Jacdau2@poky.interspeed.net

From Beboman beboman@cwix.com

Yoo guys:

Here is what I just send to Ms. Woodell, give me your feedbaack, and yes I did sign my name to it not my call name.

April 28,1999

Debbie Woodell

Sport Desk Editor

Philadelphia Daily News

Dear Ms. Woodell:

This is in response to your article posted on April 27, 1999, regarding the episode "The Way", part of the "Xena: Warrior Princess" series. There are a few things I find a bit misconstrued in your article and I would like to clarify them for the benefit of your readers.

First of all, I would like to state that as a freelance writer, mother, and grandmother, I find your article very offensive and lacking in professionalism. How can a person who, and I quote your own words, "Makes me glad I don’t watch", make comments concerning something about which they have no idea. If you do not watch the show or at least the particular episode in question, how can you talk about subtext and what is or is not offensive. I don’t watch sports, so I don’t sit in judgment of what is happening in the sports world. I also find it offensive that you refer in your article to the fundamentalist group who originally protested the episode as "some people of the Hindu faith". What do you mean by "SOME PEOPLE"? The group in question is a very specific group and not "SOME PEOPLE". This group by no means represents the majority of Hindus in the world. If you had done your homework before spouting out printed words, you might not have offended so many people in just the first few lines of your article. In addition, and once again I quote your words, "What makes it OK to offend Hindus, at the expense of appeasing lesbians?" I take double offense to that comment, and please understand one thing; I am not Hindu or lesbian. However, if you had read all the articles published on this matter and visited all the Web sites which have been dealing with this for months or even taken the time to get a copy of the show, it would have been impossible for you to make the comment that one group was offended to appease another. Once again, you show your lack of knowledge on the matter. Then, and forgive me for quoting you once again, "the show’s makers rushed so quickly to get this episode out of circulation just to make this LESBIAN thing go away again". This quote is another example of your lack of research on the matter. It was not the show’s producers who pulled the episode off the air, it was the show’s distributors. And, as I am sure you are well aware, there is a great difference between the producers and the distributors of a show.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, censorship means: "to blame, to accuse, to condemn, to criticize; to reprove". No where in the definition do you find the word "government". Censorship is not an act performed only by the government. It is imposed by many kinds of people and entities. Your article is a form of censorship toward those who are trying to get the episode back in worldwide syndication.

At the beginning of your article, you made a valid point when you referred to the song, "Money for Nothing". You stated, "I would have preferred he let the song stand or fall strictly on its own artistic merit. Ultimately, though, the song was his. He can do with it what he chose…" I agree with you on this point. Why then should the episode "The Way" be taken out of syndication? Shouldn’t this episode be allowed to stand on its own artistic merit. But you did not stop there. You went further in your complaint and stated, "Mark Knophler edited the song for radio airplay after protest from gay people." So you did not like the fact that, after protest from as you call them "gay people", a song you liked was edited and changed. Then you continue by saying, "He realized he was wrong". Did he really realize he was wrong or was he pressured into changing the lyrics of his song? Think about it.

While you are thinking about it, let’s take a look at today’s television, radio, movies, CD’s, newspapers, and magazines. If we were to take everything out of those forms of media that could be offensive to any given group, we would have no media at all. In all those forums, in one way or another some portion of society is offended constantly. Does this mean that, in order to avoid being offensive, we should take every show off the air, close all radio stations, burn down every magazine and newspaper, and not print or broadcast any news. By doing this, we make sure no one ever gets offended and we also make sure all those creative minds go back into the dark. If the creative arts are controlled by "a few", what outlet exists for society to express itself on what they find wrong or right.

There are many things in today’s television, radio, movies, magazines, and CD’s which offend me, but simply because I’m offended, I do not have the right to censor that particular medium and force others not to partake of it. You see, I have control over what I watch, read, and listen to, I have control of my life, and that control is given to me by the ability to turn on and off that particular electronic equipment. Even more amazing is the idea that the television set has channels that I can change at will to avoid watching those programs I consider offensive. Regarding magazines and newspapers, if I don’t want to read them, I don’t buy them. I buy what I want when I want. That is what I call control and freedom.

In the movie, "An American President", Michael Douglas portrays the President of the United States. At the end of the movie, he says something very true. He says, "This country is a very hard country to defend, and what makes me mad, so mad that I want to scream, is the same thing that makes someone else happy." And having freedom means being able to defend the right of that person.

By no means am I saying that the group which protested the episode should not have protested. On the contrary, they have every right to protest. At the same time, however, I have the right to watch, in my house, a show I want to watch and enjoy watching.

This brings me to another point of your article. You mentioned that there are bootlegged copies of the episode. Are you trying to tell me that I should go out and get a bootlegged copy of the show. Let me get this straight because I might have misunderstood what you were trying to say. Are you saying that because "a few" protested, it is alright for the world’s majority to be deprived of the right to see the episode, even if that same majority wants to see the episode. So then I ask you, was the song you were listening to when you wrote the article in it’s original form, was it a "bootlegged" copy, or maybe that same song you referred should have been removed from worldwide circulation because it offended some small segment of society. Again, think about it.

Finally, I will leave you with a thought and I will again use your own words. "The creation, after all, belongs ultimately to the creator. And outsiders trying to control art, no matter what their intent, is a kind of censorship, too." So if you think that art is not to be censored, why do you agree that the episode, "The Way" should have been removed from worldwide distribution?

Thank you for your time,

Cordially yours,

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From: "Catherine M. Wilson" <cmwilson@wildestdreams.org>

I sent the following letter to Deb Woodell of the Philly Daily News
in response to her editorial, "Was pulling 'Xena' episode censorship?
No 'Way'"


Dear Deb,

I must admit I'm baffled.

First you say that pulling The Way from syndication isn't
censorship. You do in fact state as much in the title of
your editorial.

Then in your last paragraph you say: "And outsiders trying
to control art, no matter what their intent, is a kind of
censorship, too."

Well, is it or isn't it?

If by "outsiders" you mean the lesbians (and many other
non-lesbian Xena fans) trying to get The Way restored to
syndication, how are we censoring anyone? We have
never said the Hindu groups protesting The Way shouldn't
be allowed to have their say.

If by "outsiders" you mean the Hindu protesters, then you
have contradicted your own thesis.

If you had looked further into the groups who protested
the showing of The Way, you would have seen that many
Hindus belonging to those very groups opposed the attempt
to censor the episode. And yes, they used the word
censorship themselves.

Some of them even suggested that the appearance of Krishna
in The Way was an attempt by Krishna himself to reach
millions of people all around the world, and that his
own devotees were frustrating his plans.

Possibly what you meant by denying that the withdrawal of
The Way constituted censorship was that Studios USA made a
decision to withdraw a creative work because they realized
they'd offended a bunch of people. Whether or not they
made the decision out of genuine regret that they'd hurt
somebody's feelings, I believe this kind of attitude is
the enemy of art, and as such it is the enemy of the
growing up of humankind.

It is the artists among us who reveal us to ourselves,
and if I can't bear to look at what they try to show me,
it is my own heart that needs changing, not the thing
"out there" that offends me.

If everything that might offend someone were removed from
public view, we would have very little left to look at.
Should Tinkie Winkie be removed from the Teletubbies
because Jerry Falwell is offended by his apparent gayness?
Should Jerry Falwell be removed from the public airwaves
because every word he utters offends me?

You mention the phrase "the little faggot," which appears
in Mark Knopfler's song, Money For Nothing. When I first
heard that song, I understood that he was exposing the
all-too-common mindset of people whose own lack of talent
and envy of creative people often wears such an ugly
face. The phrase was used to expose the ignorance of
these people, and in that context I did not find it at all
offensive.

When we portray racists in creative works, don't we allow
them to use language that most people find offensive, so
that the audience can see the fundamental ugliness of these
people's beliefs?

You say you "don't mind settling for a world in which a
creator realizes something might be offensive and tries
to correct things." I am most unwilling to settle for
such a world. It is the very things that offend me that
teach me life's most valuable lessons.

If someone calls me a dyke, I will only be offended if
somewhere deep within my own heart I believe there's
something wrong with being one. If I don't believe that,
I can choose to look at the person who hurls the word at
me in anger with compassion for his ignorance. If I do
believe it, the fault is in myself, and once I see it,
I can change, but how will I know what needs changing
if someone insists on shielding me from every opportunity
to grow?

Catherine M. Wilson
cmwilson@wildestdreams.org

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Fwd: Opinion Col. Philly Daily News-re: THE WAY

From: DarKer <rverde@flash.net>

I believe you've missed some important details in your summary of THE WAY being
pulled from distribution. It was the distributors (StudiosUSA), not the
producers (Renaissance Pictures), who made the decision. I call that
censorship. The existence of bootleg copies does not make it any less so. It
is no longer legitimately available because the distributors forced RenPics to
pull the episode. Censors do not, by definition, have to be government
entities. Censors can be any person or entity who has the authority to remove
or suppress what he, she or it finds objectionable for any reason.

I'd like to point out that RenPics consulted a Hindu advisor during the
production of this episode and that many mainstream Hindi disagree with the
faction that claimed to represent millions of Hindi world-wide. Many of the
original objections are debatable on a number of levels. I refer you to the
Vaishnava News Network "Xena Meets Krishna" RELATED NEWS STORY INDEX at
http://www.vnn.org/news/xena.html for more information.

Lastly, I personally find it objectionable when something is censored or
suppressed due to objections from any religious group. Many religious groups
offend me all the time, but I do not believe I have the right to censor them.
I try to respect their right to freedom of belief and of expression, even when
they do not respect mine.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Mast

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From: MHeckrotte@aol.com

I notice Entertainment Tonight does alot of updates on Lucy Lawless and the
Xena series.. they can be reached at etonline.com...howabout everyone start
emailing them about this struggle..I just did...send them an email copy of
the petition...perhaps they will take an interest and help with the movement.

