This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
It shouldn't have surprised me that showing the movie "Deadpool" would get the folks at Brewvies in trouble with the Utah DABC.
Brewvies cited for serving alcohol while showing 'Deadpool,' set to sue Utah A.G. and DABC Christopher Smart | The Salt Lake Tribune
"Recently, Brewvies the theater in Salt Lake City where moviegoers can sip the beverage of their choice found out again that "Deadpool" (rated R) combined with Moose Drool (4.1 percent by weight) equals a spanking from the attorney general's office and the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (DABC). ..."
The plot of "Deadpool," such as it is, is a love story between a smart-mouthed mercenary (Ryan Reynolds) and an exceptionally hot working girl (Morena Baccarin). A love story with about an hour of unremitting blood, gore, torture and exploding heads surrounding it. And some hot sex rolled in. Plus some really funny spins on the superhero films in general, mockery of Marvel's own X-Men franchise in particular, and some of the best breaking-the-fourth-wall dialog around.
The movie fits my theory of the kind of flicks that get the most static from right-thinking people. In a lot of movies, a beautiful woman who has willing sex has to get killed before the end. As retribution for her unholy lust. It's kind of a Western honor killing, which happened in so many James Bond movies that it was, of course, lampooned in Mike Myers' Austin Powers send-ups.
Those movies get PG or R ratings. The movies where women willingly have and enjoy sex and live happily ever after get rated X or, these days, NC-17.
In "Deadpool," the love/sex interest does find herself in mortal peril and, given the high body count going on around her, I thought she would probably die, too.
But Spoiler Alert! she doesn't. At least until the sequel.
The news about the Brewvies bust doesn't help Gov. Gary Herbert sell the legislative resolution he signed Tuesday.
Utah ceremonially declares porn a 'public health crisis' Alex Stuckey | The Salt Lake Tribune
"Utah Gov. Gary Herbert wants the world to know the state's position on pornography: It's a public health crisis.
" 'We realize this is a bold assertion and there are some out there who will disagree with us,' Herbert said at a Tuesday news conference. 'We're here to say it is, in fact, the full-fledged truth.'
"Herbert ceremonially signed the resolution, sponsored by Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, Tuesday at the Utah State Capitol.
"But that resolution has no real or practical effect.
"It 'is non-binding: we're not spending money and we're not banning anything,' Weiler said. ..."
The resolution does not define pornography. So we don't yet know if they mean really nasty, brutal stuff that objectifies women and glorifies brutality masquerading as sexuality. Or if they are offended by the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
It also seems a silly thing to do in a state that has some other public health matters to deal with: Bad air. Homelessness. Refusal to expand Medicaid. Water shortages. Pipelines leaking into rivers. Legislative refusal to put real comprehensive sex education in schools, so as to help children develop a healthy appreciation of all things sexual and not fall victim to bad forms of porn or other kinds of exploitation.
And not stand still when police or universities try to slut-shame the victims of real sexual violence into keeping quiet.
Woman files federal complaint against BYU for Honor Code investigation into her sexual assault Annie Knox | The Salt Lake Tribune
Thus reactions like this:
Discussing porn in the Utah Legislature Ogden Standard-Examiner Editorial
" ... Our legislators have no problem jumping on the anti-pornography resolution bandwagon, but efforts to have a comprehensive sex education program in Utah schools was swiftly and overwhelming defeated by a House committee. ...
" ... So, the Legislature says hands off when trying to help children learn about sex but also feels it must have a say on pornography. That's the odd type of inconsistency parents of teenagers have to deal with in Utah."
The Hypocrisy Behind Utah's Move To Declare Porn A Public Health Hazard Alex Zielinski | Think Progress
" ... But the idea that pornography is a serious addiction has been rejected by multiple psychology organizations and researchers.
Plus, the risks of pornography are easily dwarfed when compared to the state's history of skyrocketing STD rates among teens and a 36 percent rate of unintended pregnancies. Viewing pornography is one of the few sexual behaviors that isn't partnered with these outcomes.
With one of the strictest laws around sex education in the country, the state offers little resources to help young people improve their sexual health. In February, the state legislature blocked a bill that would have replaced abstinence-only sex education with a more comprehensive curriculum, ruling that parents should be the only ones in charge of educating their children on sex. ..."
Your Porn Addiction Isn't Real Samantha Allen | The Daily Beast
Meanwhile:
Gallery sues over fines for art of partially nude woman AP | Salt Lake Tribune
But this one's in New Jersey.
Oh, and, in case it was bothering you, the headline refers to this.