Gone With the Wind Removed From HBO Max Because Racism
HBO Max has been operating in full swing throughout America since May 27. The platform's offer is very rich, but unexpectedly a classic that is Gone With the Wind was pulled. The reason for this is to be outdated racist scenes.
- Gone With the Wind was removed from HBO Max;
- The reason for such a move is the outdated content of the film, which according to HBO propagates harmful, racial stereotypes;
- The film will return to the platform, complemented by appropriate contextual materials to help understand the story.
80 years have passed, but it's hard to say that Gone With the Wind has grown significantly older. The film still has fans all over the world, it even appeared in the wide range of HBO Max's offer with the launch of the platform. After less than two weeks, out of the blue, the movie was pulled from the service. The reason for this is supposed to be the harmful, racist stereotypes, about which more is told by the HBO spokesman:
"Gone With the Wind is a product of its time and depicts some of the ethnic and racial prejudices that have, unfortunately, been commonplace in American society. These racist depictions were wrong then and are wrong today, and we felt that to keep this title up without an explanation and a denouncement of those depictions would be irresponsible. These depictions are certainly counter to WarnerMedia’s values, so when we return the film to HBO Max, it will return with a discussion of its historical context and a denouncement of those very depictions, but will be presented as it was originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed. If we are to create a more just, equitable and inclusive future, we must first acknowledge and understand our history."
Gone With the Wind is a monumental 1939 melodrama set during the Civil War. It tells the story of the turbulent fate of Scarlett O'Hara, a young lady who exploits men and has to face adulthood and racial conflict with time. The work received an impressive number of 10 Oscars in 1940 - including two special ones, appreciating the technical revolution in the pioneering use of color.
The famous director John Ridley, responsible for the anti-racist film 12 Years a Slave, added his two cents as well:
“It is a film that glorifies the antebellum south. It is a film that, when it is not ignoring the horrors of slavery, pauses only to perpetuate some of the most painful stereotypes of people of color.”
The whole action is directly related to the current situation in the USA, caused by the tragic death of George Floyd. Not only HBO intervened in this case. Popular U.S. actors fight for minority rights, and the video game industry sensitizes players to the problem of racism by issuing appropriate messages in various titles.