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From: KAZWINTON@aol.com

I don't know if it's any good, but I sent some news about this whole thing to
a gay magazine called Diva, it might get a bit of a response.
kaz winton

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Hi guys - as a Taoist I can to a certain extent understand (if not endorse) the views of the Hindu protesters. With my small contribution towards getting "The Way" resyndicated I sent a email (the address I got from this fantastic protest page:

http://www.merwolf.com/affiliates/

to one of the original protesters against this episode. I thought I might share this letter with you guys, which shows my slant on the controversy and will perhaps help others in their own protest.

***********

You are probably as of now getting a zillion emails from fans who are upset at the pulling of the episode "The Way"and anything that I could say has probably been already said. Actually I will be surprised if you even read this.

First of all I would like to say that in this email I mean no disrespect to you personally or your religion (which I can honestly say I know little about).

I myself am a Taoist, I follow the teachings of Lao Tzu. Lao Tzu is the creator of the

Tao Te Ching, the "bible" and first book of Taoism and he is equal in our standing as a saint/prophet/messiah is in other religions. In the episode called "The Debt" a two parter episode of Xena Warrior Princess, Third Season, Lao Tzu is portrayed as a comatose ex-tryant who is kept that way by his fictional wife Lao Ma, in Xena she is portrayed as the original writer of the Tao Te Ching. In this episode the fictional Lao Ma utilises her powers channeled by her oneness with the universe to keep her husband (our revered founder and true author) in a coma and to heal Xena's broken legs and attempt to heal her soul.

At first viewing I was divided in my feelings on this episode, as a Taoist seeing Lao Tzu misrepresented so blatently and some points of The Way (the path to enlightenment) being twisted to accommodate western entertainment and as a fan who recognised that this creative, visually stunning episode actually showed with the best acting performances I have seen so far, the first attempts that the deeply flawed yet destined for greatness Xena has in regaining her soul through following The Way.

At first I did not know what to think, after all, this was my personal belief, something that I knew well in my eternal quest for peace. Many of my Taoist friends were very offended and stopped watching the show. Since Taoism is a very passive philosophy/religion, closely related to Buddhism, no protest campaign was ignited. Indeed the belief that everyone must follow their own individual path in The Way has made us extremely tolerant, although not a universal Taoist belief - I personally believe that Karma and it's negative and positive effects are there to guide us (sometimes brutally) on our Way.

But I wander here. Eventually I came to the realisation that though the portrayal of Lao Tzu or his views were not strictly followed in this episode - the producers of Xena gave the audience enough of an insight into the beauty of this philosophy to perhaps captivate or interest others out there who would not normally be exposed to this. Trying to suppress this episode would only go against my personal and broader Taoist belief that we all shape our destinies and in the larger scheme of things a protest would be meaningless and perhaps harmful.

As I said before, I am only briefly acquanted with Hinduism so with regards to your protest I cannot grasp the particulars. But surely this positive portrayal of Hindu deities on a popular western entertainment program can only educate people, and perhaps even plant a spiritual seed in the minds of people whose understanding of non-Judaic/Christian faith and Eastern religion as a whole is sadly lacking. Perhaps it can even tackle misguided predjudices. >From what I have seen from the reactions of fellow fans, forceful protest has given people a negative perception of Hinduism as a whole. I hope that this email will persuade you to think of other options other than censorship.

Peace

*******

Perhaps this letter will work - more likely not, but we can only try - but I really truly believe that we MUST not use the same type of bullying tactics that the Hindus do (I know it's hard, my first reaction was tit for tat revenge lol) - spiritually and practically it is counter-productive. Soft persuasion is the better course, remember from the Debt - "Nothing is soft as water, but who can withstand the raging flood".

Btw if anyone want to know anymore about Taoism (I cannot call myself an expert, just a follower) - a great link of Tao Te Ching translations can be found at

http://www.nauticom.net/www/asti/dao_jing.htm

Peace

Dana

The softest things in the world overcome the hardest.
Non-being penetrates even where there is no space.
Through this I know the value of non-action.
Teaching without words and the value of non-action
are understood by few in the world.

Chapter 43 - Tao Te Ching

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MHeckrotte@aol.com

Sirs,

I have written snail mail and emailed everyone I could
possibly write on this abomination...in the last few days I have noticed that
the movements seem to have slowed or reports are not making it to us...Is
anyone
monitoring how much the studios are receiving from
the Xenites or are most of the fans apathetic to this..
I at least saw and recorded the program for posterity and for anyone I know
who would like a copy...I'll be
darned if the Hindus are going to win totally on this..
perhaps we are being too nice about our protests...I see
where no one has protested at the studios like the Hindus...unfortunately, I
live 3000 miles away. Sure
would like to see some Xena fans demanding satisfaction
from the studios.

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From: "Catherine M. Wilson" <cmwilson@wildestdreams.org>

Laura J. Nielsen wrote:
> Everyone knows that more people participate in something when it's made
> easy. I am not a great letter writer, so I'm on my third draft of my
> protest letter. Suffice to say that, despite my best intentions, they
> haven't gone out.
>
> Would someone be willing to post examples that we could cut/paste and send
> off? I think it would help a lot, and for those who want to personalize
> them, fine, but it would give a good structure and format.


Sample letter to send to local TV stations:

Dear [name of TV station or contact]:

I am writing to express my concern that the Xena episode,
'The Way,' has been withdrawn from syndication. This
decision was made by the distributor, StudiosUSA, in
response to an aggressive campaign by a group of Hindus
who claimed to represent all Hindus worldwide, but who
evidently represent only a very small group.

I believe that allowing any group to determine what can
and cannot be seen on American television sets a very
bad precedent.

Many local stations were targeted by the Hindu protesters
with aggressive e-mail campaigns. (Many of those e-mails
came from outside the U.S.) Those stations in turn put
pressure on the studio.

I am writing to you to express my concern about the
issue of censorship and to urge you to contact StudiosUSA
and let them know that if they decide to restore 'The
Way' to syndication, your station will support their
decision to stand firm against the protesters.

[Your name here--a real name, not your Internet handle]

Sample letter to StudiosUSA:

Dear [name of a real person at the studio],

I urge you to reconsider your decision to withdraw the
Xena episode 'The Way' from syndication.

I support the right of anyone to protest when they feel
that they have been misrepresented in the media, but
I do not believe that anyone has the right to force the
removal of any material they find offensive. The price
we pay for free speech and freedom of expression in a
free society is that we will be exposed to things we
find offensive. But if we want those freedoms for
ourselves, then we must grant them to others.

StudiosUSA has set a very bad precedent by removing
'The Way' from syndication, and I urge you to reconsider
your decision before every other group that has ever
been offended by something on television takes heart
and follows the Hindu example.

[Your name here]

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From: "D W" <darkworrior@chickmail.com>

Good day Xenites,

I wrote a quick letter and for the benefit of all of us involved, I thought I'd put it to the list before sending it, in case anyone has any input or objections to the wording, or the points put forth. I intend to email the letter to rights organizations that deal in freedom of expression and anti-censorship campaigns.

~DW

--------- Forwarded Message ---------

Hello,

I am writing your respected organization to ask if you have heard of the recent decision by Studios USA to pull a "Xena: Warrior Princess" episode entitled "The Way."

Studios USA pulled the episode after a targeted campaign by certain Hindu religious groups launched in February of this year. Less than two months later, their campaign ended "successfully", having received the complete withdrawal of the episode from worldwide syndication, and apologies from both Studios USA and its employee, Renaissance Pictures, which produces "Xena: Warrior Princess" in New Zealand.

The Hindu groups protest the episode because it allegedly does two things: 1) portrayed Lord Krishna in a fictional, therefore demeaning, manner; 2) portrayed Lord Krishna as giving his blessing to a lesbian relationship between the shows two leads, Xena and Gabrielle. These points are outlined and discussed in a variety of internet editorials written by Tusta Krishna das, spokesman for the World Vaishnava Association, who at the time of his writings had not seen the episode in question.

For the record, no one affiliated with "Xena" has ever made an official statement regarding the lead characters' sexualities.

Currently, fans of "Xena" have launched a campaign to get "The Way" reinstated worldwide. So far, several websites have sprung up which intelligently discuss the matters at hand, and are worthy of consideration. Fans of "Xena" are hopeful that their support of Studios USA and Renaissance Pictures will lead to reinstatement of "The Way", as well as inform the public that the basic freedom and right to decide for themselves what to watch on their own televisions has been taken away from them without their own input.

I kindly ask for your attention in this matter. Where you or your organization may be able to support Studios USA to return the episode, "The Way" to syndication, it is also important that precedents like this not be set, for it compromises the pursuit of freedom for others in the future.

Sincerely yours,

[signature]

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From: Bongo Bear <thebongobear@yahoo.com>

--- Terri Parkinson <tparkinson@masterpack.com.au> wrote:

> At 08:35 PM 4/8/99 -0600, you wrote:

> >I would hope that all television stations and syndicates would not
> buckle to such terrorist activities and thuggery as shown by a minority group
> who is pushing their own agenda by demanding that censorship be introduced
> based on religious bigotry.
> >
> >Please respect the first ammendment right of everyone to freedom of
> speech and freedom of religion.
> >
> >Thank you.

Terri,

I assume this is the letter you sent to a TV station here in the US? If so,
please refrain from using inflammatory terms like "terrorist activities and
thuggery" to describe the protest letter campaign and picketing that WVA, AHAD,
et al used to take THE WAY off the air. (I think these are the right acronyms.)
Members of these organizations in the US used tactics well within their rights
as American citizens exercising their freedom of speech and religion. Letter
writing and mass emailing are the same techniques that XENITES are using to get
our point across.

Our support of tolerance and free speech are better represented with rational
appeals and discussion, not name calling, not exaggeration, not denigration of
a religious minority. Engaging in the latter only makes our voices sound
shrill and will ultimately fall on deaf ears.

Bongo Bear

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From: Terri Parkinson <tparkinson@masterpack.com.au>

Hi All,
I used the automatic mailer setup by the Hindu groups to send the message at
the bottom of this e-mail. I received the following response. Fox35 seems
to read their e-mails and it was nice to actually get a response from a
person :-)

I did however miss out on the e-mail telling me how rude I am, that others
have received.

Terri

Subject: Re: Xena:Warrior Princess Episode: The Way

Thank you for writing FOX35.

