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Friday, December 10, 2021

WEST SIDE STORY OF HOLLYWOOD BIGOTRY

While critics rave about the remake of "West Side Story" by Spielberg, and the new, more "authentic" remake, I read that Spielberg decided NOT to use subtitles when the dialog is in Spanish. Spielberg asserted he did not want to "privilege" the English language.  He made the decision to deprive English speakers of the full film. OK, but I resent the discrimination against the majority of Americans who speak English as their only language OR who speak something other than Spanish as a 2nd language. English speakers, if you pay to see the film, you are encouraging further discrimination against you and yours. I POST THIS WITH A WARNING that such discrimination will only get worse.  I just posted my short comment on Newser: 

I read that Spielberg decided NOT to use subtitles when the dialog is in Spanish. He made the decision to deprive English speakers of the full film. OK, but I resent the discrimination against the majority of Americans who speak English as their only language OR who speak something other than Spanish as a 2nd language. English speakers, if you pay to see the film, you are encouraging further discrimination against you and yours.

     More thoughts on the subject.  I thoroughly enjoyed the original "West Side Story," and I enjoyed the dancing and accusatory Rita Moreno then, and am glad to know another person older than I am is still creative, for she is in the new film.  I saw her in "The Ritz," decades ago, and over the weekend, on a rerun of the 1950s tv sit-com, "Father Knows Best," she played an East Indian exchange student in the program's plea for tolerance.  I doubt if anyone from New Delhi objected to the actress (a word now out of fashion) playing someone from Asia then.  If you think my objection to the new film is petty, will the Spielberg film, when it plays Spain, Central and South America, run subtitles for the English parts of the film?  Or demand that the viewers learn English?  I assume it will have subtitles for the English parts of the film.  But Americans, no matter how many languages we know, are now to learn Spanish, as decreed by Hollywood.  I reject this politically correct demand, and will avoid the film.

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