The German broadcaster of “The Simpsons” said last Monday it has decided not to show any episodes of the satirical US cartoon series showing nuclear disasters, in light of Japan’s atomic emergency.
“We are checking all the episodes and we won’t show any suspect ones, but we won’t cut any scenes,” Stella Rodger, a spokeswoman for private broadcaster Pro7, told AFP.
The nuclear plant in the Simpsons’ hometown of Springfield is, however, a key element in the long-running show, with the hapless Homer in charge of safety despite a slapdash approach evident from the opening credits onwards.
Photo: AFP
照片:法新社
Previous episodes have shown nuclear waste dumped in a children’s playground, plutonium used as a paperweight, cracked cooling towers, luminous rats and three-eyed mutant fish, as well as near-meltdowns.
“Of course we can’t completely change the entire content,” the spokeswoman acknowledged.
Surveys show that people in Germany are particularly uneasy about the dangers of nuclear power, with shipments of radioactive waste regularly attracting angry protests.
On March 26, tens of thousands of people — 250,000, according to organizers — took part in demonstrations around Germany protesting against nuclear power in light of events in Japan.
Chancellor Angela Merkel last month announced a three-month moratorium on plans to extend the operating times of Germany’s nuclear plants and ordered that the seven oldest reactors be shut down.
The issue was a decisive factor on March 27 in a key state election defeat for Merkel’s conservatives, with the nationally resurgent anti-nuclear Greens doubling their share of the vote.
(AFP)
德國播送《辛普森家庭》的電視台上週一說,鑒於日本核子危機,台內已決定不要播送這個美國嘲諷性卡通任何有關核災的影集。
德國私人頻道Pro7發言人史黛拉‧羅傑斯告訴法新社說,「我們正檢查每集內容,不過我們不會播出任何可疑的內容,但也不會刪減任何場景。」
辛普森家庭家鄉春田市的核能發電廠,是讓這部卡通影集成為長青樹的一個主因。該廠從自始安全規範鬆散,而男主角荷馬‧辛普森是該電廠倒霉的安檢人員。
之前影集內容還出現,核廢料被丟棄在兒童遊樂場、鈽被當紙鎮使用、冷卻塔爆裂、出現發光鼠與三眼突變魚,以及瀕臨熔毀的核子反應爐。
這位發言人坦承,「我們當然無法完全改變所有的內容。」
一份調查顯示,核廢料運送定期引起憤怒抗議者阻撓,也讓德國民眾對於核能的危險格外不安。
鑒於日本事件,官方數據說有二十五萬人,三月二十六日在德國各地參加反核示威遊行。
德國總理安潔拉‧梅克爾上個月宣布,暫停延長核電站營運期限計畫三個月,並下令關閉其中七所最老的核反應爐。
日本核災是讓梅克爾的保守派人士,在三月二十七日的一個重要地方選舉上,斷送政權的決定因素。反核綠黨抬頭,得票率倍增。
法新社/翻譯:林亞蒂)
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