The "Xena" episode you referred to has been pulled by the syndicator,
Studios USA. We purchase the show from Studios USA and they schedule
episodes for all TV stations broadcasting the program. This means the
same
episode airs at each station each week across the country.

We will be happy to forward your comments to Studios USA. If you prefer
to
contact them directly you may do so at the following address:

Studios USA
100 Universal City Plaza
Bldg. LRW-8
Universal City, CA 91608

Thanks for taking the time to write and let us know of your concerns.

Sincerely,

Bill Avery
News & Program Manager

At 08:35 PM 4/8/99 -0600, you wrote:
>I would hope that all television stations and syndicates would not
buckle
to such terrorist activities and thuggery as shown by a minority group
who
is pushing their own agenda by demanding that censorship be introduced
based on religious bigotry.
>
>Please respect the first ammendment right of everyone to freedom of
speech
and freedom of religion.
>
>Thank you.
>

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From: Terri Parkinson <tparkinson@masterpack.com.au>

Hi,
I haven't yet caught up on all my mail so I'm not sure if anyone has
asked/answered this but I was wondering if anyone knew of any Freedom of
Speech Watchdog type of groups or Politicians in Australia and/or the US
that we could drag into this. I feel that this has gone far beyond one
episode of one television show and that every time these freedoms are
compromised - even a tiny bit - we all suffer in the end. I was hoping to
write to Australian politicians and groups. Didn't we have a political
party or two at the last election who's platform was this very issue ? Who
was it that went to bat (in Australia) for that Lollita movie ? Maybe we
could contact them.

I'm sure that the US has heaps of groups the same. I was hoping to copy
them to correspondence seeing this problem has originated in the US - The
"Birthplace" Of Freedom of Speech and Religion.

Any idea's, thoughts, comments ?

Terri

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From: "derya ozkanli" <derya5@hotmail.com>

HI BECKY!

Thank you for writing such a beautiful exploratory letter! I'm thinking of e-mailing it (or a part of it) to a newspaper plus to the channel that airs our favourite show here in Holland...

Before I read your letter, I sent a note to The TVG Feedback Team (see below)... It's nothing much, but I AM trying! Act, don't react! Making aware is a first step, positive action WILL follow, I'm convinced of that! So let's BATTLE ON Xenites!

DERYA.

To whom it concerns: HI!

I guess you have heard about all the protesting that is going on about pulling from syndication (by Studios USA) an episode of the show called XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS.

No real feedback here, just a note that I'm protesting too! As it is a case of censorship, I'm trying to make everyone aware of this whole - not healthy to creativity - situation!

My regards,

DERYA ÖZKANLI-Holland


Thank you for submitting your feedback regarding our Television Section.
Please be assured that while we may not be able to answer every feedback, we do read every one. We value the input we receive from our users. Please make sure that our FAQ doesn't cover your question.

Again, thank you for your time and consideration,

The TVG Feedback Team

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From: i e <stand-in@juno.com>

Hi...

Just for the heck of it, I thought you might want to
see what the complete finished piece sent to 20/20
looks like. The references to Enclosures are the
documents labelled numerically at the end of the
letter used as sources to backup my statements.
Kinda like a mini-term paper.

Anyway, my objective now is to send this via
fax, e-mail, hardcopy to all the other tv news magazines.
Essentially, the same piece can be sent with minor
changes in the salutation and references to the
specific targeted tv news program. As the story
progresses and I get more facts, I can update, change
and suit the piece accordingly. Should a good
number of us take this approach, sooner or later
we will hit pay dirt, whether that paydirt results in a
guest appearance on Rosie O'Donnel by Lucy Lawless
(AND Rob Tapert?) trying to 'explain' things to fans or
a gossipy segment on ET, or a bit more meatier
investigative piece on a program like 60 Minutes or
20/20.

Most of the story editors don't get story ideas this
well documented on such a hot topic -- Xena's hot as
it is, through in the serious issue of Freedom of Expression
in the Arts vs. a religious faction's censorship and you
have the right blend of sex, righteous outrage, publicity,
etc., in short, a producer's dream of raising audience
interest, possible spin-off segments and follow-ups, and
a topic sure to be picked up and focused on by other
programs.

I'd like the e-mail, fax, snail mail address and voice for
all the other tv programs. You may post all or part of this
publicly or use in any manner you see fit.

===============
4/10/99

To: Joanna Jacobs
20/20 ABC News
147 Columbus Avenue
New York, NY 10023
USA

Re: Story Idea, 'Fans of Xena vs. Hindu Factions -- Merely
a censored TV episode or a suppression of freedom?'


Hi, Joanna,

Thought you might enjoy hearing about a possible story
idea for a segment based upon a developing situation
which on the surface may seem trivial but in reality is
opening up a giant can of worms.

The controversy started a several weeks ago, when certain
Indian Hindu factions became incensed over an episode of
Xena: Warrior Princess, that episodic fantasy tv series
produced by Renaissance Pictures and distributed worldwide
by Studios USA. This particular episode, titled 'The Way,'
featured several religious characters from Hindu lore, namely
Hanuman and Krishna.

The main protest, taken by what has been reported as over
100 Hindu groups directly to the producers and distributors
of the show, centered around the thought that to portray
Krishna or any religious character in a fictional fantasy
story was disrespectful. They felt that this was an insult to
Hindus all over the world and reason enough that the
episode should be pulled from worldwide syndication.

Through faxes, phone calls and constant complaint, these
Hindu groups were able to elicit an official apology from
Executive Producer of Xena: Warrior Princess, Robert
Tapert, and the complete withdrawal of the episode, 'The
Way' from worldwide syndication (see Enclosure #1). All
across the United States and the world, Studios USA sent
out orders that the copies of this episode be destroyed.
Tapert further acquiesced by assuring Hindu groups that no
more episodes of Xena would feature Hindu religious
characters and that if 'The Way' ever was to be released
again, Sunil Aghi, founder and president of the Indo-
Americans Political Foundation (IAPF) would be contacted
to discuss specific alterations making it acceptable (see
Enclosure #3 Tsering article in India-West).

So, on the surface it appeared that a tv show had tried
something experimental in the realm of fantasy storytelling,
offended a religious group and then in the spirit of respect
for that religious group, backed down.

Yet, as the story broke, first in the daily Industry trades and
then slowly on CNN, Los Angeles (see Enclosure #2),
American Indian Hindu publications (see Enclosure #3,
India-West article by Lisa Tsering), and throughout the Xena
fandom via the Internet mailing lists, newsgroups, Universal
Studios own offical Xena Netforum -
http://www.mca.com/tv/xena, websites, and other media,
another side to the story began to develop...

#1. It was brought to light that the Hindu groups were
perhaps composed of small, perhaps fundamentalist zealots,
oftentimes regarded as outside the mainstream of Hindu
followers worldwide, (see Enclosure #4, article by Professor
Achal Mehra, Editor/Publisher of Little India also the good
number of opinions speaking out against the protest of the
extremists at Vaishnava News Network,
http://www.vnn.org/editorials) bringing up the possibility, they
had bullied and conned the executives at Renaissance Pictures
and Studios USA (who were already gunshy of bad publicity
dealing with religious issues) into believing they represented the
vast majority of Hindus worldwide.

A possible hint pointing to the zealot nature (jumping to conclusion
letters of protest being sent often before the episode had even
aired) and possible hate motive of these protestors were the
letters drafted to the Xena: Warrior Princess producers making
mention of not wanting Krishna associated with lesbians (see
Enclosure #1, Rob Tapert's official publicity release and also
be aware the official line on Xena and Gabrielle's relationship
is that they are just friends.)

#2. Fans began to realize that they had been cheated out of
voicing their own opinions regarding the matter and that in
effect, a violation of their right to view and decide for
themselves had taken place. Fans began to rally counter
protests to this censorship through mailing campaigns directly
to Renaissance Pictures and Studio USA, then to both hardcopy
and online publications and certainly, even as you read this now,
to tv news programs such as yours.

#3. This began to appear as a form of religious censorship
imposed on a fantasy form of expression, and its implications
and repercussions are sure to be felt throughout the film and tv
industry in that not only will the depiction of Hindus in any context
be looked warily upon, but the precedent being established
for ANY religious, political or group with a personal agenda to
dictate what can or can't be shown on tv and film.

I would ask you to read the article by Professor Mehra carefully,
as I found his observations of Indian Hindus both here in America
and in India rather perceptive in that he takes into account the
social, political and religious turmoil his people face in both
countries. It would seem he places into perspective these
growing pains of acculturization (Another side story if ever I saw
one!).

This appears to be developing into a major Freedom of Expression
in the Arts issue. There has already been some backlash
reaction to this, in that some fans think all Indian Hindus are behind
this censorship. In some cases, heated debates have taken place,
insults exchanged. The executives at Studio USA and Renaissance
Pictures have released their official statements and not been
heard from since. Local tv affiliates that fans complain to in the
United States are told that their distributor, Studios USA, controls
the episodes release and airing rights.

I'm thinking 20/20 would do a great job on this, investigating further
as to why and how a religious group could tell Hollywood what to
do in a fantasy medium that has similarly alluded to characters
in Christianity, Judaism, Taoism, etc. without protest. Certainly, it
is a medium that makes no pretense of being anything more than
lighthearted fantasy entertainment and not to be taken seriously or
as a substitute for education, religion, teachers, church, synagogue
or temples.

A mere case of fans of a tv show versus religious fanatics? Or,
something deeper, like the right of an artist (Executive Producer
Robert Tapert) to express himself and an audience to enjoy that
expression free from censorship, all depending on a controlling
corporation (Studios USA) reluctant (because of financial, publicity,
or other issues?) to fight for the integrity of that art, consequently
setting a precedent that takes us all one step backwards towards
the days of book-burning in Germany and the McCarthy Blacklist?

Needless to say, contact me for more information, clarification,
sources, phone numbers, references, updates, etc.

Sincerely,
(signature)
(contact information)


==========================================

ENCLOSURE #1
Publicity Release: Letter from Xena: Warrior Princess
Executive Producer, Robert Tapert

To All Concerned,

Renaissance Pictures and its business partners are
not insensitive to the concerns of Hindus worldwide. The
earnest and understandable efforts of some Hindus to
convey their distress over the depiction of Krishna in the
Xena episode, "The Way," were blurred by the intolerant
attitudes in which the issue was initially couched.

