# "Problematic" or potentially harmful Film/Television Shows **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 2, 2024, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problematic-or-potentially-harmful-film-television-shows/1001076 "2024-05-02T17:55:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2024, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problematic-or-potentially-harmful-film-television-shows/1001076/61 "2024-05-05T01:39:05Z")
You are thinking of **Fuzz** starring Burt Reynolds and Raquel Welch, based on an Evan Hunter 87th Precinct story. Right after it premiered on network TV, a young woman whose car ran out of gas in, I think, Alabama was set on fire by four youths and died. When they were captured, a cop asked where they got the idea to burn her and guess what they said? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2024, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problematic-or-potentially-harmful-film-television-shows/1001076/62 "2024-05-05T02:08:26Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > _Falling Down_ is one of those movies… Completely agree with you. There was no “Falling Down”. Dude was a sick fuck at the bottom of the barrel to begin with. Total Bait and Switch. Hate that movie. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2024, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problematic-or-potentially-harmful-film-television-shows/1001076/63 "2024-05-05T12:27:14Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > Just curious if you and others feel the same way about other media dealing with Nazi’s like **JoJo Rabbit** , or **The Producers**? I haven’t said how I feel; I was just reporting Leonid Kinsky’s feelings. Myself, I enjoy _Hogan’s Heroes_ when I come across in on MeTV, although I can understand why some people wouldn’t. I haven’t seen _JoJo Rabbit_, but I do enjoy _The Producers_ (the original film; I haven’t seen the musical). But somehow _The Producers_ feels different than _Hogan’s Heroes_. The former depicts someone who still worships Hitler, years after he was defeated, as a laughable buffoon, while the latter depicts actual Nazis, while they were active and at the height of their power, as laughable buffoons. I can understand how people might regard that as a more dangerous viewpoint. After all, the whole point is that the Nazis _weren’t_ buffoons. They were horribly effective at accomplishing their goals. Obviously it’s not a viewpoint that everyone shares. As noted above, all four of the major German characters in _Hogan’s Heroes_ were played by Jewish actors, and Robert Clary (LeBeau) was actually a Holocaust survivor who lost several siblings in the camps. Clary was always careful to point out that Stalag 13 was a prisoner of war camp, not a concentration camp. But he certainly seemed to have no qualms about how the Nazis were portrayed in the show. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2024, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problematic-or-potentially-harmful-film-television-shows/1001076/64 "2024-05-05T12:32:58Z")
A little research and I find out it was six youths from Boston and there were other, similar, episodes. My apologies. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2024, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problematic-or-potentially-harmful-film-television-shows/1001076/65 "2024-05-05T14:56:14Z")
Thanks for what you found. [_Fuzz_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuzz_(film)#Controversy) is the work I was thinking of. No proof it was the motivation for the attacks but at that time it was a much bigger story. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2024, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problematic-or-potentially-harmful-film-television-shows/1001076/66 "2024-05-05T15:03:32Z")
Something similar happened with Beavis and Butthead. > **[Comedians (Beavis and Butt-Head)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comedians_(Beavis_and_Butt-Head))** > > "Comedians" is the first episode of the third season of Beavis and Butt-Head and the 30th episode of the series overall. This episode has received heavy controversy after a 5-year-old boy burned down his trailer home in Ohio, killing his 2-year-old sister who was sleeping in the next room. It was suggested that the boy was inspired by this episode, when Beavis and Butt-Head burn down a comedy club. This, however, has been disproven. > Beavis and Butt-Head are sitting, watching television when th... “In 2008, Messner himself would confirm that his family did not have cable at the time due to his mother’s drug addiction, and that he had never seen an episode of the show, nor planned to.” ---
**Author:** ![Jay\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2024, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problematic-or-potentially-harmful-film-television-shows/1001076/67 "2024-05-05T15:51:37Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > I can understand how people might regard that as a more dangerous viewpoint. After all, the whole point is that the Nazis _weren’t_ buffoons. They were horribly effective at accomplishing their goals. The Nazis had horrible goals. That was more it than anything else. Whether they were more effective than anyone else, I don’t know. I never had a problem with the show. I know others did, even at the time. Klink was clearly put out as a specific, singular character, and I thought it was pretty clear that he was needed for plot purposes, and that he was not representative of everyone on the German side. Not everyone on the German side was a Nazi. I am not excusing this. But it was a fact then and now. It was a mosaic of people on that side. Committed evil fanatics, people who went along with various degrees of willingness, slackers. There were various other properties dealing with POW life under the Germans. Stalag 17, where there was a lawsuit over this show. The Great Escape, Von Ryan’s Express. There was some comedy in all of these. I guess a difference is that the prisoners were never killed in Hogan’s Heroes because Hogan and company always won. Though there is an episode where a German has the Heroes under gunpoint, Klink and soldiers show up, and the Heroes turn the tables and the German is shot and killed by Klink’s men. So I suppose there would be a circumstance where Klink would have killed POWs, it just never happened. There was an episode where the Heroes were part of a plot to try and kill Hitler, similar to the real life incident. Serious threats to the Heroes were sometimes killed outright. It was kind of odd fodder for a sitcom then and today, but the inspiration were those semi-comic POW movies that already existed. