[neverending]

Originally Posted by swiss tony

I mean in the context of where we were in the early eighties to where we are now. Maybe it helped to break down government and BBFC control of what was and wasn't good for us to see.

The censorship in the UK back then was too iron-curtainy!

You listed in your pros section that it desinsitized people.

It served to diminish censorship and desensitise people.

Diminishing censorship and desensitizing the audience are two separate things. I'm not asking anything about the censorship. My question was simply "Desensitization is a good thing?"

I think a case could be made that the steady desensitization of the audience is a major factor why horror movies are so crappy these days, as filmmakers continually strive to push the envelope farther and farther in shocks and gore, at the expense of good storytelling, effective pacing and competent acting.