On February 23, 1999, the Xena production staff was
sent a letter from Tustas Krishnadas, Press Secretary of
the World Vaishnava Association. In his letter, he wrote
that the Xena episode, "The Way," which, at the time of his
letter had not yet been screened, was . . ."offensive in two
ways:

(1) It treats Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, speaker of the scripture Bhagavad-gita, as
fictional, and

(2) since in this episode Lord Krishna is engaged in
fictional activities of helping Xena reunite with Gabrielle,
who is obviously her lesbian lover, it makes it appear
that Lord Krishna and the Vedic religion approve of and
give blessings to homosexual relationships, which is
completely false."

While the first point is certainly worth serious discussion,
the second point was difficult not to treat as just another
piece of hate mail.

Over the years, we at Renaissance Pictures have read
thousands of letters protesting our depiction of interracial
love affairs; our portrayal of Cleopatra as black; of Hercules'
and Xena's tolerance of others' religious, ideological, or
sexual leanings. We have even received criticism of the
diverse ethnicities which we choose to have people our
villages. Why we do not respond to letters of that nature is
obvious. However, by not responding to this letter, we
were then made the target of misinformation and outright
lies.

Every critic has a personal agenda. Many agendas are
worthy of consideration. However, those born out of bigotry
and intolerance must be fought. To those Hindus we
offended, our apology stands. To those with an agenda of
intolerance, this is not a victory.

Respectfully,
Robert Tapert
Executive Producer
Renaissance Pictures

============================================

ENCLOSURE #2

'Xena: Warrior Princess' episode withdrawn after Hindu
complaints'

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- The producers of "Xena: Warrior
Princess" have decided not to re-air an episode which makes
reference to the Hindu deities Lord Krishna and Hanuman.

Renaissance Pictures apologized Monday to the Hindu
community for offending them and said the company will not
produce any further episodes involving Hindu deities.

"Xena: Warrior Princess" is an action-adventure series which
stars Lucy Lawless as Xena.

"We certainly had no intention of offending anyone," a
spokesperson for the studio said.

The episode in question first aired in February, and quickly drew
complaints from a Hindu group, the World Vaishnava Association.


===============================================

ENCLOSURE #3
"Xena" producers pull "The Way" from repeat schedule

By Lisa Tsering
India-West Staff Reporter
April 9, 1999 issue

The producers of the television series, "Xena: Warrior
Princess," issued a public apology April 2 and announced that
they were pulling the episode "The Way" from their domestic and
international repeat schedules, in response to recent protests by
over 100 Hindu organizations claiming that the show portrayed
Lord Krishna as a fictional character (I-W, Apr. 2).

"No TV episode is worth this. It's better to remove the offensive
material," the show's executive producer, Robert Tapert, told
India-West in an exclusive telephone interview from his office in
Los Angeles.

"Xena" is produced by Renaissance Pictures in New Zealand,
where the show is filmed, and by Studios USA in Los Angeles.

The press release, sent by Renaissance Pictures to Daily
Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and other entertainment
industry publications in addition to Indian American media outlets,
reads, "... We are genuinely sorry that we have offended
members of the Hindu community and have no plans to produce
any future episodes involving Hindu deities or personas.
Because production constraints make it impossible to change
'The Way' now, we will pull the episode from worldwide
syndication. If we later decide to air it again, we would first
contact Sunil Aghi, founder and president of the Indo-Americans
Political Foundation, to discuss the specific alterations that
would need to be made."

Aghi, founder and president of the Indo-Americans Political
Foundation, worked with Studios USA Group president Bob
Fleming and vice president of media relations, Jim Benson, to
craft the release. The decision was made by Tapert and his
co-executive producer R.J. Stewart (who scripted the episode),
under the guidance and request of Studios USA, said Tapert.

The protest was launched in late February by Tusta Krishnadas,
spokesman for the Mathura-based World Vaishnava Association,
and Pratap More of American Hindus Against Defamation.

Aghi, whose connections into mainstream politics and
entertainment reach from the White House to executives at
Paramount Pictures and Universal Studios in Los Angeles, told
India-West that he was first introduced to the story by Avdhesh
Agarwal, Vijay Telkikar of the American Hindu Federation,
Gopal Chaturvedi, vice president of the American Hindu
Federation, and Chander Mittal, chairman of IAPF. "We know
the community's problems, and we saw that (Krishnadas and
More) weren't going anywhere," said Chaturvedi. "Sunil had the
contacts, so we asked him."

Aghi spent two hours with Fleming and Benson last week
watching "The Way" and explaining that if the episode were aired
again, it would spark further protest as well as a "boycott of the
sponsors, the studios and the TV stations," he said. "In India,
people would have boycotted all the American made products
just because of this show."

Yet, despite their seeming victory, Hindu protesters are not
satisfied by the announcement, saying that they only heard about
it through the media and had not been contacted personally with
an apology - and that they had not had their organizations
mentioned by name in the press release.

"They should have apologized to us directly," Krishnadas told
India-West. "It's like an apology whispered in a closet ... they're
still snubbing us."

Pratap More, on behalf of AHAD and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad,
agreed. "They should go to religious authorities, not politicians,"
he said. The WVA and AHAD had also requested a joint press
conference with the show's producers, who declined the request.

But despite his differences of opinion with the show's producers,
Krishnadas considers the protest a success. "The victory belongs
to Lord Krishna, Hanumanji, their devotees, and everybody who
holds the Hindu literature sacred," he said.

Telkikar was pleased with the announcement and praised Studios
USA and Renaissance Pictures for their action. "I feel it was an
act of great understanding on their part," he said. "We should
appreciate their gesture."

His sentiment was echoed by Prithvi Raj Singh, president of the
Federation of Hindu Associations. "We sincerely express our
hearty thanks to your offices, for resolving this matter, and to
Hindu individuals and organizations who worked in the earnest
honesty to convey the message of their concerns," Singh wrote
in a letter to Benson that was faxed to India-West.

Added Mittal, "It appears the WVA and the AHAD are not
interested in an apology; they're more interested in getting their
names in the papers."

Krishnadas countered that it was Aghi who was trying to get
publicity. "It's very unfortunate that Aghi has chosen to spotlight
his organization rather than the millions of people and Hindu
associations around the world who brought (the studio) to their
decision."

Harish Dhruv, speaking on behalf of the Hindu Swayam Sevak
Sangh, said politicians had no right to "meddle in Hindu issues."
"The studios need to deal with us ... Sunil Aghi does not
represent us," he said. "The apology should go to the organization
who is leading the fight."

According to Aghi, however, executives at Renaissance and
Studios USA did not want to deal directly with any religious
organizations as they were afraid of opening a floodgate of protest.
"They would only deal with me," he told India-West. "What can I
do?" If he hadn't gotten involved in the negotiations, "the outcome
would not have been achieved."

Although Aghi said he is trying to remain a neutral voice on behalf
of the Indo-American community, he expressed frustration that
Hindu activists hadn't been satisfied with the April 2 announcement.
"I'm a political activist," he said. "Not a religious activist ... I
would
hope to not get involved in religious issues in future." Mittal added,
"(The IAPF) will never again become involved in religious
activities."

The Indo-Americans Political Foundation is a group of Americans
of Indian origin who work to lobby government agencies to be
more responsive to the needs of the Indian community; to support
political candidates who share their convictions and aspirations;
and to educate Indo-Americans on the U.S. political process. The
group has raised $600,000 in the last two years, Aghi said. Aghi
also founded Thank You America, a group which distributes food
and blankets to Southern Calfornia homeless.

"Xena: Warrior Princess" is seen in more than 60 countries
worldwide, including India. The show is television's highest rated
first-run syndicated drama.

Although the press release mentioned that the episode would
be pulled from worldwide syndication, the decision applies to the
U.S. rerun schedule as well, said a spokesman, adding that it
wasn't yet determined if the episode would be available for
purchase on video at a later date.

The decision to pull the show from its domestic repeat and
international syndication schedule will cost Studios USA a
"considerable" sum, said an industry source who wished to
remain anonymous. "This is going to have a chilling effect in
Hollywood," since producers would now be afraid to portray
Hindus in any context."


=============================================

ENCLOSURE #4

Editorial
Spectacle Without Actors
By Achal Mehra

It is incumbent upon the media to occasionally pull back the
curtains and turn on the lights to expose this saffron vaudeville for
what it is: a stage with multiple mirrors without actors.

In recent months, Indian Hindus in America have expressed outrage
at the music group Aerosmith for disparaging Ganesh with an image
on an album cover. And they have fumed at Madonna for usurping
the Mehendi and sanskrit sholakas. They have railed against Pat
Roberston's frequently bigoted outbursts against "Hindoos." And
now they are taking up arms against Xena the Warrior, who has
teamed up with Krishna in another dumb TV adventure.

I wished that my fellow Hindus in America weren't so touchy about
their religion. I never cease to be baffled by Hindu fundamentalists,
considering that Hinduism alone among the world's major religions
recognizes no established priestly order, no particular sacred text
and no established rituals.

Indeed, one could well argue that fundamentalism is antithetical to
the core tenets of Hindu philosophy and that these Hindu zealots are
fundamentally clueless. I have always found it supremely ironic that
Hindu fanatics share a passion for a doctrinaire form of the religion,
not unlike fundamentalist Muslims and Christians, against whom they
constantly inveigh. Nothing, they say, is so like the North Pole as the
South Pole.

Whatever the politics of Hindu chauvinism and religious bigotry in
India, the Hindu chauvinists in America defy all logic. It is befuddling
that these people have elected to safely put a distance of 10,000
miles from the fires they are stoking on the subcontinent. In many
instances, members of such organizations as the Overseas Friends
of the BJP and the even more militant Vishwa Hindu Parishad have
taken out U.S. citizenship. Why they would seek to commit India to
a Hindu theocracy when they presumably will not be riding the
udankhatolas or chariots there boggles the mind.

