Imagine having a problem in your home and seeking a professional to fix it. The professional agrees to come to your home and take a look. When they come to your home they proceed to hit on you, make remarks about the bedroom and ask for a kiss while you are actively throwing them out. That would be crazy, right? You can see all these events unfold in “Ghostbusters.”

I watched “Ghostbusters” again over the weekend and, while it is a classic, it is wildly problematic. Bill Murray’s character, Peter Venkman, is a huge “ladies man” to put it nicely. Not only does he sexually harass Dana, played by the wonderful Sigourney Weaver, he also hits on his student in the very beginning. Venkman goes to Dana’s apartment to check out her ghost problem and all he does is harass her. It is incredibly unprofessional.  

Despite the professional misconduct in the beginning, he ends up getting a date with her. Unfortunately (or fortunately), before the date can happen, Dana gets possessed. When Venkman goes to her apartment, he sees she is possessed and decides to sedate her with 300 CCs of Thorazine he happened to have on him. Why did Venkman show up on a date with enough Thorazine to knock her out? Wait, it gets worse if that is even possible. When he leaves her, he kisses her on the chest while she is unconscious. 

None of this is OK. I think it’s time we ban “Ghostbusters.” We need to pull it from ever running on cable again. Take it off all streaming services. Remove it from any rental store still operational. No more “Ghostbusters.”

This is how book-banners sound. Obviously I don’t think the movie should be banned. Is it wildly problematic and possibly a reason there are some creepy old men thinking this kind of behavior is OK? Yes, but I don’t think it should be banned. I enjoyed the movie despite these problems. If we start to pick apart every movie, or book for that matter, finding things we don’t like or agree with and banning things because of it, nothing will be left. 

Lately some books have been banned by people I guarantee have never read a book in their life. One of these books was “To Kill a Mockingbird,” which is a phenomenal book that teaches about prejudices. I don’t see why that is a bad thing. Ironically, the book “Fahrenheit 451,” which is literally about the government destroying literature that might provoke people to think for themselves, has also been banned in some places. 

These bans are really opening up a can of worms. What gives one person the right to choose what should be banned or not? Why doesn’t everyone get a say? I might find sexist works offensive, so why can’t they be banned too if we’re just banning what we don’t like now? I think people should be allowed to think for themselves and I don’t think the government needs to decide what we can or can't read, watch, listen to or whatever. 

FYI “Ghostbusters” is streaming on Hulu for anyone interested in a problematic good time.

Southern Standard reporter Bethany Porter can be reached at (931) 473-2191.