Blue steel, orange mocha frappuccinos, breakdance fights, and really, really, ridiculously good-looking male models — what’s not to like?
I would be surprised to find a millennial who isn’t able to list their favorite lines or scenes from “Zoolander,” by heart. When the trailer for the sequel dropped, the Internet was ecstatic. Unfortunately, while the film was supposed to be screened at Claremont McKenna College earlier this month, it was pulled at the last minute. The reason? According to The College Fix, students were concerned over the depiction of a transgender character, and claimed the film “marginalized identities.”
Ironically, the campus ultimately replaced it with a much more violent film – “Deadpool.” In the age of mass shootings and terrorist attacks, it’s interesting that this film was considered more appropriate.
This is, of course, not the first time the PC college police have shut down a film screening. Last year “American Sniper” generated controversy on several campuses. Critics charged that the film glorified the exploits of “psychotic mass murderer” Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, and marginalized Muslims. Student groups at the University of Maryland pushed to have the film pulled on those grounds. At the University of Michigan, the same thing happened. Students were certain that the film would make others “feel unsafe” due to the “celebration” of a “mass killer” and promotion of anti-Islamic rhetoric.
The film hadn’t even been shown on either campus yet. That’s some intuition.
Given “American Sniper” involved war, and given that the backdrop of the film happened to be the Iraq War, of course detractors found some scenes involving Muslims “questionable.” If one combs through a film like that expecting to find something controversial, sooner or later they will find it. And if a film is controversial, why not have some sort of discussion on the merits of that film in light of that controversy?
That’s precisely what Breyer Hillegas, president of UMD’s College Republicans suggested. Doing so seems like a much more productive use of time. While I understand the sentiments of detractors, objectively, the film is simply not what they made it out to be. There was no Mickey Rooney yellowface acting afoot, let alone cartoonish caricatures of Muslim insurgents in “American Sniper.” The film was shown at my Alma matter (The Catholic University of America). Despite the fact the campus had a contingent of Muslim students, I do not recall any protests or requests to pull the film.
Back in the 1960s, freedom of expression, particularly against establishment norms and culture, was celebrated. Art was one of the major vehicles of advancing this sort of expression, notably in film. For the longest time, liberals have had a monopoly on the entertainment industry. Ironically, we have now come full circle with the PC police shutting down the films they don’t like. Pretty soon they could be acting like the “Christian right” of the ‘90s when religious groups and more socially conservative elements of the country went after video games and music. Now, the more politically correct factions in society are in revolt over movies.
As a film buff myself, the censoring of film out of political correctness flies in the face of what makes American cinema an art form. If a film was seen as inappropriate or distasteful, it wasn’t watched. That’s the great thing about living in a society where a free market of ideas can exist — the best ones thrive while others die on their own merit. Nowadays, colleges don’t seem to be a place for such a marketplace, or dare I say, a place for any informed debate. The whole point of college is to be exposed to different ideas. However, by choosing not to expose ourselves to any controversial films, how can we really know right from wrong if a particular movie exemplifies that dichotomy in the first place? “Zoolander 2” may not have been the first casualty of political correctness on campus, but I fear it may not be the last.
I would kindly ask the PC police this — please, stay out of my hobby.
