Jerry Springer: The Opera
Jan. 11th, 2005 01:31 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mrphI didn't see it. But I'm amused (and a little unsettled) by the fuss surrounding it. The BBC 'Have Your Say' pages, in particular, have some gems: "If only the people who post their messages here in support of this production, were aware of the consequences of such blasphemy."
Er, yes.
And then there's Stephen Green's what-a-surprise-I-never-expected-that reaction to people harassing BBC staff after his Christian Voice website published their home phone numbers and addresses. Basically, he denies any such intent: "We totally abhor stuff like that, it does no credit to the cause of Christ," and "But I was a bit naive in thinking perhaps our website would only be visited by Christians."
Um. So it's all the non-Christians visiting his site who are threatening BBC staff because of perceived blasphemy? Riiiiight.
Er, yes.
And then there's Stephen Green's what-a-surprise-I-never-expected-that reaction to people harassing BBC staff after his Christian Voice website published their home phone numbers and addresses. Basically, he denies any such intent: "We totally abhor stuff like that, it does no credit to the cause of Christ," and "But I was a bit naive in thinking perhaps our website would only be visited by Christians."
Um. So it's all the non-Christians visiting his site who are threatening BBC staff because of perceived blasphemy? Riiiiight.
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no subject
Date: 2005-01-10 05:50 pm (UTC)And yes, those comments would be hilarious if the people behind them wouldn't actually be serious. It's scary.
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Date: 2005-01-10 07:54 pm (UTC)I didn't actually realise this was being shown on TV - I saw various people talking about it beforehand but assumed it was something on at the cinema or something. Probably would have watched it if I'd known.
47,000 complaints before it was even aired. 900 complaints post broadcast, 500 supporting calls.
From the BBC site, The Sun says: "ONLY 1.8million viewers watched [...] Jerry Springer: The Opera [...] Despite all the pre-publicity, it pulled in just 10.8 per cent of viewers."
The Guardian says: "The controversy surrounding the televising of the expletive-laden Jerry Springer - the Opera attracted 1.8 million viewers to BBC2 on Saturday night.
The programme drew 300,000 more viewers than normally watch BBC2 at 10pm on Saturday - 10.8% of the available audience, according to unofficial figures."
Amazing what a little spin will do to a story.
Now. 900 against, 500 for. Presume the pre-broadcast complaints will be ignored by all right thinking controllers. They say people will only write to complain, never to support. Can we do something about that? (The post-viewing figures are already more pro than is usual for a genuinely unpopular programme.)
Blasphemous Libel is still technically against the law. Anything that can be done to show opposition to it is surely a good thing.
The 500 for were "people calling or e-mailing in support". How'd they do that? It's difficult to find a direct feedback link on the BBC site itself, although posting a public comment at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/4154385.stm may be noticed.
http://www.christianvoice.org.uk/Springer1.html has a bunch of direct action links. That site wants people to post complaints - intead use the same channels to show your support. www.rejesus.co.uk also has some contact details.
If that is what you believe, then send of a quick email to let them know that this is exactly the kind of interesting, witty, challenging programme that you believe your license fee ought to be paying for. Then encourage other people to do the same. You'll be fighting 47,000 people who made their decision before the programme was even shown, and didn't want you to even have the choice to see it or not.
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Date: 2005-01-11 01:23 am (UTC)The key point here is that the complaints did not, for the most part, just spontaneously emerge from random Christians across the country - it was a carefully coordinated process - and most of the people who dutifully did what their 'leaders' suggested admitted to not having seen the thing...
As for the Sun, they will stick the boot into the BBC every chance they get regardless of the principles involved (usually they are very supportive of free speech) because of the cynical interests of their proprietor...
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Date: 2005-01-11 01:35 am (UTC)[1] refering to many different gods here and not any one in particular.
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Date: 2005-01-11 03:43 am (UTC)Frankly, I'm sickened.
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Date: 2005-01-11 04:48 am (UTC)Apparently one of the paintball teams have been told to change their name from Tsunami or else!
I'm sorry...come again...
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Date: 2005-01-11 09:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-11 01:05 am (UTC)I thought it was highly amusing - I only saw really the first half (it was getting late, the weather was shite, I was tired and had a long drive home) and thought it was very good.
What amuses me is that if it offends people so much, then they have the option of the off button but they dont seem to realise this.
Of course it is ok for Christians to preach on the streets to people who are not interested - but that is ok - evn though it may offend the people they are preaching to, but non-christians may not be allowed to watch a program that may be perceieved as blasphemous etc because they dont want it to be shown. So much for free speech.
I hope the BBC prosecutes the people who burned their TV licences.
What amuses me is they dont get off their high horses about shows like Southpark or films with excessive language or that blaspheme, but they complain about a show that will be shown on national TV - a show that is available to people anytime they want to go - prviding they can afford the tickets and can get to the venue - somethign that is not always possible.
I think that while they may have a valid point with respect to what they believe, they do not have the right to dictate what non-christians want to watch. They have the choice of at least 4 other channels to watch, and can always turn off the TV.
As for the children who have TVs in their rooms, well that is the parents responisibility not the BBcs. Parents should not be relying on the BBC to babysit or bring their own children up for them.
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Date: 2005-01-11 09:39 am (UTC)Prune brained twerps :D
I missed the whole thing - turned it on (after all, if there's militant Christians telling me I shouldn't watch...), but then realised it was opera, so turned it off again /shudders and grins.
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Date: 2005-01-11 09:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-11 01:07 pm (UTC)Now, if they'd burnt their TVs and written in and demanded a refund of all remaining full quarters on the license, there might have been a point.
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Date: 2005-01-11 02:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-12 05:34 am (UTC)I know what you mean by militant types. The minute some one tells me I shouldn't be doing/watching/saying something it's the first thing I have to do ;)
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Date: 2005-01-11 01:29 am (UTC)Regardless of the censorship issue, one thing that confounds me is that these Christian groups are so obviously attaccking the wrong target... Rather than worrying about distinct programming which actually makes people think about religion/morality etc, surely it is the huge amount of mind numbing, vacuous, escapist entertainment type stuff they should be most worried about, for it is surely this which is doing most do undermine morality/religion etc...
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Date: 2005-01-11 07:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-11 11:02 am (UTC)The (I think) producer who put it on was on Radio 4 at some point before the broadcast. FWIW, he's a practising Christian.