These bigots protest the bigotry of the religious right in this country
as well as the comic appropriation of exotic Hindu icons by the global
forces of commodification. And yet they are apologists for and
constantly seek to rationalize on behalf of the armed thugs who
assault Muslim and Christian shrines and murder people in the name
of Hinduism back in India.

The fundamentalist Hindu groups in the United States are a
microscopic though very voluble minority. By all accounts, the
Overseas Friends of the BJP has fewer than 400 members. The
Hindu Swayamsewak Sang (HSS) professes 800 members, while the
Vishwa Hindu Parishad klan is even smaller. Some 5,000 Indian
American youngsters have apparently participated in HSS youth
camps, which are modeled after the RSS, but which are attended by
kids for lack of any other form of Hindu religious experience for Indian
families in America. These youth scarcely share the zeal of the
Sangh's American pariwar.

This 2,000 odd Hindu rump is a laughable footnote in the life and
experience of the 1.2 million strong Indian American community. But
their dedication and zeal, in the face of widespread political and
religious apathy among Indian Americans generally, has given them
an influence far beyond their puny numbers.

It is unlikely that their zeal will ebb any time soon. And it is equally
unlikely that the overwhelming majority of Indian Americans will shake
off their indifference to their silly American spectacle.

Under the circumstances, it is incumbent upon the media to
occasionally pull back the curtains and turn on the lights to expose
this saffron vaudeville for what it is: a stage with multiple mirrors
without actors.

Little India is hosted and maintained by
ASANet.

"The editor, Achal Mehra, Ph.D., is associate professor of
communications at Albright College and editor of Little India, a
monthly feature magazine targeted at the Asian Indian community
in the United States. Dr. Mehra has authored or edited four previous
books, including Free Flow Information (Greenwood Press), Press
Systems in Asean, (AMIC, Singapore) Newspaper Management in
the New Multimedia Age (AMIC, Singapore and UNESCO) and
Communication Development and Human Rights (Institute for Social
Studies, The Netherlands and AMIC, Singapore). He also edited
Indians on the Net and Little India Business Directory 1998, which
are also available from amazon.com"

=================================================
END

Return to the Top

From: "Silea Lawless" <sileakicksbutt@hotmail.com>

Hi guys- let me just say (as my first post) how impressed I am with
everyone's efforts- we xenites really unite when the show is
threatened, don't we :-)
I'm an aussie, and I hoped I could get some feedback on the letter I
wrote to Channel Ten regarding this issue. I'll change it a bit for
when I write to the "big bosses" in the US, but please tell me what
you think.

Mr David Mott
Program Manager- "Xena: Warrior Princess"
Channel 10
1 Saunders Street
Pyrmont NSW

Friday 9th April 1999

Dear Mr Mott,
I am writing in response to Renaissance
Pictures’ removal of the "Xena: Warrior Princess" episode "The Way"
from syndication. I understand that, at the time of writing, you are
unsure as to whether to show this episode due to the protest of
select Hindu groups in America, and I hope that my opinion on the
matter can convince you to do so.

Firstly, the main protests of the Hindu leaders who have an issue
with this episode are as follows- that Lord Krishna and his follower
Hanuman are painted as fictional, therefore in some way showing
Hindu’s to be foolish to follow a "fictional god". Also, during the
episode, Lord Krishna helps Xena reunite with Gabrielle, who,
according to a joint release of the California-based World Vaishnava
Assn. and the "American Hindus Against Defamation" organisation,
is "obviously" her lesbian lover, which apparently shows,
incorrectly, that the Hindu religion approves of homosexual
relationships. Whilst I believe that these Hindu groups are entitled
to their own interpretation of this relationship and opinion on the
episode, I feel that the censuring of "The Way" was unfounded, for
the following reasons.

Firstly, the claim that Krishna was portrayed as fictional and
somewhat cheapened by that fact is false- during the course of the
show the characters have also met Christian, Jewish and Pagan Gods
and heroes, and there has been no protest from these religious groups
as to fictional nature of these figures within the show.
As for the "cheapening" of the Hindu religion, having seen this
episode previously, I felt more enlightened and positive towards the
Hindu religion as a result. I saw no "mocking" of a God, on the
contrary, I saw a credible attempt to elevate that God to the highest
standards, encouraging the viewers’ respect and curiosity about this
God and his followers.
Adding to this, throughout the series, Xena has been a stoic
character who needs no God to save or protect her, however, in this
episode, she prayed for help- not to a Greek God, but to the Hindu
God Krishna. She called upon his strength and good heart to give her
the strength to fight evil and save not only the life of a dear
friend, but the lives of many. What better way is there to show
respect for a God than to have this normally disrespectful hero pray
to Krishna, an act which displays absolute reverence and respect?
Because of this show, the curiosity to learn more about this religion
and its beliefs was sparked in many Xenites. However, the censorship
due to the actions of these Hindu groups is unfortunately likely to
close that door to encouraging further knowledge and understanding.

In response to the issue with the supposedly "obvious" homosexual
relationship between Xena and Gabrielle, I can only say that this
reaction by the Hindu leaders shows blatant homophobia, and shows
themselves and therefore their religion to be intolerant.
Homosexuality is not a flagrant element of the show, being neither
confirmed nor denied at any stage, and indeed, the friendship between
the two lead characters can be taken in so many different ways, that
for the majority of fans, having decided on their perspective of the
characters’ relationship, this relationship is neither an issue or
relevant to the "heroics" of the episodes.

Regardless of the many differing opinions on the sexuality of Xena
and Gabrielle, we "Xenites" believe that "Xena: Warrior Princess" is
among other things, a show about tolerance and acceptance of all
types of people, religions, races, sexuality etc. Indeed, Xena and
Gabrielle have never called themselves anything other than very
loving "best friends", something I thought all religions of the world
would purport to welcome. While this concept of close, loving
friendship is repugnant to a select few organisations, it is a
blatant contradiction of the portrayal of their Lord Krishna in the
Hindu religion and indeed, in "The Way", as a fair and loving God.

I wish to protest the fact that the unfounded "moral outrage" of a
select few should be able to censure what we watch, regardless of the
fact that, as they admit, they have not even seen this episode. I
ask why is it legitimate that the majority of us have been deprived
of the right to make up our own minds about the nature of this
episode, and the right to see something on television we enjoy?
Respectfully, I ask that you do not give into the prejudice of these
select organisations who have so rigidly opposed this episode,
ignoring the best intentions of the Xena Producers, who, in
creating "The Way", went so far as to use an Indian/Hindu expert
during the filming to ensure that the episode would be inoffensive.

Adding to this protest, not only would the removal of "The Way" from
syndication render the "India Trilogy" (of which "The Way" forms the
conclusion) virtually obsolete. Indeed, the importance of this
episode is such that a gaping hole would be left in the understanding
of the spiritual development of the characters, the further
development of their friendship and indeed even in the understanding
of this entire season, if "The Way" is not shown.

"Xena: Warrior Princess" may seem to be "just a television show", but
it is a show that has not only broken through many conventions of
television, but has provided positive role models in all age groups,
both sexes, heterosexuals and gay/lesbians, people suffering from
violence etc. In the light of this, plus the many facts refuting
any "cheapening" of the Hindu religion, I feel that the censorship
by these select Hindu groups is unjust and unfounded, and I hope that
you decide in favour of showing "The Way" on Channel 10. Thank you
for your attention, and I await your reply

Yours Sincerely,
etc.etc.


What do you think? I tried to be polite, but Channel Ten have
been ...uh...screwing us Aussie Xenites over since the show began,
and I've been wanting to yell at them for years :-)

Return to the Top

From: Deep0512@aol.com

Dear Rosie:
I write to you today, Rosie, because of an important issue that has come up
recently. It concerns an episode of "Xena: Warrior Princess" entitled "The
Way"
This certain episode protrayed a Hindu god named Krishna and many
orginizations such as the World Vaisanava Orginization (WVA) and the American
Hindus Against Defamation (AHAD) have protested and demanded the episode be
removed from public viewing since it offends them. Some compaints they had
were that Xena (Lucy Lawless) treated their god Krishna as only an equal and
that the show also "fictionalized" Krishna. The second complaint was that in
the episode Krishna helped Xena fight another god and save Gabrielle (Renee
O' Connor). They found it offending because they seem to think Xena and
Gabrielle are lesbians and that by Krishna helping them, it showed he
approved of homosexuality, which was not true.
I am not against any religion because I recognize that everyone is entitled
to their own opinion to the freedom of speech. Robert Tapert, executive
producer, has publicly apologized and agreed to pull the episode "The Way"
out of the repeat schedule, yet the Hindi community is still not satisfied
with this. Plus, it makes Xenites (fans of the show) quite angry. They feel
that the show should not be pulled because that is censorship.
I, being a student journalist at Durango High School in Las Vegas, Nevada,
know that censorship is not allowed unless during wartime. And even then,
only military plans of attack and such are censored in case the enemy happens
to get a hold of US newspapers or has a spy. Censorship of a Xena episode
simply because one doesn't like it is quite inconsiderate and wrong.
They always have the right to change the channel. As I've said before, the
Hindu community thought Xena treated Krishna only as an equal at best and
that USA Studios "fictionalized" Krishna. Well, the show itself is all
fiction, for one thing. Also, the show has never said that Xena and Gabrielle
are lesbians. They are merely best friends who stick together like true
family and Krishna helped Xena get her friend back, not save her lesbian
lover. That part of the complaint, I think, is just prejudice against the
gay/lesbian community.
There is an orginzation called Xenites Against Censorship (XAC) which include
over 300 dedicated Xenites who plan to stick up for their beloved show and
hero.
I ask as a favor from you, Rosie, to please address this issue in your show
so that the people may be educated about this. The public has the right to
know. Please help our cause and help the episode "The Way" stay on the air
for its devoted fans! XAC, myself, and probably Lucy Lawless and Robert
Tapert would most appreciate this from you! Keep up the great work on the
Rosie Show!
>From - Cam-Tu Dang and XAC members.
BATTLE ON!!

