University of Michigan Will Show American Sniper After Protests

[alp227]

The University of Michigan will go forward with plans to show the movie American Sniper at a school-sponsored event on Friday, reversing a previous decision to cancel the showing after Muslim students protested that the movie was offensive.

The decision to cancel the showing—which was part of a popular Friday night school-wide social event designed to provide students with alcohol-free activities—came on Tuesday after sophomore Lamees Mekkaoui started a petition against showing the film that received more than 200 signatures from students including many in the Muslim Student Association, according to the Michigan Daily.

“As a student who identifies as an Arab and Middle Eastern student, I feel that ‘American Sniper’ condones a lot of anti-Middle Eastern and North African propaganda,” Mekkaoui told the student newspaper.

full: http://time.com/3815308/american-sniper-chris-kyle-university-of-michigan/

[dogman]

1. Coach Harbaugh says if it offends so be it.

Sports are more important than people, don't offend the coach.

[Eleanors38]

2. Censorship. It's not just for he state. You, too, have the power to Censor™. Use it.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

3. So at a university with ~40,000 students

they were going to cancel over 200 signatures on a petition?

Anyone that doesn't want to watch it doesn't have to.

[alp227]

4. But there's no denying that Sniper conveys some harmful messages.

American Sniper: anti-Muslim threats skyrocket in wake of film's release

A quick search on Twitter leads down a rabbit hole of anger.

“Great fucking movie and now I really want to kill some fucking ragheads,” read one tweet, in a set of screenshots that quickly went viral after being collated by journalist Rania Khalek for the online publication Electronic Intifada. “American sniper makes me wanna go shoot some fuckin Arabs,” read another.

One tweet read: “Nice to see a movie where the Arabs are portrayed for who they really are - vermin scum intent on destroying us.” While the word “vermin” is not uncommon in threads about the film, that tweet was tagged not only #AmericanSniper but, mystifyingly, #DeBlasio as well.

It's fine with me either way the university wants to run its own film festival, as long as the Sniper lovers are willing to acknowledge some viewers will use this film to confirm their irrational hatred for Muslims. It's not censorship

[SickOfTheOnePct]

5. I haven't seen the movie

and I'm not willing to judge it based on two tweets out of however many people saw it.

And had they not shown it due to the potential for someone being offended, then I would say that is censorship.

[alp227]

6. Censorship is banning students from possessing a Blu-Ray of the film,

like Liberty University's demands that students not listen to "inappropriate" music. Censorship is NOT a university film festival choosing its own programming.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

7. We'll have to agree to disagree

I think a university that would make a programming decision for 40,000 based on the opinion of 200 would be practicing censorship.

[alp227]

8. it's not like the university film festival is the ONLY place in Ann Arbor to watch movies!

The university film festival is NOT obligated to show anything and everything the students want. There are blu-rays, netflix, non-university theaters, etc.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

10. I understand all of that

likewise, there are plenty of places for the 200 to go and not have to see the film.

As I said, we'll just have to agree to disagree.

[olddots]

9. a war movie is a war movie

make believe bullshit that glorifies war even if it is anti war because a movie is make believe .