Can anyone explain this to me? If so, please do.

[Karldar]

Why is it that WM(only reatailer that does this afaik) sells censored CD's in their electronics department, yet you can buy an 'R' rated movie the next aisle over with plenty of profanity, violence and maybe even some nudity in it? Not that I peruse their literature department, but I'm sure there are some books with language and situations just as bad as the movies. Not the CD's, tho--they have to be censored so their evil doesn't contaminate our youth, dammit! Matter of national security, maybe...?

[LordOpie]

don't you have to be over 17 yo to buy either censored CD or R-rated movie?

[PainTrain]

I think it's because nobody has raised a stink about it yet, and WM ain't gonna bother with that kind of thing unless they have to. The CD thing dates back to the Tipper Gore insanity of fifteen years or so ago.

I've thought about this too, the day I saw 'Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back' on a rack there.

[midgie]

Why is it that WM(only reatailer that does this afaik) sells censored CD's in their electronics department, yet you can buy an 'R' rated movie the next aisle over with plenty of profanity, violence and maybe even some nudity in it? Not that I peruse their literature department, but I'm sure there are some books with language and situations just as bad as the movies. Not the CD's, tho--they have to be censored so their evil doesn't contaminate our youth, dammit! Matter of national security, maybe...?


Shop elsewhere! :D

[Rev.Chuck]

Several years(maybe ten) ago I bought a copy of Road Warrior,VHS, from WalMart. It was the edited for tv version. There was no mention of this on the packaging. I believe they sell edited DVDs and tapes but as there is no pmrc for the movie industry there is not mention of it.
I try not to buy anything from them but, sometimes they get ya.

[Karldar]

don't you have to be over 17 yo to buy either censored CD or R-rated movie?

I'm referring to them selling CD's that are edited to remove, um, naughty content.

Shop elsewhere! :D

Preachin' to the choir, midgie.;) It's just one of those things that irks the hell out of me. Let's see, what's it called? Oh, yes...hypocrisy! I fail to see what the difference is between curse words on a CD and curse words in a movie. Arguably, video can convey more violent and lewd intent than music due to the visual aspect. If video can be edited for airing on TV, it can sure as hell be edited to be sold in a "family-friendly" retail store. On that note: Arghhhhhhh!

[PainTrain]

Here's a little background on the history of Wal Mart's decision from

HushYourMouth: (http://www.hushyourmouth.com/parental_advisory_labels.htm)

......Feeling misled as a consumer, Gore felt the time had come to promote awareness of inappropriate lyrics to parents.

In May 1985, the Parent’s Music Resource Center, a non-profit, tax-exempt organization, was born. Composed of several wives of senators, congressmen, cabinet officials and notable businessman, the PMRC had support from 700 Club minister Pat Robertson and television host Sheila Walsh.


.......Zappa, John Denver and Dee Snider of the group Twisted Sister were all in attendance at the 1985 Senate hearing to investigate the lyrical content of popular music. Also in attendance were representatives from the Recording Industry Association of America.

Organized under the pressures of the PMRC, the hearing became a media field day. Sens. Trible, Hollings and Gore all discussed ways to protect children from "outrageous filth," as Sen. Hollings stated.

Reciting the First Amendment, Zappa took the stand to represent musicians. He referred to the requests of the PMRC as "treating dandruff by decapitation," and stated that the PMRC’s ideas were "whipped like an instant pudding by the wives of Big Brother."

Originally, the PMRC proposed that record companies rate records "V" for violence, "X" for sex, "D/A" for drugs and alcohol and "O" for occult. However, by the time of the hearing, Tipper Gore testified that the PMRC was no longer interested in a rating system but wanted record companies to voluntarily label offensive albums.

Complying with the PMRC, all of the major label record companies embraced the new labeling system.

Out of 7,500 albums released between 1986 and 1989, 49 displayed some type of warning message. By 1990, the black-and-white "Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics" label had become the industry standard.

...In 1991, Wal-Mart, the world’s largest music retailer, announced it would not carry CDs with the PMRC-approved "Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics" label. As a result, the record industry panicked and quickly issued edited versions of CDs to Wal-Mart stores nationwide.

===========================================================================

So, if you'd prefer not to see Wally World sell 'racy' movies, all you have to do is create a media storm, huge public outcry, outraged parents threatening to boycott the chain, get Wally running for cover and they will cave just as they did in '91.

Until then, they ain't gonna bother, because it would cost them money to bother.

[Karldar]

So, if you'd prefer not to see Wally World sell 'racy' movies, all you have to do is create a media storm, huge public outcry, outraged parents threatening to boycott the chain, get Wally running for cover and they will cave just as they did in '91.

Until then, they ain't gonna bother, because it would cost them money to bother.

Well, I would really rather the initial decision be reversed and uncensored CD's be sold at WM, or anywhere else that only sells edited music. Thanks for the info, PainTrain. Hope you didn't go to too much trouble for that.:o I missed out on it, being stationed in South Korea at the time. Spending all my free time drinking, playing video games and cranking my stereo as loud as it would go didn't give me much reason to keep up on current events.

[PainTrain]

No problemo! I've heard the tape of Zappa's testimony is floating around the Web, it's supposed to be pretty funny.

[Karldar]

No problemo! I've heard the tape of Zappa's testimony is floating around the Web, it's supposed to be pretty funny.


I can almost guarantee it's hilarious. *goes to google*

[TexasGuy]

Legislature will always be protecting those who are unable to protect themselves and curbing those who can't curb themselves and they will always be 10 steps behind the world's stupidity and inability to think something through before doing it.

[catatonic]

Wal-mart done this even to videogames. note duke nukem 3d walmart "raped this game" edition, where they cnosored the hell out of it to the point of causing rage.

Pretty much it's wal-mart trying to claim having "christian values"...to me it's a good reason to avoid shopping there. Basically they think they have a right to edit whatever they want....worst part is the recording studios agree to this crap.

As much as I hate target and k-mart, tehy get my business before wal-mart will....actually any store will get my business before wal-mart.