AMC Networks recently sparked controversy after it included a warning before the famous 1990 mob film “Goodfellas.” The statement informed viewers that they would be watching content that did not conform to modern cultural standards.
The warning stated, “This film includes language and/or cultural stereotypes that are inconsistent with today’s standards of inclusion and tolerance and may offend some viewers.” A representative of the company informed the New York Post that in 2020, AMC felt obligated to caution viewers of potentially offensive content.
According to the representative, “In 2020, we began adding advisories in front of certain films that include racial or cultural references that some viewers might find offensive.” However, the outlet pointed out that other mob movies are not given the same warning; instead, they deliver warnings about nudity and violence.
Bo Ditel, a former NYPD officer who played the role of a cop in “Goodfellas,” expressed his disdain for the warnings now being placed on the film. According to Ditel, the warning is an attempt to “cleanse history,” illustrating the nature of how life was back in the time depicted in “Goodfellas.”
“The f–king political correctness has f–king taken everything away,” he said to the Post. “This is how life was back then. It was not a clean beautiful thing. You can’t cleanse history. If you want to tell true history, you gotta tell it the way it is.” Michael Franzese, a former captain of the Colombo crime family, also weighed in on the warning. “We don’t need anyone protecting mob guys. It’s crazy,” he said, expressing a sentiment similar to Ditel’s.
As woke culture continues to redefine moral standards, such warnings have become widespread across various forms of entertainment. The American Tribune recently reported on the backlash surrounding a trigger warning applied to some theatrical performances.
English actress Judie Dench sounded off on the concept, suggesting that people who are so sensitive that they would require a trigger warning should avoid going to the theater altogether. “Do they do that?” Dench asked. My God, it must be a pretty long trigger warning before King Lear or Titus Andronicus.”
The 89-year-old actress conceded that she understood why the warnings exist, but criticized them for taking away the element of surprise from a performance. “I can see why they exist, and it is preparing people, I suppose, but if you’re that sensitive, don’t go to the theatre, because you could be very shocked. Where is the surprise of seeing and understanding it in your own way?”
She continued, “Why go to the theatre if you’re going to be warned about things that are in the play? Isn’t the whole business of going to the theatre about seeing something that you can be excited, surprised, or stimulated by? It’s like being told they’re all dead at the end of King Lear. I don’t want to be told.”
Warnings for those with medical conditions, such as audience members who are prone to epileptic seizures, have always been commonplace in theater. However, these warnings have now expanded to include statements about things such as the portrayal of women and minorities in classic works.
Featured image credit: Kiran891, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AMC_West_Oaks_14_at_West_Oaks_Mall_in_Ocoee_near_Orlando,_Florida.jpg
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