Return to the Top

From: I e <stand-in@juno.com>

This has been posted to the alt.xena newsgroup,
Xenaverse, the official Xena Netforum. Feel free to
post it anywhere else you'd like that you think it
will do good. This contact information was obtained
by me as the result of a direct call to Studios USA.
As I've told others, when I asked for a contact
regarding syndication of Xena, she was about to give
me the information for Rob Tapert, but I asked her
to give me someone directly at Studios USA ABOVE
Mr. Tapert. So, write to Studios USA, Tapert,
Renaissance Pictures, the whole bunch will get the
message.

To: Ken Solomon
President of Network Television
Studios USA
8800 Sunset
West Hollywood, CA 90069
USA

(FAX: 310-360-2666)

Re: Reinstatement of Xena: Warrior Princess episode,
'The Way'

Dear Mr. Solomon,

I know you must be busy, so I'd like to cut right to the
chase. Recently, local affiliates across the United States
told many fans of the Xena: Warrior Princess tv series
that your corporation played a major part in the decision
to yank the Xena episode, 'The Way.' We were also told
in publicity releases and news articles that the reason for
this censorship was due to the protests and dictates of
certain factions among Hindus who felt the episode was
disrespectful to their religion.

Being that Xena: Warrior Princess is a fantasy program
that refers to deities and religious characters and events
of many other religions and philosophies such as Judaism,
Christianity, Taoism, etc., with the artistic license an tv
show with a fantasy premise has the right to use, many
fans feel that no religious or political group should take the
program so seriously or interpret it as anything more than
entertainment. To do so would be an admission that tv is
a substitute for books, school, education, teachers, temples,
synagogues, churches and plain common sense.

There are legions of Xena fans across the United States and
in the world who feel that to endorse censorship of 'The Way'
is a step backwards in Freedom of Expression in the Arts.
To allow anyone or any group to ban the contents of an
episode because it offends or does not coincide with their
view of what Art, Truth or Life should be is to deny others
their right to decide and perceive what is viable and true. This
is especially the case with a fantasy program which makes no
pretense at being educational in matters pertaining to religious
beliefs.

If a fantasy tv program can not enter the realm of fantasy freely,
what medium, can, pray tell? How many letters, phone calls, or
faxes will it take to convince you that the majority of Xena: Warrior
Princess fans feel the way I have described above and that the
majority's interest and their right to view and enjoy would be
served by reinstating 'The Way' in syndication?

Would 5,000 opinions from fans convince you? 6,000? 10,000?
Or perhaps, coverage of this issue on news programs such as
20/20, Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, 60 Minutes, etc.
under the segment title: "Freedom of Expression and Religious
Control"?

Please let us know, as we are firm in our beliefs that this is more
than just an episode of our favorite television program being
yanked. We believe it is an issue dealing with the right to freely
express and perceive in a medium created for that purpose. We
believe this is a right that should never be curtailed or denied.

We fully support and endorse Robert Tapert's admission that 'The
Way' was one of the finest episodes produced to date and
despite and protests from Mr. Tapert, we do not intend to let this
episode be censored or altered in any way. We all can't begin to
tell you how disheartened we were to read Mr. Tapert's statement
that he as been 'soured' (Lisa Tsering article in India-West) by
the whole tv experience of which this censorship issue seems to
be the capper. To see the Executive Producer of Xena: Warrior
Princess bow do the demands of a religious faction has many fans
in a furor, I can assure you.

Suffice it to say, anykind of attempts by Mr. Tapert to calm the
situation down are NOT going to help. This goes beyond the
pulling of a syndicated episode, it's a Freedom of Expression issue
that we have plans of publicizing widely.

Thank you so much for your time. Should you wish to respond to
this, I will do my best to let your feelings on this matter be known
to the thousands of Xena fans in the United States and around the
world by way of conventions, newsletters, tv, the Internet and just
about any other medium at our disposal.


Sincerely,

(Signature)

Return to Top

From: I e <stand-in@juno.com>

The following was e-mailed to 20/20 staffer,
Joanna Jacobs. I'm also sending her all the
pertinent information regarding the censorship
of 'The Way,' including Rob Tapert's official letter,
the articles by Lisa Tsering, Professor Achal Mehra's
piece, contact info for Studios USA, and certainly
any other facts I've researched that I feel will provide
a basis for them to do further research, interviews,
follow-ups, etc. In fact, I do think the piece below
might suffice as a pitch (Doing Joanna's work for her
to make it easy helps!) something she can use if she
wants, to sell the idea at a meeting and get a green
light to proceed developing.

To: Joanna Jacobs
20/20 ABC News
147 Columbus Avenue
New York, NY 10023
USA

Re: Fans of Xena vs. Hindu Factions

Hi, Joanna,

Thought you might enjoy hearing about a possible story
idea for a segment based upon a developing situation
which on the surface may seem trivial but in reality is
opening up a giant can of worms.

The controversy started when certain Indian Hindu
factions became incensed over an episode of Xena:
Warrior Princess, that episodic fantasy tv series produced
by Renaissance Pictures and distributed worldwide by
Studios USA. This particular episode, titled 'The Way,'
featured several religious characters from Hindu lore,
mainly Hanuman and Krishna.

The main protest, taken by what has been reported as over
100 Hindu groups directly to the producers and distributors
of the show, centered around the thought that to portray
Krishna or any religious character in a fictional fantasy
story was disrespectful. They felt that this was an insult to
Hindus all over the world and reason enough that the
episode should be pulled from worldwide syndication.

Through faxes, phone calls and constant complaint, these
Hindu groups were able to elicit an official apology from
Executive Producer of Xena: Warrior Princess, Robert
Tapert, and the complete withdrawal of the episode, 'The
Way' from worldwide syndication. All across the United
States and the world, Studios USA sent out orders that the
copies of this episode be destroyed. Tapert further
acquiesced by assuring Hindu groups that no more episodes
of Xena would feature Hindu religious characters and that if
'The Way' ever was to be released again, Sunil Aghi, founder
and president of the Indo-Americans Political Foundation
(IAPF) would be contacted to discuss specific alterations
making it acceptable.

So, on the surface it appeared that a tv show had tried
something experimental in the realm of fantasy storytelling,
offended a religious group and then in the spirit of respect
for that religious group, backed down.

Yet, as the story broke, first in the daily Industry trades and
then slowly on CNN (Los Angeles), American Indian Hindu
publications (see India-West article by Lisa Tsering), and
throughout the Xena fandom via the Internet mailing lists,
newsgroups, Universal Studios own offical Xena Netforum,
websites, and other media, another side to the story began
to develop...

#1. It was brought to light that the Hindu groups were
composed of small, perhaps fundamentalist zealots,
oftentimes regarded as outside the mainstream of Hindu
followers worldwide, (see article by Professor Achal Mehra,
Editor/Publisher of Little India) and that possibly, they had
bullied and conned the executives at Renaissance Pictures
and Studios USA into believing they represented the vast
majority of Hindus worldwide.

A possible hint pointing to the zealot nature of these protestors
were the letters drafted to the Xena: Warrior Princess
producersmaking mention of not wanting Krishna associated
with lesbians. (See Rob Tapert's official publicity release and
also be aware the official line on Xena and Gabrielle's
relationship is that they are just friends.)

#2. Fans began to realize that they had been cheated out of
voicing their own opinions regarding the matter and that in
effect, a violation of their right to view and decide for
themselves had taken place. Fans began to rally counter
protests to this censorship through mailing campaigns directly
to Renaissance Pictures and Studio USA, then to both hardcopy
and online publications and certainly, even as you read this now,
to tv news programs such as yours.

#3. This began to appear as a form of religious censorship
imposed on a fantasy form of expression, and its implications
and repercussions are sure to be felt throughout the film and tv
industry in that not only will the depiction of Hindus in any context
be looked warily upon, but the precedent being established
for ANY religious, political or group with a personal agenda to
dictate what can or can't be shown on tv and film.

I would ask you to read the article by Professor Mehra carefully,
as I found his observations of Indian Hindus both here in America
and in India rather perceptive in that he takes into account the
social, political and religious turmoil his people face in both
countries. It would seem he places into perspective these
growing pains of acculturization (another side story if ever I saw
one!).

This appears to be developing into a major Freedom of Expression
in the Arts issue. There has already been some backlash
reaction to this, in that some fans think all Indian Hindus are behind
this censorship. In some cases, heated debates have taken place,
insults exchanged. The executives at Studio USA and Renaissance
Pictures have released their official statements and not been
heard from since. Local tv affiliates that fans complain to in the
United States are told that their distributor, Studios USA, controls
the episodes release and airing rights.

I'm thinking 20/20 would do a great job on this, investigating further
as to why and how a religious group could tell Hollywood what to
do in a fantasy medium that has similarly alluded to characters
in Christianity, Judaism, Taoism, etc. without protest. Certainly, it
is a medium that makes no pretense of being anything more than
lighthearted fantasy entertainment and not to be taken seriously or
as a substitute for education, religion, teachers, church, synagogue
or temples.

A mere case of fans of a tv show versus religious fanatics? Or,
something deeper, like the right of an artist (Executive Producer
Robert Tapert) to express himself and an audience to enjoy that
expression free from censorship, all depending on a controlling
corporation (Studios USA) reluctant (because of financial, publicity,
or other issues?) to fight for the integrity of that art, consequently
setting a precedent that takes us all one step backwards towards
the days of book-burning in Germany and the McCarthy Blacklist?

Needless to say, contact me for more information, sources, phone
numbers, references, etc.

(signature)
(contact information)

Return to top

From: I e <stand-in@juno.com>

Hi...

Just for the heck of it, I thought you might want to
see what the complete finished piece sent to 20/20
looks like. The references to Enclosures are the
documents labelled numerically at the end of the
letter used as sources to backup my statements.
Kinda like a mini-term paper.

Anyway, my objective now is to send this via
fax, e-mail, hardcopy to all the other tv news magazines.
Essentially, the same piece can be sent with minor
changes in the salutation and references to the
specific targeted tv news program. As the story
progresses and I get more facts, I can update, change
and suit the piece accordingly. Should a good
number of us take this approach, sooner or later
we will hit pay dirt, whether that paydirt results in a
guest appearance on Rosie O'Donnel by Lucy Lawless
(AND Rob Tapert?) trying to 'explain' things to fans or
a gossipy segment on ET, or a bit more meatier
investigative piece on a program like 60 Minutes or
20/20.

