so far unreleased film by the Spierg Brothers ‘Daybreakers'. A vampire film with a twist, it portrays a world is populated by vampires with the human race on the brink of extinction. But the vampires cannot live without the human's blood, and there is a lot of blood.

Sub-plots are explored, the human race becoming the animals farmed to sustain the superior species life, but overall the film was more akin to a B movie, and carried with it everything that is wrong with Hollywood these days.

But back to classification, the vast majority of the Year 13 group voted for R 16, with maybe 3% for R18, and 7% for M, confirming Mr. Hastings and the Office of Film & Literature Classification New Zealand's previous thoughts on the film's restriction.

The Censor for a Day' outing is most certainly a worthwhile and informative use of your time. The pre-conceived notions of the big, unfair government censoring our fun are, to be blunt, ridiculous.

I mean, be honest, is ‘Grand Theft Auto' really a game that deserves a G rating? So when it comes along to your town, be sure to make the most of this opportunity, let some light be shed upon the censorship process. And if all else fails, at least you'll see a film.

- Max Lequeux is a Year 13 student at Logan Park High school 

Add a Comment