Da Bitchy Code

Government officials love to grandstand. Take the movie The Da Vinci Code for example, before it got released there were countless congressmen and other trapos on TV, they were really riled up in denouncing the movie shouting at the top of their lungs (or gills?) that it will morally corrupt the nation. In Manila Lito Atienza et al even passed a resolution banning the film from being shown.

It is the ignorance, shallow mindedness, and media-whore mentality of such politicians that continually weigh down our country. I am just sick and tired waking up to news showing congressmens' really contorted mugs as they violently point out their opinions (you can even see spit comming out from their mouths), the highly esteemed moral beings that they are. I just wonder how they can react like that to the showing of the movie but not stop the selling of the book in the first place? Is Tom Hanks the big difference – are they too insecure of his Mr. Hollywood appeal? And also, if they think that the contents of the film our damaging to our society, then why don't they go and crusade against all the other R-18 and PG 13 movies about with themes about sex, drugs, and violence?

The Roman Catholic Church, while being the main target of the film, has neither officially renounced it as trash nor asked that it be banned from being shown locally. In sermons during masses all the clergy asks is that we take the messages of the film critically, as we should take every aspect of our faith critically, and reminds the church-goers that the movie is fictional. I think they knew that if they reacted negatively to the film's showing it would cast the church in a bad light and be perceived as an organization trying to hide the "truth" (which is the, not coincidentally, the main plot of the movie).