I would be curious to hear what you think of this:
Clear Play lets you watch regular DVD's and SKIP the VIOLENCE, NUDITY, and PROFANITY! Now you and your family can safely watch current films like Jumper, Spiderwick Chronicles, Fool's Gold and The Bucket List and ClearPlay will imperceptibly skip all the objectionable material!ClearPlay software filters 2,700 movies produced over the past 40 years and includes a FREE 30 day membership that updates your ClearPlay system with the latest titles. Optional memberships available through Clearplay for only $7.95 per month so you'll always have plenty of new movie options! A ClearPlay membership gives you access to filters for all the newest ones as soon as the DVD's are released. Your membership also gives you a ClearPlay USB FilterStik, which lets you get new Filters with just a click of your mouse.
My first reaction is that this might be a great way to watch movies, but I have questions:
1. Who determines what is deemed, violent, nude or profane? Perhaps nudity is easier to define, but there is material on primetime TV that is not technical "nudity" that I still don't need to see or have my kids be exposed to.
2. Just because we have eliminated all the "bad stuff" from the movies does that mean they are purged from sin or evil? I'm not sure that eliminating these sorts of things means we can turn off our brains and assume we are "safe". Even when my kids are watching cartoons I want them to begin thinking theologically about the content they are consuming. Was that character disrespectful of his parents? Why do you think he/she was? Avoiding certain hallmark sins does not mean we are free to check out and consume without discretion.
3. Is there ever a place for the profane, violent, and nude in our movie watching? What would this software make of the movie The Passion of the Christ? I assume the majority of the movie would be blocked out. The would certainly miss the point. What about Schindler's List? There was non-sexual nudity in the movie that was disgusting, but drove home the horror of those events committed by the Nazis. I'm sure this was part of the intent of the director.
In the end this machine may or may not be helpful, but it may be wise to make your own decisions about your movie watching and not have a software do it for you. It could be easier to have the machine do it, but I believe God wants to have these decisions spring from the overflow of our hearts and not default to someone else's decisions for us.
What do you think? Is this something you could see yourself using, especially in light of the review of Craig Cabaniss' chapter on media consumption that I reviewed below?
4 comments:
Zach,
I agree with your thoughts here. As I wrote in an earlier post, depicting sin isn't the same thing as glorifying it. For many actors, actresses, directors, producers, etc., it *becomes* the same thing, sadly, but it doesn't necessarily have to be that way. I am careful about watching films with any degree of nudity, for whatever reason that it may be in the film (I almost never do it), and I am becoming more careful about watching films with much violence (depending on whether or not it is gratuitous), but I still would rather use my Spirit-informed conscience and discretion than have a piece of software "decide" for me.
Now, I do use a filter for my computer, but that is a bit different, as it's almost impossible to know what may assault you on a seemingly "safe" site on the internet. With movies and shows, one can have a bit better idea of what's coming.
Also, I hate the idea of watching a mangled, even if ostensibly "clean," version of someone else's artistic vision. If I am morally troubled by what I read or hear about a movie (or TV show), or by what I actually experience of it, up to a certain point, I will either not see it, walk out of it, or turn it off, rather than watch a mangled version of it.
I agree. Sad that we're letting software be our discernment.
Wonder what the Clear Play version of the Bible would read like? :) Context is everything.
We have had ClearPlay for about two years now, and we love it. I do not see it as a subsititute for parental discernment but rather an additional tool for discerning parents to use. We still decide what movies are worth watching as a family and are conscious of the messages behind the films, but there are many good films that are suitable for the family except for some language and those "few scenes" that you fast-forward or skip over.
We still preview questionable moments in the film with the ClearPlay to make sure we are comfortable with how it comes out, but overall they do a great job with the filters.
I also like the fact that you can pick and choose the filters according to the movie. So if you don't have a problem with the nudity in a certain film (e.g. Schindler's List; The Hiding Place; Planet of the Apes; Never Cry Wolf) you can leave it unfiltered. The same goes for the language or violence filters.
Overall, ClearPlay works great for us and has opened up some fun films that we would probably not have watched otheriwse. I gave it a positive review in a blog post last April: Taming Television in the Home
Ray,
Thanks for the helpful comment.
z
Post a Comment