Sony has no balls

[A11oftheLights]

After constant pressure from North Korea and fresh threats of terrorism, Sony has cancelled Seth Rogen and James Franco's The Interview.

If you dont know what The Interview is, its basically Franco and Rogen playing tabloid tv reporters who organise an interview with Kim Jong Un however the CIA want them to kill the North Korean Dictator.

Now I understand that there were threats of violence against theatres that showed the film but isnt the first rule of terrorism defence to not give into terrorist threats. Doesnt that show the terrorists that people are actually scared/ give them reason to believe that they can be successful.

The thing that gets me the most about this is that it comes on the back of the siege in Sydney where Tony Abbott and Australian Federal Police refused to give in to simple demands like supplying an IS flag and a phone call with tony abbott on tv over the release of 6 hostages and the safety of the rest.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Just as I said in the non spam thread, its very easy for you to sit here and speak of no balls when you will in no way be responsible for people being hurt or killed over a dick and fart joke movie.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Just as I said in the non spam thread, its very easy for you to sit here and speak of no balls when you will in no way be responsible for people being hurt or killed over a dick and fart joke movie.

...you mean like Team America?

I fucking loathe Franco and Rogen especially, but this is still a pathetic bow to terrorism. And no, I'm not being sensational at all. This is literally terrorism. If you do not do this, people will die is a threat that is designed by nature to incite terror.

 

[Gelgarin]

What if the North Koreans had a Death Star? Is it OK to yield to terrorism then?

 

[Mighty NorCal]

...you mean like Team America?

I fucking loathe Franco and Rogen especially, but this is still a pathetic bow to terrorism. And no, I'm not being sensational at all. This is literally terrorism. If you do not do this, people will die is a threat that is designed by nature to incite terror.

Like I said, its very easy to throw around macho shit like "bowing to terrorism" when you won't be responsible for not taking this seriously.

What backlash is worse.....A few Hollywood people "expressing their disappointment" and some paper tigers on WZ forums saying you "have no balls" or explaining why people died over you not taking a terrorist threat seriously?

 

[Hard Hit Prince]

Sony is a company. It clearly has no balls.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

I'd call his bluff, I bet he wouldn't do a god damn thing but you can't blame Sony for doing what they did. Sure they gave the message they can be pushed around by a guy who styles his hair after the McDonald's logo but that's none of my business.

I don't believe in backing down because of terrorist threats, I understand the risks but it sends the message guys like Kim Jong Un can do what he wants. If he tried something chances are his bombs would get shot down and he would get annihilated, when that happens his image goes down the drain and everyone looks at him for what he is; a joke. If he goes to war it would be a short war and he would look alot weaker than he would from a movie playing in the theatre's.

Unless he's a complete fucking idiot Kim Jong wouldn't do shit, he's all fucking talk, keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't do anything too stupid but outside of that ignore his ass, don't feed his ego.

 

[ScreaminNormanSmiley]

All the major theaters were saying that they weren't going to show it already. What choice did Sony really have?

 

[Starkist]

When did we become afraid of other countries? Since when did we negotiate with fucking terrorist?

 

[Poop Master Flex]

When did we become afraid of other countries? Since when did we negotiate with fucking terrorist?

It's business. I don't agree with it but its very easy to see why Sony took the stance they did. Coupled with this and the cyber attacks Sony was backed into a corner on this one. I still say call their bluff but at the end of the day I'm just glad it's not me in charge of Sony, it's not me running the theatre's that won't show the movie and in both cases you are stuck between a rock and a hard place, whatever decision is made there will be a good amount of backlash involved, you just got to decide which backlash that would be best to deal with.

 

[Starkist]

It's business. I don't agree with it but its very easy to see why Sony took the stance they did. Coupled with this and the cyber attacks Sony was backed into a corner on this one. I still say call their bluff but at the end of the day I'm just glad it's not me in charge of Sony, it's not me running the theatre's that won't show the movie and in both cases you are stuck between a rock and a hard place, whatever decision is made there will be a good amount of backlash involved, you just got to decide which backlash that would be best to deal with.

I totally understand but does this help Sony's image in the long run? Their network was hacked, which may lure people who want/play a Sony product away from them. Sony has been hurting for a long time. They are not the juggernaut company they once was. Everything for them besides the PS4 has dwindled down in sales. It is definitely another chip on Sony's decline as a company.

I understand why they did at as the publicity for them if they chose to do the movie would probably be deemed insane. It is a lose lose for the company as a whole. They lose money on making the movie, now it is not even going to get played for a chance to earn money.

