The first three Die Hard movies are great. And edgy.

I was getting ready to flip the tv to the ballgame when I saw a Die Hard that has Bruce Willis and Samuel Jackson.

A maniac threatens a mass killing unless Bruce goes naked with just a signboard to Harlem and the signboard says “I hate (and then it has the horrible N word)

This was on commercial cable so I knew they would mess with it and I get it.

So Bruce starts walking down the street and I thought they might not show the sign board at all. But

after Samuel Jackson sees him in horror, they show the board.

It says “I hate everybody”.

What? What the hell?

It doesn’t just soften the scene, it makes no sense.

What would I have done? First is not cut it to ribbons and show it on commercial cable but that isn’t going to happen. Maybe change the word to “blacks”. At least it gives you a sense of just how dangerous and racist and wrong it was to be wearing it.

I just hope they don’t start cleaning up movies to the point where they change chunks even if you buy it as movie to own.

I know this is a sensitive point of debate. But if at all possible, I much prefer using bad things as a teaching moment than as a point of censorship.

Or, in this case, babble.