Most of the story editors don't get story ideas this
well documented on such a hot topic -- Xena's hot as
it is, through in the serious issue of Freedom of Expression
in the Arts vs. a religious faction's censorship and you
have the right blend of sex, righteous outrage, publicity,
etc., in short, a producer's dream of raising audience
interest, possible spin-off segments and follow-ups, and
a topic sure to be picked up and focused on by other
programs.

I'd like the e-mail, fax, snail mail address and voice for
all the other tv programs. You may post all or part of this
publicly or use in any manner you see fit.

===============
4/10/99

To: Joanna Jacobs
20/20 ABC News
147 Columbus Avenue
New York, NY 10023
USA

Re: Story Idea, 'Fans of Xena vs. Hindu Factions -- Merely
a censored TV episode or a suppression of freedom?'


Hi, Joanna,

Thought you might enjoy hearing about a possible story
idea for a segment based upon a developing situation
which on the surface may seem trivial but in reality is
opening up a giant can of worms.

The controversy started a several weeks ago, when certain
Indian Hindu factions became incensed over an episode of
Xena: Warrior Princess, that episodic fantasy tv series
produced by Renaissance Pictures and distributed worldwide
by Studios USA. This particular episode, titled 'The Way,'
featured several religious characters from Hindu lore, namely
Hanuman and Krishna.

The main protest, taken by what has been reported as over
100 Hindu groups directly to the producers and distributors
of the show, centered around the thought that to portray
Krishna or any religious character in a fictional fantasy
story was disrespectful. They felt that this was an insult to
Hindus all over the world and reason enough that the
episode should be pulled from worldwide syndication.

Through faxes, phone calls and constant complaint, these
Hindu groups were able to elicit an official apology from
Executive Producer of Xena: Warrior Princess, Robert
Tapert, and the complete withdrawal of the episode, 'The
Way' from worldwide syndication (see Enclosure #1). All
across the United States and the world, Studios USA sent
out orders that the copies of this episode be destroyed.
Tapert further acquiesced by assuring Hindu groups that no
more episodes of Xena would feature Hindu religious
characters and that if 'The Way' ever was to be released
again, Sunil Aghi, founder and president of the Indo-
Americans Political Foundation (IAPF) would be contacted
to discuss specific alterations making it acceptable (see
Enclosure #3 Tsering article in India-West).

So, on the surface it appeared that a tv show had tried
something experimental in the realm of fantasy storytelling,
offended a religious group and then in the spirit of respect
for that religious group, backed down.

Yet, as the story broke, first in the daily Industry trades and
then slowly on CNN, Los Angeles (see Enclosure #2),
American Indian Hindu publications (see Enclosure #3,
India-West article by Lisa Tsering), and throughout the Xena
fandom via the Internet mailing lists, newsgroups, Universal
Studios own offical Xena Netforum -
http://www.mca.com/tv/xena, websites, and other media,
another side to the story began to develop...

#1. It was brought to light that the Hindu groups were
perhaps composed of small, perhaps fundamentalist zealots,
oftentimes regarded as outside the mainstream of Hindu
followers worldwide, (see Enclosure #4, article by Professor
Achal Mehra, Editor/Publisher of Little India also the good
number of opinions speaking out against the protest of the
extremists at Vaishnava News Network,
http://www.vnn.org/editorials) bringing up the possibility, they
had bullied and conned the executives at Renaissance Pictures
and Studios USA (who were already gunshy of bad publicity
dealing with religious issues) into believing they represented the
vast majority of Hindus worldwide.

A possible hint pointing to the zealot nature (jumping to conclusion
letters of protest being sent often before the episode had even
aired) and possible hate motive of these protestors were the
letters drafted to the Xena: Warrior Princess producers making
mention of not wanting Krishna associated with lesbians (see
Enclosure #1, Rob Tapert's official publicity release and also
be aware the official line on Xena and Gabrielle's relationship
is that they are just friends.)

#2. Fans began to realize that they had been cheated out of
voicing their own opinions regarding the matter and that in
effect, a violation of their right to view and decide for
themselves had taken place. Fans began to rally counter
protests to this censorship through mailing campaigns directly
to Renaissance Pictures and Studio USA, then to both hardcopy
and online publications and certainly, even as you read this now,
to tv news programs such as yours.

#3. This began to appear as a form of religious censorship
imposed on a fantasy form of expression, and its implications
and repercussions are sure to be felt throughout the film and tv
industry in that not only will the depiction of Hindus in any context
be looked warily upon, but the precedent being established
for ANY religious, political or group with a personal agenda to
dictate what can or can't be shown on tv and film.

I would ask you to read the article by Professor Mehra carefully,
as I found his observations of Indian Hindus both here in America
and in India rather perceptive in that he takes into account the
social, political and religious turmoil his people face in both
countries. It would seem he places into perspective these
growing pains of acculturization (Another side story if ever I saw
one!).

This appears to be developing into a major Freedom of Expression
in the Arts issue. There has already been some backlash
reaction to this, in that some fans think all Indian Hindus are behind
this censorship. In some cases, heated debates have taken place,
insults exchanged. The executives at Studio USA and Renaissance
Pictures have released their official statements and not been
heard from since. Local tv affiliates that fans complain to in the
United States are told that their distributor, Studios USA, controls
the episodes release and airing rights.

I'm thinking 20/20 would do a great job on this, investigating further
as to why and how a religious group could tell Hollywood what to
do in a fantasy medium that has similarly alluded to characters
in Christianity, Judaism, Taoism, etc. without protest. Certainly, it
is a medium that makes no pretense of being anything more than
lighthearted fantasy entertainment and not to be taken seriously or
as a substitute for education, religion, teachers, church, synagogue
or temples.

A mere case of fans of a tv show versus religious fanatics? Or,
something deeper, like the right of an artist (Executive Producer
Robert Tapert) to express himself and an audience to enjoy that
expression free from censorship, all depending on a controlling
corporation (Studios USA) reluctant (because of financial, publicity,
or other issues?) to fight for the integrity of that art, consequently
setting a precedent that takes us all one step backwards towards
the days of book-burning in Germany and the McCarthy Blacklist?

Needless to say, contact me for more information, clarification,
sources, phone numbers, references, updates, etc.

Sincerely,
(signature)
(contact information)


==========================================

ENCLOSURE #1
Publicity Release: Letter from Xena: Warrior Princess
Executive Producer, Robert Tapert

To All Concerned,

Renaissance Pictures and its business partners are
not insensitive to the concerns of Hindus worldwide. The
earnest and understandable efforts of some Hindus to
convey their distress over the depiction of Krishna in the
Xena episode, "The Way," were blurred by the intolerant
attitudes in which the issue was initially couched.

On February 23, 1999, the Xena production staff was
sent a letter from Tustas Krishnadas, Press Secretary of
the World Vaishnava Association. In his letter, he wrote
that the Xena episode, "The Way," which, at the time of his
letter had not yet been screened, was . . ."offensive in two
ways:

(1) It treats Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, speaker of the scripture Bhagavad-gita, as
fictional, and

(2) since in this episode Lord Krishna is engaged in
fictional activities of helping Xena reunite with Gabrielle,
who is obviously her lesbian lover, it makes it appear
that Lord Krishna and the Vedic religion approve of and
give blessings to homosexual relationships, which is
completely false."

While the first point is certainly worth serious discussion,
the second point was difficult not to treat as just another
piece of hate mail.

Over the years, we at Renaissance Pictures have read
thousands of letters protesting our depiction of interracial
love affairs; our portrayal of Cleopatra as black; of Hercules'
and Xena's tolerance of others' religious, ideological, or
sexual leanings. We have even received criticism of the
diverse ethnicities which we choose to have people our
villages. Why we do not respond to letters of that nature is
obvious. However, by not responding to this letter, we
were then made the target of misinformation and outright
lies.

Every critic has a personal agenda. Many agendas are
worthy of consideration. However, those born out of bigotry
and intolerance must be fought. To those Hindus we
offended, our apology stands. To those with an agenda of
intolerance, this is not a victory.

Respectfully,
Robert Tapert
Executive Producer
Renaissance Pictures

============================================

ENCLOSURE #2

'Xena: Warrior Princess' episode withdrawn after Hindu
complaints'

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- The producers of "Xena: Warrior
Princess" have decided not to re-air an episode which makes
reference to the Hindu deities Lord Krishna and Hanuman.

Renaissance Pictures apologized Monday to the Hindu
community for offending them and said the company will not
produce any further episodes involving Hindu deities.

"Xena: Warrior Princess" is an action-adventure series which
stars Lucy Lawless as Xena.

"We certainly had no intention of offending anyone," a
spokesperson for the studio said.

The episode in question first aired in February, and quickly drew
complaints from a Hindu group, the World Vaishnava Association.


===============================================

ENCLOSURE #3
"Xena" producers pull "The Way" from repeat schedule

By Lisa Tsering
India-West Staff Reporter
April 9, 1999 issue

The producers of the television series, "Xena: Warrior
Princess," issued a public apology April 2 and announced that
they were pulling the episode "The Way" from their domestic and
international repeat schedules, in response to recent protests by
over 100 Hindu organizations claiming that the show portrayed
Lord Krishna as a fictional character (I-W, Apr. 2).

"No TV episode is worth this. It's better to remove the offensive
material," the show's executive producer, Robert Tapert, told
India-West in an exclusive telephone interview from his office in
Los Angeles.

"Xena" is produced by Renaissance Pictures in New Zealand,
where the show is filmed, and by Studios USA in Los Angeles.

The press release, sent by Renaissance Pictures to Daily
Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and other entertainment
industry publications in addition to Indian American media outlets,
reads, "... We are genuinely sorry that we have offended
members of the Hindu community and have no plans to produce
any future episodes involving Hindu deities or personas.
Because production constraints make it impossible to change
'The Way' now, we will pull the episode from worldwide
syndication. If we later decide to air it again, we would first
contact Sunil Aghi, founder and president of the Indo-Americans
Political Foundation, to discuss the specific alterations that
would need to be made."

