An FYI concerning a more drastic approach to clean flicks and community morals my family experienced several years ago.  I question today, if technology had been available for altering flicks locally, would a business owner have used the technology rather than burning hundreds if not thousands of videos?  

 

The small Southwest Michigan community of Berrien Springs is a wonderful place to live.  Berrien Springs, well known for its scenic and historical setting, is represented by a diverse population from across the globe because of Andrews University, owned and operated by the Seventh Day Adventists.   When our first video rental store opened its doors we felt like we had found another link to the outside world and no longer had to travel miles to see a movie.  This store conducted a booming business until it was sold to a local conservative Protestant family.  The new video store owners, believing they were improving community morals, staged a burning of “questionable” videos from their newly purchased business.  The immediate result when visiting the video store were rows and rows of empty shelves with a limited supply of Disney, musicals and “older” popular movies from the 1940’s and 1950’s.  A short time later, an enterprising business man opened another video store with movies for all to enjoy.  As for the first video store owners, their business soon failed.

 

On a personal note, I have often wondered about toxic gasses released into the skies over Berrien Springs that night and if the participants of the burning party suffered related illnesses.

 

Rod House

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