Landon T. Horstman/The Raisin Review
As many are well aware, Sony Pictures has decided to withdraw the national release of The Interview. Due to an increasingly large array of complications (terrorist threats, hacking, notable movie theaters across the country refusing to show the film, etc.), the corporate powerhouse has decided to postpone the release date indefinitely.
Many celebrities and prominent figures have publicly expressed dismay with the company’s decision, suggesting that Sony’s apprehension to premiere the film encompasses greater implications; most notably, censorship and submission to terrorism.
This has caused a firestorm across social media, with many pondering what this means for future films, expression, and free speech. But America has always complied to some form of censorship — to some extent — even before the Sony debacle.
It wasn’t that long ago that South Park — the irreverent and salacious television show known for satirizing anything and everything — was forced to censor a depiction of Muhammad due to extensive death threats. Television and film has always upheld an unwritten agreement in regards to the Islamic prophet, fearing violent consequences and subsequent terrorism. But if America is concerned so deeply about the ramifications of not showing The Interview, shouldn’t we be discussing past censorship that we’ve continued to abide by?
The argument to show The Interview is justifiable, but we must also fight for expression and freedom on all fronts, otherwise America will always succumb to terrorism, even if a juvenile stoner-action comedy is permitted to be seen.
The Raisin Review 
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