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Why Did The AMC Network Add a Trigger Warning to 'Goodfellas'?
Are movie ratings not enough?
May 21, 2024
I have to admit up top, Goodfellas is a movie I watch all the time. Maybe I've become desensitized to it, but I think it's a perfect mafia movie that captures the era on screen.
But I guess some people don't think that? Or think people need to be warned about it?
Either way, the AMC Network ran Goodfellas on TV this past weekend with a trigger warning.
The warning read, “This film includes language and/or cultural stereotypes that are inconsistent with today’s standards of inclusion and tolerance and may offend some viewers."
When the New York Post pressed them on the decision, a rep from AMC told them, “In 2020, we began adding advisories in front of certain films that include racial or cultural references that some viewers might find offensive.”
This is an admirable cause if we're doing Gone with the Wind or maybe even Breakfast at Tiffany's, where there are actual problematic stereotypes on screen which need context.
But Goodfellas is a modern movie that is about some events that happened, according to mafia member Henry Hill. It's not a bunch of stereotypes, it's a bunch of wise guys. I mean, the movie was directed by Martin Scorsese, who also made a movie called Italianamerican, about Italians in America, which focused on his own family.
At the end of the day, this feels like a bit of an overreach by AMC.
I understand the reasoning of a TV network to talk about older content made at different times, but that banner should be used for moments with meaning. Otherwise, it just feels like being tacked onto anything takes out the importance of the message.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
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