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2024, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problematic-or-potentially-harmful-film-television-shows/1001076/68 "2024-05-05T15:58:42Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > Something similar happened with Beavis and Butthead. In one episode following the incident they see something on fire and Beavis starts to excitedly shout out, “Fi-- oh, yeah. Can’t say that any more.” ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2024, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problematic-or-potentially-harmful-film-television-shows/1001076/69 "2024-05-05T16:09:20Z")
Also, Beavis and Butthead almost died re-enacting a school lesson about Ben Franklin using a key on a kite to discover electricity. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2024, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problematic-or-potentially-harmful-film-television-shows/1001076/70 "2024-05-05T16:26:57Z")
> [@Jay\_Z](#): > > pisode where the Heroes were part of a plot to try and kill Hitler, similar to the real life incident. Serious threats to the Heroes were sometimes killed outright. It was kind of odd fodder for a sitcom then and today, but the inspiration were those semi-comic POW movies that already exist As much as I think people can miss the point of Beavis and Butthead, I still love the show. I think it’s brilliant at it’s best. Perhaps too crude at times, but generally very funny. South Park is different, in that it’s crude, and it’s beating you over the head with messages that are half-baked. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2024, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problematic-or-potentially-harmful-film-television-shows/1001076/71 "2024-05-05T16:28:33Z")
Ooops, replied to the wrong person. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2024, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problematic-or-potentially-harmful-film-television-shows/1001076/72 "2024-05-05T16:32:55Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > As much as I think people can miss the point of Beavis and Butthead, I still love the show. The point of Beavis and Butthead was “MST3K for music videos”, the rest was filler. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2024, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problematic-or-potentially-harmful-film-television-shows/1001076/73 "2024-05-05T16:40:57Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > The point of Beavis and Butthead was “MST3K for music videos”, the rest was filler. You enjoyed the Music Video segments more than the stories, huh? I think both were great, but some like one over the other. They were seeming, like, a few IQ points higher when critiquing videos at times. I don’t know what Judge’s politics are, exactly. I know he’s been on Rogan when promoting new episodes, and (sadly) talked to Alex Jones on Info Wars a long while ago. “King of the Hill” was pretty mild, but had some stories about tolerance. I’m sure there are things on KotH that haven’t really aged well, like white cast members voicing other races. I think it was generally good-intentioned. I know Hank was upset over Bush Jr’s handshake. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2024, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problematic-or-potentially-harmful-film-television-shows/1001076/74 "2024-05-05T16:47:27Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/0TxXEzWA-xA/hqdefault.jpg "Mike Judge Interview By Alex Jones") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TxXEzWA-xA) If anyone can stand to watch anything with Jones and is morbidly curious. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2024, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problematic-or-potentially-harmful-film-television-shows/1001076/75 "2024-05-05T17:47:49Z")
Has anyone mentioned Oprah in this thread yet? She brought alternative medicine, anti-vaccination, and magical belief (The Secret) to millions of American homes. Surly that had to cause some harm. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2024, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problematic-or-potentially-harmful-film-television-shows/1001076/76 "2024-05-05T18:02:53Z")
not to mention Dr. Oz and Dr. Phil. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2024, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problematic-or-potentially-harmful-film-television-shows/1001076/77 "2024-05-05T18:09:24Z")
Oprah’s pretty low on the scale for an afternoon talk show host. Mike Douglas used to hype Uri Geller and other psychic frauds on his show back in the 70s. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2024, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problematic-or-potentially-harmful-film-television-shows/1001076/78 "2024-05-05T18:14:35Z")
Mike was out of Cleveland and then Philadelphia, so he had to make do with whoever was in town. Oprah in LA had a huge talent pool, and they wouldn’t have been banned for appearing by Johnny Carson as he did to his own time slot’s competition. As well as TV, in literature she made the 90s the era of “poor me” memoirs ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2024, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problematic-or-potentially-harmful-film-television-shows/1001076/79 "2024-05-05T18:23:55Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > As well as TV, in literature she made the 90s the era of “poor me” memoirs She screwed up in a number of areas. And while she wasn’t focused on the woo as much as others her mistakes were unquestionably magnified by the size of her audience. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2024, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problematic-or-potentially-harmful-film-television-shows/1001076/80 "2024-05-05T18:25:47Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > Personally, I think _Battleship Potemkin_ has caused more bloodshed than any other film named in this thread, So I have many times repeated the claim that this movie killed more people _during filming_ than the actual events portrayed. But a quick googling reveals I may have confused it with the contemporary soviet propaganda film about the storming of the winter palace. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problematic-or-potentially-harmful-film-television-shows/1001076.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problematic-or-potentially-harmful-film-television-shows/1001076.md?page=5)