Virgin Airlines drops in-flight 9/11 conspiracy mo

Virgin Airlines has pulled a controversial internet documentary on 9/11 from its in-flight entertainment system after complaints from bloggers and radio shows.

Full Story at The Register

[preiffer]

Shame. It was on the VS19 yesterday.

Originally posted by preiffer
Shame. It was on the VS19 yesterday.

Sorry Paul, don't agree. People died, allegedly, and while I agree that conspiracy theorists should have their say, it would not be impossible for a survivor / relative / friend to be on a VS flight and the risk of offence is to me more important.

[preiffer]

While I see where you're coming from, slinky, it's the passenger's choice (entirely) of what to watch on board.

Just as it is on YouTube...

Originally posted by preiffer
While I see where you're coming from, slinky, it's the passenger's choice (entirely) of what to watch on board.

Just as it is on YouTube...

Except, had VA anticipated the controversy they presumably would not have made it available in the first place.

It's still a very touchy event for Americans, Paul (and there were a lot of Brits who died too), and I personally think it's sick to be releasing conspiracy movies about these attacks. Yes, you don't have to watch, but if someone close to you died in the attacks you wouldn't even want to lay eyes on the movie description while browsing.

[preiffer]

Oh, Nick - believe me, I KNOW it's a very touchy subject for Americans, and I also have quite a few friends who were directly affected by it.

What I don't agree with is censorship in this way. I choose what I want to watch, not some government pressure group.

Ultimate extreme? Try doing what I did when someone told me about it, and googling "war" from China... (hint: from THERE, there IS no war going on...!)

[Nottingham Nick]

The problem with banning anything like this, is that it gives ammunition to the crackpots. They can scream that it is banned because 'The State' wants to hide the truth. [:(!]

The truth is maybe that it is banned because it is a pile of crap. The ban actually makes it Forbidden Fruit, and therefore give it an appeal, and a kudos it doesn't deserve.

Let people watch it, if they want to, and let them see what a daft theory it is.

Nick

Originally posted by GrinningJackanapes
I agree with the no censorship position -- I shudder at the thought of where our culture would end up if we left it to individuals (cf Stinky09) to decide what was correct to watch.

My argument in support of VS removing this vile strip of celluloid is based on my conclusion that the "intellectual" foundation upon which the film is built is specious and beneath consideration by fact-driven people. The "black helicopter/tinfoil hat/Bilderburg" set throw these theories around ("it wasn't a jet that flew into the Pentagon -- it was a paint-ball gun! See, I found green paint on the sidewalk after the attack..." etc., etc.), and they are all-too-easily latched onto by the disaffected, the paranoid, and the just plain dumb as a post.

From an intellectual rigor perspective, what's next? "Jud Suss" on Lufthansa? Someone saying 7/7 was really just Tony and Gordon playing with Christmas crackers on the tube?

The film in question is a stupid one (and yes, I've studied it), not deserving of VS's imprimatur.

GJ

I conclude a deliberate slight there GJ, since a 't' is a long way from a 'l'. How you deduce that I am advocating censorship is beyond me though. [B)]

I have seen this film, it's not a great piece of work and as Nick says it is pretty daft in places, but it's right that it's out there for people to question, for those that want to watch it there are plenty of sources.

Originally posted by preiffer
Oh, Nick - believe me, I KNOW it's a very touchy subject for Americans, and I also have quite a few friends who were directly affected by it.

What I don't agree with is censorship in this way. I choose what I want to watch, not some government pressure group.

Ultimate extreme? Try doing what I did when someone told me about it, and googling "war" from China... (hint: from THERE, there IS no war going on...!)

Ah yes, reminds me of how if you search for Tiananmen Square on the Chinese version of Google you get no pictures of that woman standing in front of the tank. I agree censorship is a bad thing, but I don't look at this as censorship.