Passengers Take Onboard Film Censorship Into Their Own Hands

Passengers Take Onboard Film Censorship Into Their Own Hands

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I can appreciate the challenges airlines face with deciding what content to make available through their inflight entertainment. This was especially complicated when most airlines had overhead entertainment. Airlines want to pick out entertainment that’s suitable for children but also interesting for adults, and that can be a tough balance.

But even airlines with personal entertainment often find themselves in hot water over their selection. I’ve seen people complain that inflight entertainment content is just too explicit, and they’re angry that their kids have access to it. On the other end of the spectrum you have Saudia, which censors just about everything. I’m not just talking about cuss words, but also words like “love.”

However, I’ve never seen passengers take onboard entertainment censorship into their own hands quite like what’s seen in a video that just surfaced. The plane, which appears to be a 767 (though I’m not sure what airline), only has overhead entertainment. It’s playing the 2007 movie “Music and Lyrics,” starring Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant. I guess they didn’t like something about the movie choice, because some of the passengers took it upon themselves to cover up the overhead monitors with blankets. Not just one of them, but all of them.

Here’s a video of the situation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMvsk4wy0aM

Alrighty then…

(Tip of the hat to Secret Flying)

Conversations (34)
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  1. chff Guest

    @not_avi @High end hobo - wan't a charter - its PS231

    @Endre - same reason all announcements were made in Ukrainian when clearly no one on board spoke Ukrainian

    @When I Travel The World - anyone still watches a movie nowadays on an overhead unclear screen with no working sound port?

  2. Kent Miller Member

    Maybe they just wanted some freedom from glaring screens to get some rest. I know the first thing I do after take-off when I am flying is to power-off all IFEs in my row if not occupied.

  3. Julia Guest

    What a bunch of intolerant closed-minded conservative tw@ts.

  4. callum Guest

    Stephen K - If there's ever something justifiable to target people for, it's them having conservative views...

  5. Lucy New Member

    @lucky I think you said a while back that you would not post certain comments that were aggressively hateful. I believe "James" post should qualify and be removed. His message doesn't deserve an audience.

  6. Mark Guest

    It’s definitely an all hasidic jew flight with no gentiles. Only a yid would book the old ass planes with overhead entertainment to save a few copper.

  7. T C Koh New Member

    Thanks to such self centred bigots there is no peace in this world.

  8. DeePeePDX Member

    Religion. LOL.
    The stupidity and blindness of religion makes the fascist and communist purges and oppression pale in comparison.
    If my god is so insecure that they need to be validated with several prayers a day or intolerance of earthly pleasures, then I will stick with atheism.

  9. Zach New Member

    The subtitles are in Chinese. But there are not many Jews living in China, plus the men in the movie do not look like Chinese. Strange.

  10. Anne k Member

    People! We have a winner!
    The award for the most despicable person in the entire comment section?!
    The award goes to.......JAMES!
    Sorry Debit, you came in second:(

  11. James Guest

    At a time like this, we wonder why hitler didn't finished the job....

  12. CMorgan Gold

    This is not news it was a charter flight. Different story if a regularly scheduled flight. I would be the one taking the blankets down. If you don't like what the airline is showing fly another carrier.

  13. Mo Guest

    @Debit, your statement has so many flaws man. I cant tell if you are against religion, religious people, God, Jews or what.

  14. Drew Member

    @RK

    Agree 100% about experience with Looking on Air Canada IFE. It's not just the potential that children might see the content, it's anyone within visual range. And that's not just because Looking includes graphic gay sex -- I'd include some of the straight scenes in Girls in the same category.

    OTOH, I remember after 9/11 how much I admired JetBlue for not blocking their news channels which, obviously, were focused on the attacks, Afghanistan,...

    @RK

    Agree 100% about experience with Looking on Air Canada IFE. It's not just the potential that children might see the content, it's anyone within visual range. And that's not just because Looking includes graphic gay sex -- I'd include some of the straight scenes in Girls in the same category.

    OTOH, I remember after 9/11 how much I admired JetBlue for not blocking their news channels which, obviously, were focused on the attacks, Afghanistan, etc. It seemed to me that gave their passengers credit for making their own choices about what to watch. Of course, in those first few months folks were generally on their best (frightened) behavior on flights and generally respectful of their fellow travelers' sensibilities. That's become a distant memory...

  15. Charlie Laifer New Member

    According worldjewishhock, the majority of the passengers were Hasidic Jews, and clapped at the initiative of their fellow passenger. However, it did mention a small minority that was opposed to the censorship. Most likely the flight was coming from Kiev, where many Breslov Hasidim go to Uman for Rosh Hashana. It also could be coming from/going to Israel. What confused me were the Chinese, or another Asian country's language on the subtitles, but that could...

