Esme Campbell
It’s a universal experience. You cuddle up on the sofa for a family film. You have popcorn at the ready, blissfully unaware you’ll soon be spitting it out in shock. As the film goes on, you exchange side glances and grimaces with your sibling. All the while, the viewing is accompanied by the awkward commentary of your parents purveying that the film is “a bit outdated”.
From borderline offensive to the downright obscene, old media can be difficult to digest. The casual racism, blatant sexism and tawdry homophobia creates a vertiginous watching experience. But aside from bigotry making it harder to enjoy, do we have a moral duty to boycott obsolete entertainment?
Old Media: The Problematic Elephant In The Room
In recent years, it has become more commonplace to criticise the controversial aspects of film, TV, music, books and everything else. When Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us (2016) was adapted into a movie, everyone had opinions on the depiction of interpersonal violence. Even ‘beloved’ TV shows, such as Friends (1994-2004), are now being reevaluated for their problematic content.
From The Bell Jar (1963) to Breakfast At Tiffany’s (1961), entertainment from the past couple of centuries harbours outdated and offensive views. These harmful jokes are often brushed off by a modern audience simply because ‘it was different back then.’
“Problematic themes and characters being ‘acceptable’ at the time does not exempt them from accountability”
To an extent, this is true. Although Sylvia Plath’s racism is shocking to modern readers, it was considered ‘normal’ by (white) audiences at the time of publication. Even a decade ago, Come Fly With Me (2010) was the most viewed comedy in the UK that year. However, the latter was still criticised for racist content at the time.
However, problematic themes and characters being ‘acceptable’ at the time does not exempt them from accountability. Analysing old media through a modern lens is not only inevitable, but also dutiful. Especially for younger generations who weren’t socialised into normalising some of the attitudes present in them. For example, Come Fly With Me was removed from streaming services in 2020.
The Problem With ‘The Classics’
A lot of media hides behind the label ‘classic’, which implies they are beyond criticism. This label manages to hide a multitude of sins (looking at you, Tarantino). But ‘it’s a classic’ is most often used as an excuse for prejudice.
Classic literature, for example, is far more absolved than a 1970s sitcom. Take Oscar Wilde (a literary genius by any right) whose impenitent anti-semitism weaselled its way into descriptive passages. Aside from being, at best, redundant, he ruins a paragraph’s tone and interrupts the story to elbow in some over-stewed bigotry.
Although this is acknowledged by critics and casual readers alike, it tends to get brushed under the rug far more than, say, the controversy in Friends.
The issue with classics is that they are idolised, critically acclaimed, and widely consumed. Appreciating media without widely acknowledging its anachronistic views may normalise, or reprieve, them. When certain entertainment stretches toward all corners of the Earth, there is a sense of duty and responsibility attached to it. If ‘everyone loves’ something, pointing out its flaws can be seen as ‘political correctness gone mad’.
But does that mean all these things can’t still be enjoyed?
Can We Still Enjoy Outdated Old Media?
Many of these stories, somewhat ironically, preach valuable lessons and critical insights about humanity’s behaviour. Is it fair to deny ourselves of great artistry, story-telling, and important pieces of history because of their prejudicial aspects? Can we enjoy them anyway?
Classics aside, even the least enjoyable, bottom-of-the-barrel media, shouldn’t necessarily be shoved in a vault to collect dust and be forgotten about, either. With that, we run into the overarching issue: what do we do with the offensive old media?
“Old media gives us the opportunity to look ourselves in the mirror”
Some may advocate for their inaccessibility, like The Mighty Boosh (2004-2007) being removed from Netflix. In other cases, some suggest removing the prejudicial aspects from the work. Indeed, censorship is the only effective way to erase this, and has been used in several cases.
But this could create more issues than it solves. Erasing evidence of discrimination creates a mandate for humanity (especially the Western world) to be granted a clean slate. Eliminating the faults of this media erases accountability alongside it. I can’t help but feel Netflix removed shows more out of guilt than remorse.
We Need To Face Our Past
Our world today is still built upon the prejudices that are so violently obvious in some of these films. The only difference is how visible it is.
Old media gives us the opportunity to look ourselves in the mirror, address our wrongs and improve. Even a simple acknowledgement can improve things, like the note that has been added to the beginning of Aladdin (1992) about harmful cultural stereotypes. It ensures the film can still be enjoyed, whilst noting its damages and preventing its audience from taking such depictions as gospel, recognising it for the fiction it is, instead.
While censorship may save me from wanting to slam my head through the nearest available surface every time I hear “did she put up a fight?” in Grease (1978), it does us no favours. Many boys and men do think this way, as disgusting as it is. Cutting the line completely ignores the reality of rape culture.
Acknowledging the cultural expectations and norms of the period is important, because it was ‘different back then’ and is definitely ‘a bit outdated now.’ The bottom line here is that you can condemn them without forgetting them. You can hate those parts of the media without hating the whole piece of media.
You can still enjoy old media whilst calling out its bigotry. In fact, it adds to how you understand and enjoy it.
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Featured image courtesy of Joss Broward on Unsplash. No changes made to this image. Image licence found here.
