People Are OK With Content Warnings, Oppose Content Bans

Since then, movies such as “Avatar” and “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” have come under fire for furthering racist ideas and offensive stereotypes, but public criticism was met with silence from the studios. These days, in light of the Black Lives Matter movement, entertainment companies are more likely to respond to criticism of objectionable content, but HBO Max’s decision appears to be more than just a fleeting reaction to an event, Phillips said. 

“This may be a moment where at least some in the entertainment industry are stepping back and asking bigger questions and maybe trying to recalibrate their brand and storytelling to tell a different, more inclusive story,” Phillips said.  

Mask had a different take, describing HBO Max’s decision to temporarily remove “Gone With the Wind” as “window dressing.” Instead, she said, “we could be talking about much more relevant, salient media issues,” such as how media companies can increase diversity, both within their ranks and through their storytelling. 

And the need for diversity is apparent: The most recent edition of UCLA’s Hollywood Diversity Report found that 93 percent of senior film executives and 86 percent of unit heads are white, and just 3 out of 10 film leads in 2019 were people of color. 

“I'm not sure that the pulling of some of this outdated content when they also are not able to release new films is germane to what we are seeing right now in the public sphere,” she said. “It’s great that we're having this conversation about content, but I would like to see more substantive initiatives.” 

HBO Max did not respond to a request for comment on Mask’s remarks. 

Prior to HBO Max’s announcement on “Gone With the Wind,” Walt Disney Co. made a commitment that it would not make “Song of the South,” the 1946 film that is widely considered racist, available on any of its platforms, including Disney+. And the company has included content labels warning of “outdated cultural depictions" on some of its older animated films, including “Dumbo,” “The Aristocats" and "The Jungle Book."

Mask pointed out that films already come with ratings and disclaimers warning audiences of language or sexual content and so in her view, labels warning of racist depictions are no different. 

“Those disclaimers might very well be helpful to let people know whether or not they actually want to watch something or to let them know what they're looking at in the same way that a rating system lets people know and then you make the choice for yourself,” she said.  

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