Brooklyn Library Goes XXX

This is what you get for not keeping up with the digital age! A Brooklyn grandmother rented a VHS copy of Austin Powers at the Borough Park library branch for her grandkids to watch, and someone had spliced it with "long pornographic scenes" during the credits, The Post reports. Esther Klein put in a call to assemblyman Dov Hikind about the x-rated rental, and he's now demanding local libraries ban VHS. Here we were worried about the sand when the real danger to our children is the local library! Hikind declared, "This is unbelievable. The bottom line is that the local library can be unsafe for young children. It's pretty sick stuff." He added that children can psychologically suffer forever from this type of exposure. But what about grandma renting a PG-13 movie (for nudity and sex-related dialogue/humor) with a character named Alotta Fagina (pictured) in it for her 7-year-old grandkid? Maybe there should be some scaremongering about the real enemy: grandmas! Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Library is all, "we have the problem under control and will remove the tape."

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By Jen Carlson in News on July 14, 2009 1:35 PM

Comments [rss]

seaanemoneman

Just punch out that little tab.

Manitoba

When I worked at a video store many moons ago, this used to happen all of the time. Once a 6-year old returned an unwound Barney tape, and as we we were rewinding it (the rewind machine got stuck, so checked the tape), we discovered the pr0n on it. Classy.

I would say that 99% of the time this occurred, we were able to trace it back to a patron who rented at least 3-4 adult films per week and racked up lots of late fees. They would also usually rent a xxx movie along with a kid's tape....

When this happened to kid's tapes (Disney films, etc.), it was the worst because you'd have an irate patron yelling at you for not visually scanning every tape. Many kid's tapes (i.e., Barney) would not come commercially with the DNR tabs punched out, so checking to make sure these were punched and that people weren't taping over them caught most of the offenses.

Of course, if people intentionally tape over the tab, record over the tape, and then remove the tape (seemingly like the Austin Powers/BPL case here), you're out of luck. Plus, considering many BPL workers are volunteers and could care less, I'm surprised this doesn't happen more often.

NannyState

I know that porn flick, it's called "Lonesome Dov".

dadoc

Hikind's reasoning is ridiculous. Who is to stop someone from burning scenes into a National Geo DVD, or gluesticking Hustler pics into copies of a Bible? Maybe ban the scrolls at the local temple cuz someone printed & inserted some stills from Mr. Chew's? Typical Hikind hysteria press-mongering. Not surprising.

(BTW, never looked @ Mr.Chew's, was told by someone :-) )

Spirit of 76

You can burn content onto commercially pressed DVDs? Where can I get this amazing drive?

dadoc

I was trying to be brief. I was going to post grabbing the flick off the DVD, dropping it onto the drive, doing the edit, burning it onto the freshie, doing a print/ imprint of the label, then substituting. On first draft, seemed kinda verbose and lost it's edge, detracting from my point. Next time I'll place an asterisk & footnote. But if you have a would like to forward me a valid CC#, SSN, and all personal info, I'd be glad to ship you my miracle drive! It also makes thousands of Jullien Fries in only seconds!

bigbrooklynmike

can i interest you sir in a new religion?

http://gothamist.com/2010/09/13/riots_in_kashmir_fueled_by_911_kora.php#comment-2685217

jaycjay

"I was going to post grabbing the flick off the DVD, dropping it onto the drive, doing the edit, burning it onto the freshie, doing a print/ imprint of the label, then substituting."

Well, maybe if there ever even one reported case in the entire world of anyone actually going through the hassle of doing that, there'll be a similar outcry.

JanetG

I'd like to ban VHS tapes in libraries. Also DVDs, BluRays, and comics. Spend your scarce budget money on books.

longacre

Agreed, or at least only lend educational films, not Mike Myers movies.

Manitoba

Many of the VHS tapes were likely donated, and the donations were collated, labeled and put into the system, likely by volunteers. So, I don't know how much money is really wasted on movies like this. Effort is definitely wasted, but not money.

hotstepper

alotta has got some mighty fine flotation devices.

stenro

Previously, there was another politician who advocated banning certain "objectionable" media. I think his name was Adolf Hitler. He also believed in a strong, moral upbringing for youth.

A library's function is to help preserve and archive human activity on different forms of media, not to get rid of it.

Mr. Hikind should have had a big outrage over our illustrious state senators that were acting like babies, getting paid for doing no work and not passing budgets so libraries could be funded to help prevent these types of mishaps.

Sorry, was that off topic?

EastRiver

I was under the impression Hikind wanted VHS banned because it could be tampered with i.e. porn scenes could be spliced in. This has nothing to do with the content of the actual material in the library. Your Hitler comparison seems inappropriate.

But as I mentioned in an earlier post, DVD sucks as a rental/library medium.

Kevin Walsh

You can pronounce Alotta's name 2 ways and offend two completely different groups of people.

www.forgotten-ny.com

stenro

How about those of us that get offended at people that get offended??? ;-)

REALITY CHECK

What's this guy making such a big stink about? Well, let me give you a hint, junior.

Maybe we can live without libraries, people like you and me. Maybe. Sure, we're too old to change the world, but what about that kid, sitting down, opening a book, right now, in a branch at the local library and finding drawings of… pee-pees and wee-wees on the Cat in the Hat and The Five Chinese Brothers? Doesn't he deserve better?

Look. If you think this is about overdue fines and missing books, you'd better think again. This is about that kid's right to read a book without getting his mind warped. Or maybe that turns you on, maybe that's how you get your kicks. You and your good-time buddies.

Well I got a flash for ya, joy-boy: Party time is over.

jt10000

LOL

Dirk

Right... so the logical response is to ban VHS tapes...

Assemblyman Dov Hikind, you are an idiot.

endoubleu

Did anyone actually look at the tape? The opening of the second Austin Powers film features "long scenes" of humorously-censored nudity... maybe that's what she's talking about?

Felix Hoenikker

Tyler Durden did it.

jaycjay

Throughout the entire library system, one altered tape was found, so the answer is to remove all tapes from all libraries? Why stop there? Possession of VHS tapes should be illegal!

"therapists have warned that children can suffer lasting psychological damage from exposure to pornography."

Have they? I'd like to see some serious studies on that.

I wouldn't be surprised if children suffer some psychological damage when the adults around them freak out about the children getting a passing glimpse of pornography and tell the children how evil it is and how wrong it is that they saw it.

EastRiver

The library needs to ban DVDs because the typical NYPL patron can't seem to get the disk from the case to the DVD player and back without running it over a belt sander.

Qraymond

+1 for funny

pal

hikind is an idiot. he and countless others have no problem with all of the violence kids watch on vidoes and whatnot. but god forbid a kid should accidently see people having sex (as opposed to watching people murdering each other and things blowing up, throughout their childhood years).

donner

It never ceases to amaze me when people freak out about sex- a natural, enjoyable act. If kids are allowed to watch the news these days I'd be more concerned about THAT scarring them for life.