Moral appeal…

Originally posted on February 01, 2008 – by Andre Piet

Almost thirty years ago a cinema still received a fine of 5,000 guilders for showing a pornographic film; now the same film is being broadcast by the public broadcaster. Times change. Well yes, ‘fortunately’ nowadays we have a Christian minister, Rouvoet… He made a moral appeal to the VPRO and BNN to refrain from showing the film and even declared that he wanted to investigate whether the broadcast could not be prohibited. Such a remark (especially from such a minister!) is of course grist to the mill of these broadcasters, who like to profile themselves as rebellious. You understand it already: the broadcast simply goes ahead. The only thing the commotion from the Christian side has probably achieved is that, due to all the fuss, the film will have somewhat higher viewing figures. For the law is the stimulus of sin… Or as a columnist wrote:

I notice that a moral appeal actually has the opposite effect on me. I feel inclined to watch together with my children next week. A bowl of chips between us and watching…

Indeed, that is how moralizing works. Raising the “virtuous” little finger while the actual effect is the opposite.
That I call sin (=missing the mark).

part II

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