Millions sat in front of their TV screens on Monday night in order to watch the firsh episode of multi-awarded and multi-advertised British television series “Downton Abbey”. While we were watching in sheer delight the story of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the post-Edwardian area, suddenly the picture jumped. Slightly. For a second or even less.. The screen was showing Duke-whatever having a dispute with servant=whatever to whom he had a love affair in the past.
THE kiss Greeks were not allowed to see
State broadcaster NET TV had decided the gay kiss was a NO-NO for Greeks and it had to be censored. In Europe of 2012…
Downton Abbey is being broadcast at 10 pm and is shown with the indication “allowed for all ages with parent consent.”
The scene shows Duke and servant exchange a short kiss, a scene lasting no more than 12 seconds.
video: the No-No Kiss
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The censorship triggered strong reactions among the audience who angrily commented on social media. One internet user directly asked NET TV on Facebook page “was it censorship or did it look like that?” The answer he received was “It looked like that”.
SYRIZA MP Papadimoulis asked via his Twitter account “who intervene to have the scene censored? Bishop of Piraeus or The Golden Dawn?”
According to Skai TV, NET is planning to repeat the first episode of Downton Abbey with the uncensored scene tonight.
Sexual or Social?
To tell you the truth I am not sure whether our state broadcaster found the kiss worth of censorship because of sexual or social reasons. Was NET TV disturbed because two men were kissing each other or because a a servant was kissing a duke?
No-No Kisses get fined
Back in 2003 the Radio & Television Council had fined private Mega TV for showing a kiss between two dressed men. Three years later the Highest Administrative Court had cancelled with decision with the reasoning that the kiss was merely presenting a simple homosexual desire. But that was back in 2006…
The irony of the issue? Newly appointed director of ERT/NET TV is the former director of private STAR TV, a channel that has no problem to show wild parties on Mykonos and 89% naked women butts during the summer time. Star prime time news run at 8 p.m.
Well, two women kissing is OK, but not men. We men just don’t want to see that I’m sorry. That’s why all butts on every news channel about the summer heat etc….
I’m kidding, you know. Who cares if two men want to Kiss etc., It’s just like when some opposed gay marriage in the USA, my philosophy was that Gay people have the same right to get married and be MISERABLE as us straight people who get married!!!
two women kissing excites mens’ fantasy, but two men …well… O-M-G!!! that could excite mens’ fantasy too
I have seen a characteristic “LIFE Magazine” photo (shot in 1922?) attached to some posts related to the US Consul-General (Smyrna / Izmir) George Horton’s reporting about the Greek genocide and against the Turkish propaganda statements that the massacred Christians were as bad as their executioners. In this cruel B&W photo one can see the beheaded stark naked corpse of a Pontic (?) Greek on the ground having his genital area covered with an overcoat. Next to the body … a tearful Greek Orthodox priest! I was not on the scene to verify why the photo was not taken as it should be, but still I do admire the good old Christian censor hand that had preferred to throw the overcoat on the genitals of the poor man instead on his beheaded shoulder area. Which is the worst in 1922 and 2012? Go figure!
what has the one thing to do with the other?
‘Dear NET TV- If you’ve got your head up your ass to avoid accepting gays and their rightful place in life and history, do keep it there.
Unless of course you’d like to blame your economy on us.
As a welfare state of Germany I have to ask myself how they must feel in regards to your also parading your ignorance of the times we live in”
Why do you let this flaming asshole John post his epithet?
Is ALL of Greece lounging with their heads up their German welfare state asses???
How easy for you.
sorry but forgot to delete it.
but what has to do with German welfare ?