BFG Podcast #094: ‘Creed 3,’ and Censorship from the Left and the Right

In this week’s edition of the BFG podcast, host Neal Pollack lets you all know, in no uncertain terms, that there’s no difference between “sensitivity readers” on the left and conservative government “media specialists.” It’s all the censorial impulse under different names.

On the left, out of the U.K, you have the announcement that Sir Ian Fleming’s estate, along with the publisher of the James Bond novels, will be rewriting certain Bond books to bring them up to date with contemporary sensibilities. BFG contributor (and Bond author) Jamie Mason joins Neal to talk about the implications of all this. Jamie feels like this is a very different situation than rewriting Roald Dahl (which we’ve also spoken against), because thriller readers are grownups who can make up their own minds about what’s offensive and what’s not.

Meanwhile, in the U.S.A., right-wing local governments are forcing schoolteachers and librarians to clear the classroom shelves while media specialists and other unaccountable contractors review literature to see if it’s acceptable for junior consumption. If you can’t see what’s wrong with that, then you haven’t been reading the site. Specifically, you haven’t been reading Sharyn Vane’s articles as she chronicles censorship mission creep across local and and state government platforms. Sharyn joins Neal to talk about this latest development.

Finally, we leave Censorship Station to talk about boxing. Creed 3 is this week’s big hit, and contributor Nick Tamarin joins Neal to talk about this movie, how it compares with other Creed movies, and what it portends for the future of Creedness and for boxing movies in general. Also, they talk about the greatness of Jonathan Majors, no longer in doubt.

Enjoy the show!

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