The Death of Hope

I HAD ONE MORE post I was going to put up today, to cap off the week. But that'll sit unfinished in my draft folder for now. Cause I happened to open my newspaper and read this article by Gayle MacDonald in the Globe and Mail this morning:

Tories plan to withhold funding for 'offensive' productions

Committee to decide whether material meets new criteria

GAYLE MACDONALD

From Thursday's Globe and Mail

February 28, 2008 at 2:07 AM EST

The Conservative government has drafted guidelines that would allow it to pull financial aid for any film or television show that it deems offensive or not in the public's best interest – even if government agencies have invested in them.

The proposed changes to the Income Tax Act would allow the Heritage Minister to deny tax credits to projects deemed offensive, effectively killing the productions. Representatives from Heritage and the Department of Justice will determine which shows or films pass the test.

(article continues)

That's it, friends.

It's over.

This is the other shoe dropping. Remember friend to the Tories Jim Shaw's railing against Trailer Park Boys? Here's the proof that his opinion is worth more than any of yours.

Now, before you get into the "censorship" implications, let me stop you. Because the argument shouldn't even get there. That's exactly where the Tories want the argument to go -- because to their base, this is red meat. It's a chance to stick it to all those faggots and pot smoking cussers and dirty sex birds. It's a chance to reframe things, and make the culture nice. You know, just like how they protect people down south from Janet Jackson's nipple. Welcome to the Culture Wars, Canadian Edition.

And as for nuanced discourse, people who may share differing views you could still talk to. That's 20th century, baby. That shit is dead, dead, dead.

Also, remember that there is no first amendment in Canada. The right to free speech under the Charter of Rights is not absolute.

No, because this is Canada, and making cultural or intellectual arguments gets you nowhere, let's just go with the economic argument.

Canadian production rests upon a system of scraping together money that's precarious, that productions will make crews drive 60 miles outside of major cities just to pick up an extra 5% tax credit.

Now what they're saying is, in a land where it's impossible to get anything done, you may thread all those needles, and make something, and then find after the fact that one person doesn't like what you did, and can bankrupt your whole production.

That's in the fantasy that anything will get made at all. Besides, you know, Avonlea: The Endless Edition.

As Christopher Bolton (Producer, Star, Rent-A-Goalie) put it:

From a business perspective this will destroy our industry. Period. The proposed process of assessing content for moral appropriateness after the fact will never have to be implemented because we simply won't get the financing to make projects in the first place. What bank/financial institution will want to gamble that their version of morality is the same as our Heritage Minister's or his/her appointed panel? Banks don't bank, pardon the pun, on wiggle room.

Next, let's look at what this means for Runaway Production. Is 'American Pie 17' or 'The Incredible Hulk' held to the same rules and regulations as indigenous production? American producers are looking to appease their workforce ergo they're looking for reasons to shoot at home. Here's one more and it's a big one – I doubt Paramount wants to be dictated to where content is concerned and can we afford to lose those dollars, numbering in the billions, spent here yearly?

The point about service or Runaway Production is a good one. Is the Government going to impose its quaint new "Blue Laws" on Foreign Production in the country? If so, those shoots are gone. GONE. POOF.

Vancouver, did you enjoy the shutdown during the WGA strike? Congratulations. Let's make it permanent.

If not, then what they're doing is suggesting they do something MORE to put DOMESTIC films and programs at an economic disadvantage. A double standard that allows foreign productions to do what our domestic industry can't.

By the way, CTV ran the Sopranos unbleeped in prime time for three years. The country didn't fall. Is that okay now? Are you going to be calling Ivan Fecan later today to warn him of the new blue?

Two-thousand-eight has already been a terrible, fraught year for Canadian Television.

It's just too hard to do this. Enough. Enough already.

Without the censorship argument -- which is considerable, this is a simply insane, unworkable, industry-killing suggestion. And they're slipping it in at 3rd reading to a bill.

EDIT:
I've edited this part since first publishing, in the heat of being un-fucking-believably incensed by this article.

There have been journalists who've hinted this stuff, and been on this beat. And as was pointed out to me by not one, but two journalists, where did I find out about this?

From a newspaper article.

Yup. Okay. My bad, as the kids say. Journalists are doing their jobs. But they generally tend to be the Arts journalists. And I'm starting to believe that arts journalists are listened to in this country only slightly more than bloggers and citizens, and, you know, stray dogs and kittens and pieces of fluff and stuff.

I'm tired of being Cassandra. This is the part where I wearily say, "write your MP. Write letters to the editors, tell the Business people you deal with about how crazy this is, etc, etc, etc, etc."

And now I have to spend an afternoon NOT doing my job, to try to save my job.

Is it gonna do any good? I don't know. I just don't know anymore.