Warning Necessary?

Since RichN has been out of town and the "official" fall TV season hasn't started yet, I've been able to watch lots of things I normally wouldn't. I was very surprised and pleased to see a special presentation on PBS of "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman" last night. I know I'll show my age, but as a kid, we were all required to watch this for our history class. Excellent TV movie and Cicily Tyson not only won an Emmy for Best Actress, she received a second one just for this part. This showing was in honor of the 30th anniversary of the original airing. You can imagine the controversy when this was first shown on TV. It did predicate "Roots".

Queen Latifa introduced the special and informed everyone that this story was part of our history. Miss Jane Pittman was a former slave who lived to be 110. She was freed in 1865 after the Civil War was over. She was 10 years old at the time. The story is a powerful one of how blacks were treated over those next 100 years. And how blacks were expected to be treated. It's a very eye opening message. The slaves after the Civil War didn't even realize they were free. Most of them had no where to go, no relatives, no money and their plantation owners couldn't help them out since they were wiped out during the war. It's a very, very true story.

Queen Latifa said that the movie was an inspiration to the American spirit.

So image my surprise before the opening credits. The warning message that the movie could be harmful to the younger audience and viewer descretion should be advised. I just about fell off the bed.

I was 13 years old when I saw this. We didn't have warning labels back then. I grew up in a city where the KKK was the norm. And this movie was "harmful"? I think it's just sad they we cannot honestly share our American history, good or bad, with our children and our grandchildren. I hope I reaised elmono to understand everything about our country. I would like Demon Child to know the good, the bad, and the ugly. And try to make her life better for it. I don't think you should hide things like this. It's our HISTORY! It's not the present. It's the past and there's not a damn thing we can do to change it.

Next thing you know, "The Diary of Anne Frank" will be banned from schools. If that happens, get me a freaking soap box.