Aghi, founder and president of the Indo-Americans Political
Foundation, worked with Studios USA Group president Bob
Fleming and vice president of media relations, Jim Benson, to
craft the release. The decision was made by Tapert and his
co-executive producer R.J. Stewart (who scripted the episode),
under the guidance and request of Studios USA, said Tapert.

The protest was launched in late February by Tusta Krishnadas,
spokesman for the Mathura-based World Vaishnava Association,
and Pratap More of American Hindus Against Defamation.

Aghi, whose connections into mainstream politics and
entertainment reach from the White House to executives at
Paramount Pictures and Universal Studios in Los Angeles, told
India-West that he was first introduced to the story by Avdhesh
Agarwal, Vijay Telkikar of the American Hindu Federation,
Gopal Chaturvedi, vice president of the American Hindu
Federation, and Chander Mittal, chairman of IAPF. "We know
the community's problems, and we saw that (Krishnadas and
More) weren't going anywhere," said Chaturvedi. "Sunil had the
contacts, so we asked him."

Aghi spent two hours with Fleming and Benson last week
watching "The Way" and explaining that if the episode were aired
again, it would spark further protest as well as a "boycott of the
sponsors, the studios and the TV stations," he said. "In India,
people would have boycotted all the American made products
just because of this show."

Yet, despite their seeming victory, Hindu protesters are not
satisfied by the announcement, saying that they only heard about
it through the media and had not been contacted personally with
an apology - and that they had not had their organizations
mentioned by name in the press release.

"They should have apologized to us directly," Krishnadas told
India-West. "It's like an apology whispered in a closet ... they're
still snubbing us."

Pratap More, on behalf of AHAD and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad,
agreed. "They should go to religious authorities, not politicians,"
he said. The WVA and AHAD had also requested a joint press
conference with the show's producers, who declined the request.

But despite his differences of opinion with the show's producers,
Krishnadas considers the protest a success. "The victory belongs
to Lord Krishna, Hanumanji, their devotees, and everybody who
holds the Hindu literature sacred," he said.

Telkikar was pleased with the announcement and praised Studios
USA and Renaissance Pictures for their action. "I feel it was an
act of great understanding on their part," he said. "We should
appreciate their gesture."

His sentiment was echoed by Prithvi Raj Singh, president of the
Federation of Hindu Associations. "We sincerely express our
hearty thanks to your offices, for resolving this matter, and to
Hindu individuals and organizations who worked in the earnest
honesty to convey the message of their concerns," Singh wrote
in a letter to Benson that was faxed to India-West.

Added Mittal, "It appears the WVA and the AHAD are not
interested in an apology; they're more interested in getting their
names in the papers."

Krishnadas countered that it was Aghi who was trying to get
publicity. "It's very unfortunate that Aghi has chosen to spotlight
his organization rather than the millions of people and Hindu
associations around the world who brought (the studio) to their
decision."

Harish Dhruv, speaking on behalf of the Hindu Swayam Sevak
Sangh, said politicians had no right to "meddle in Hindu issues."
"The studios need to deal with us ... Sunil Aghi does not
represent us," he said. "The apology should go to the organization
who is leading the fight."

According to Aghi, however, executives at Renaissance and
Studios USA did not want to deal directly with any religious
organizations as they were afraid of opening a floodgate of protest.
"They would only deal with me," he told India-West. "What can I
do?" If he hadn't gotten involved in the negotiations, "the outcome
would not have been achieved."

Although Aghi said he is trying to remain a neutral voice on behalf
of the Indo-American community, he expressed frustration that
Hindu activists hadn't been satisfied with the April 2 announcement.
"I'm a political activist," he said. "Not a religious activist ... I
would
hope to not get involved in religious issues in future." Mittal added,
"(The IAPF) will never again become involved in religious
activities."

The Indo-Americans Political Foundation is a group of Americans
of Indian origin who work to lobby government agencies to be
more responsive to the needs of the Indian community; to support
political candidates who share their convictions and aspirations;
and to educate Indo-Americans on the U.S. political process. The
group has raised $600,000 in the last two years, Aghi said. Aghi
also founded Thank You America, a group which distributes food
and blankets to Southern Calfornia homeless.

"Xena: Warrior Princess" is seen in more than 60 countries
worldwide, including India. The show is television's highest rated
first-run syndicated drama.

Although the press release mentioned that the episode would
be pulled from worldwide syndication, the decision applies to the
U.S. rerun schedule as well, said a spokesman, adding that it
wasn't yet determined if the episode would be available for
purchase on video at a later date.

The decision to pull the show from its domestic repeat and
international syndication schedule will cost Studios USA a
"considerable" sum, said an industry source who wished to
remain anonymous. "This is going to have a chilling effect in
Hollywood," since producers would now be afraid to portray
Hindus in any context."


=============================================

ENCLOSURE #4

Editorial
Spectacle Without Actors
By Achal Mehra

It is incumbent upon the media to occasionally pull back the
curtains and turn on the lights to expose this saffron vaudeville for
what it is: a stage with multiple mirrors without actors.

In recent months, Indian Hindus in America have expressed outrage
at the music group Aerosmith for disparaging Ganesh with an image
on an album cover. And they have fumed at Madonna for usurping
the Mehendi and sanskrit sholakas. They have railed against Pat
Roberston's frequently bigoted outbursts against "Hindoos." And
now they are taking up arms against Xena the Warrior, who has
teamed up with Krishna in another dumb TV adventure.

I wished that my fellow Hindus in America weren't so touchy about
their religion. I never cease to be baffled by Hindu fundamentalists,
considering that Hinduism alone among the world's major religions
recognizes no established priestly order, no particular sacred text
and no established rituals.

Indeed, one could well argue that fundamentalism is antithetical to
the core tenets of Hindu philosophy and that these Hindu zealots are
fundamentally clueless. I have always found it supremely ironic that
Hindu fanatics share a passion for a doctrinaire form of the religion,
not unlike fundamentalist Muslims and Christians, against whom they
constantly inveigh. Nothing, they say, is so like the North Pole as the
South Pole.

Whatever the politics of Hindu chauvinism and religious bigotry in
India, the Hindu chauvinists in America defy all logic. It is befuddling
that these people have elected to safely put a distance of 10,000
miles from the fires they are stoking on the subcontinent. In many
instances, members of such organizations as the Overseas Friends
of the BJP and the even more militant Vishwa Hindu Parishad have
taken out U.S. citizenship. Why they would seek to commit India to
a Hindu theocracy when they presumably will not be riding the
udankhatolas or chariots there boggles the mind.

These bigots protest the bigotry of the religious right in this country
as well as the comic appropriation of exotic Hindu icons by the global
forces of commodification. And yet they are apologists for and
constantly seek to rationalize on behalf of the armed thugs who
assault Muslim and Christian shrines and murder people in the name
of Hinduism back in India.

The fundamentalist Hindu groups in the United States are a
microscopic though very voluble minority. By all accounts, the
Overseas Friends of the BJP has fewer than 400 members. The
Hindu Swayamsewak Sang (HSS) professes 800 members, while the
Vishwa Hindu Parishad klan is even smaller. Some 5,000 Indian
American youngsters have apparently participated in HSS youth
camps, which are modeled after the RSS, but which are attended by
kids for lack of any other form of Hindu religious experience for Indian
families in America. These youth scarcely share the zeal of the
Sangh's American pariwar.

This 2,000 odd Hindu rump is a laughable footnote in the life and
experience of the 1.2 million strong Indian American community. But
their dedication and zeal, in the face of widespread political and
religious apathy among Indian Americans generally, has given them
an influence far beyond their puny numbers.

It is unlikely that their zeal will ebb any time soon. And it is equally
unlikely that the overwhelming majority of Indian Americans will shake
off their indifference to their silly American spectacle.

Under the circumstances, it is incumbent upon the media to
occasionally pull back the curtains and turn on the lights to expose
this saffron vaudeville for what it is: a stage with multiple mirrors
without actors.

Little India is hosted and maintained by
ASANet.

"The editor, Achal Mehra, Ph.D., is associate professor of
communications at Albright College and editor of Little India, a
monthly feature magazine targeted at the Asian Indian community
in the United States. Dr. Mehra has authored or edited four previous
books, including Free Flow Information (Greenwood Press), Press
Systems in Asean, (AMIC, Singapore) Newspaper Management in
the New Multimedia Age (AMIC, Singapore and UNESCO) and
Communication Development and Human Rights (Institute for Social
Studies, The Netherlands and AMIC, Singapore). He also edited
Indians on the Net and Little India Business Directory 1998, which
are also available from amazon.com"


END

Return to top

Subj: [XAC] Re: My letter to Local Station/WGN
Date: 4/7/99 9:01:24 PM Mountain Daylight Time
From: KSZoneW@aol.com
Reply-to: XAC@onelist.com
To: XAC@onelist.com
From: KSZoneW@aol.com

Tell me how I did.

Dear WGN Channel 9,

This letter is in regards to the recent protest of an episode of
"Xena: Warrior Princess" called "The Way." The fans of the show
were very upset to learn that stations decided not to air the
episode in the upcoming week's series of replays. I am writing to
support the show and episode and ask you guys to reconsider not
airing it.

The episode means alot to us fans, and is not offensive in any
way, shape, or form. "Xena" is fantasy and mythology, which the
particular episode indeed was formed after. It had a magic carpet
ride, several gods, an ape man, a mosnter who grew six hands, and
some very powerful and dramatic events. It was a true piece of
art and was one of the best action packed hours of the entire
current season of the show.

I've been a major viewer of all the action/adventure shows on
your station. I love Xena and Hercules. I got up extra early to
watch Sinbad. I gained intrest in Star Trek and Final Conflict
by checking out the ads during the Bulls and Cubs Games.

Please don't censor XWP by not airing the episode. It will break
the hearts of many fans and maybe even hurt the chances of the
series lasting. Please reconsider.

Sincerly K. Simmons
better knows in the xenaverse as HBKid
Loyal WGN viewer since I was born.
http://members.spree.com/kszonew/intro.htm

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