    According worldjewishhock, the majority of the passengers were Hasidic Jews, and clapped at the initiative of their fellow passenger. However, it did mention a small minority that was opposed to the censorship. Most likely the flight was coming from Kiev, where many Breslov Hasidim go to Uman for Rosh Hashana. It also could be coming from/going to Israel. What confused me were the Chinese, or another Asian country's language on the subtitles, but that could be because that the movie is bootleg.
    https://www.instagram.com/p/BZeb7lPDrzH/?taken-by=worldjewishhock

  16. steven k Member

    why is this even an issue if happened on a charter flight?
    i hope they are not being targeted for their conservative social views.

  17. LA Guest

    @Alex yessssssss!
    My god, the number of people on here saying "why is this news?" "This is obviously a charter flight", etc...LOL literally if these people were brown and speaking Arabic everyone of you would be commenting on how disgusting these terrorists and their Sharia law are....

  18. Donald Guest

    I agree with "Brian S".

  19. Jordan (Windbag Miles) Member

    This reminds me of the time I was flying Air India, and the overhead entertainment was a Bollywood movie in which the main character is committed into a mental hospital and then graphically tortured for most of the movie (interspersed with song & dance numbers). It was an interesting choice, although no one tried to cover it up.

  20. When I Travel The World Guest

    What surprises me more is that the crew let them do it.
    I would have thought any crew would have said no to this.

    Still a bit selfish to be fair, not everyone on the flight might have been an orthodox jew, some people might have wanted to watch it.

  21. Debit Guest

    Kalboz, awesome reply:)

  22. Kalboz Member

    @Debit, take a chill pill dude! :D Speaking of dogs ... after suggesting that he wanted to be in a room surrounded by 30 dogs, Jim Morrison was asked "What do you want dogs for?” And he laughingly replied that it was symbolic - that dog spelled God backwards!

  23. Endre Diamond

    If it was all Jewish passengers who were all against seeing the movie, especially on charter flight, why can't they just ask the crew to stop the movie? It is one push of a button.

  24. RK Member

    I made the mistake of watching the HBO "Looking" movie on air canadas ife. "They wouldnt have it on their ife if there were any heavy sex scenes" I thought or "they would edit out anything inappropriate". Neither of these were true. One heavy "rimming scene" later I decided to turn it off after getting weird looks from my seatmates. Thank god there wete no children seated near me.

  25. Gary Guest

    This flight was basically a charter flight. All the passengers and organizers were in agreement with this. Everyone complaining about letting a minorities beliefs get in the way of others should know that this isn't the case. There were no others. The crew was in full agreement of this. The reporting on this story is misleading clickbait.

  26. Dr Moose Guest

    It was on Unkranian Airlines, the flight was mostly Jews traveling for the New Year Holiday.

  27. Brian S Guest

    I think this is just a healthy reaction to Hugh Grant, not a religious response at all.

  28. High end hobo Guest

    That's pretty much a charter PS flight to Uman for a pilgrimage for the Jewish new year. There were only hassidic Jews on the flight.

  29. James Guest

    Wow!!! What a bunch of selfish and self-entitled people. Just because you don't like it or you don't want your kid to watch it, you have the rights to obstruct others.

    If there's a fight between passengers onboard due to this action, I wonder who will be kicked....

  30. not_avi Guest

    Looks like a charter flight. Not sure why this is news

  31. Debit Guest

    Religion is for dogs. Extremists of any religion are terrorists.

    God is Satan. Eff Allah, Jesus and the jew god

  32. Alex Guest

    Bet there won't be as many negative comments here against a religious "minority" as if it would have been Arabs/Muslims.

    1. lucky OMAAT

      @ Matthew -- That was my first thought as well. Was trying to figure out whether it was actually eight abreast or not in the cabin, and couldn't quite tell.

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chff Guest

@not_avi @High end hobo - wan't a charter - its PS231 @Endre - same reason all announcements were made in Ukrainian when clearly no one on board spoke Ukrainian @When I Travel The World - anyone still watches a movie nowadays on an overhead unclear screen with no working sound port?

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Kent Miller Member

Maybe they just wanted some freedom from glaring screens to get some rest. I know the first thing I do after take-off when I am flying is to power-off all IFEs in my row if not occupied.

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Julia Guest

What a bunch of intolerant closed-minded conservative tw@ts.

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