Is it the right call, maybe. After the incident with the crazy joker wannabe it just might be the right call. 2014 has been a tragic year, making it a little less tragic is better then it ending with even more tragedy.

 

[Dirk]

What if the North Koreans had a Death Star? Is it OK to yield to terrorism then?

They'll need to drive it out of the hangar before they can get it in the air.

 

[A11oftheLights]

I only hope they consulted the government before this was decided upon, if they could have had some reassurance from the government then maybe they could find independant theatres that could show it(which could be a good way to help the little guy) or at the very least find away to release it online.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

They did. The Government said the actual threat was near non existent.

 

[Starkist]

They should send it straight to Blu Ray / DVD at this point.

 

[A11oftheLights]

They did. The Government said the actual threat was near non existent.

Then I hold firm on the notion that this is piss weak from Sony.

 

[Барбоса]

Sony should contact Anonymous and have them "hack" into Sony computers to distribute the film online.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Like I said, its very easy to throw around macho shit like "bowing to terrorism" when you won't be responsible for not taking this seriously.

What backlash is worse.....A few Hollywood people "expressing their disappointment" and some paper tigers on WZ forums saying you "have no balls" or explaining why people died over you not taking a terrorist threat seriously?

It's not "macho shit". I'm not beating my chest here. I'm simply saying, this is a literal bow to a terroristic threat.

At the end of the day, this movie is going to be a steaming pile of dog shit. It's a Rogen/Franco production. They're basically a new-age Cheech and Chong.

But that's not the issue. The issue is over the perceived limits of freedom of expression, freedom of speech, etc.

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - Voltaire

 

[Барбоса]

Voltaire is full of shit.

There are plenty of things I would deny people the right to say.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

The U.S. government also has it's own list of things people can't say, which is limited to, in essence, speech that will "incite imminent lawless action"

 

[A11oftheLights]

Voltaire is full of shit.

There are plenty of things I would deny people the right to say.

Like...

 

[Барбоса]

The U.S. government also has it's own list of things people can't say, which is limited to, in essence, speech that will "incite imminent lawless action"

See? Voltaire was wrong. You do not have the right to say whatever you like.

Freedom of expression has been and should always be a partial fallacy.

 

[Барбоса]

Like...

You know, the kind of things you are not allowed to say already? Libelous and defamatory claims, incitement to racial or sectarian hatred.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

See? Voltaire was wrong. You do not have the right to say whatever you like.

Freedom of expression has been and should always be a partial fallacy.

I choose to believe Voltaire was mostly right, not wrong. Of course there are going to be instances where "freedom of speech" doesn't apply. This isn't black and white. It's 1,000,000 shades of gray.

At the end of the day it's my take that both the theaters and Sony are cowards for pulling this film in the face of a threat the Department of Homeland Security deemed "near non-existent". We are a sovereign nation. No other nation or nations can or should dictate to us what is and is not acceptable activities by our citizens. Period. Especially when those activities are Constitutionally protected.

But if you think that the threat of terror is or should be enough to halt something like that, where do you draw the line? What if NK decided that the common use of "Kim" by Americans in naming their children was an a front to the Supreme Leader because it was a girl's name, so they demanded that the name be banned and any citizen who had the name Kim had to legally change it or they would attack us? Would your response be that we should ban the name and force the changes?

 

[Gelgarin]

Sony didn't pull the film - the cinemas did. The worst Sony can be said to be guilty of is not sending the film straight to DVD, which is simple business sense as much as fear - the film is more valuable as an asset for the future and negotiating chip with their insurance company than it is for the peanuts a DVD release would generate.

Maybe things calm down in the future, and they get to release the film with the massive added publicity of it being 'the film the terrorists didn't want you to see' - rather more valuable than a few DVD sales.

And to continue on the topic, the fear probably isn't actually of domestic violence - it's of cyber attacks which as I commented in the non-spam thread, these companies are powerless to defend against. After a good couple of months, Sony's share price has been dropping since these cyber attacks started, to the point where the company has lost around 5% of its value over the last two weeks.

This is why I brought up the death star earlier. If someone threatened to come beat me up then, assuming it wasn't Norcal, I'd probably tell them to fuck off - it's a threat I can defend myself against. Conversely, if someone threatened to blow up my planet with their giant space station, I'd do pretty much whatever they asked, because I can't fight that.

When it's a threat you can't fight, and right now we're not equipped to fight cyber terrorism, then you have to do a cost benefit analysis. If someone is demanding you kill all the Jews then you probably say no, but if they just want free cable then you probably give it to them - because there's no other option.