Sony Pictures was hacked, apparently by North Korea for making a stupid comedy, “The Interview,” about an assassination attempt on the leader of North Korea.
Assassinations should not be the subject of comedies. The assassination of a murderous dictator may be justified, but making a comedy out of such a matter is not.
The thing is, in a free society, one is allowed to be stupid. That’s what North Korea does not understand. President Obama hit the nail on the head when he said that Sony made a mistake when it said it would not release the movie. “We cannot have a society in which some dictator someplace can start imposing censorship here in the United States, because if somebody is able to intimidate folks out of releasing a satirical movie, imagine what they start doing when they see a documentary they don’t like, or news reports,” Obama said. Amen.
However, when Obama then said, “I wish they’d [Sony Pictures] spoken to me first . . . , ” he undercut his message. The president of the United States is the executor of the laws of the country, not the adviser to the independent, non-political sectors of its free society. In a free society, the last, not the first, thing that should cross the mind of an American citizen or corporation is to speak with the leader of the country about an independent business decision.
In any event, Obama was spot on when he warned of the threat of “self-censorship.” It is one thing to poke fun in the context of an assassination. It is quite something else to cancel a movie about the totalitarian nature of North Korea. Apparently, that happened in the aftermath of the hacking of Sony. That is a terrible development. If continued, it would end freedom in this country.
That is why we are pleased that Sony reversed itself, and will release the movie. Next time, though, let it make a more appropriate movie.
Copyright © 2014 by the Intermountain Jewish News
