I don't have a problem with rating systems themselves. I DO have a problem when these ratings are either enforced by laws or when they have the power to force an artist to change their work... otherwise it won't get known (companies such as Gamestop share the blame here too). I also have a problem when they rate them based on age. The ratings should just be there to summarize what kind of content is in the movie/video game/whatever so that the consumer is not ignorant to the content.
Another problem is that since America is hyper puritanical consensual healthy sex is often rated on par with extreme violence or even rated worse than rape.... here is an example from the recently release movie Sucker Punch (pretty cool movie btw): http://www.nylonmag.com/?section=article&parid=5928
Let me quote something very telling about the MPAA:
""" I had a very tame and mild love scene with John Hamm... I think it's great for this young girl to actually take control of her own sexuality. Well, the MPAA doesn't like that. They don't think a girl should ever be in control of her own sexuality because they're from the Stone Age... So essentially, they got Zack to edit the scene and make it look less like she's into it. And Zack said he edited it down to the point where it looked like he was taking advantage of her. That's the only way he could get a PG-13 [rating] and he said, "I don't want to send that message." So they cut the scene!"""
I mean WHAT THE FUCK?! If anything we should be filling movies with young girls taking control of their sexuality! Not to mention the MPAA would rather see a young girl being taken advantage of rather than asserting herself and making her choices with her sexuality! This enforces two sexists stereotypes... that men are dirty pigs and that woman are weak. Not to mention the scene wasn't really even sex... but that just shows how ridiculous and unreliable the MPAA is.
So anyway I'd like the MPAA to know that they won't be controlling my kids decisions. I will be like the Spanish father I saw leaving the theater that was showing The Hangover with his seven year old (estimate) daughter. He literally was discussing the movie pretty intelligently with her and while she found it funny she did actually learn some valuable lessons from the movie. THAT is what parents need to do... not totally ban them from information and media... but allow them to watch it and help them make sense of and discuss the content
Young children aside... it is absolutely ludicrous that teens are banned from movies that are deemed *inappropriate". Teens who at one point ruled kingdoms... fought for freedom in wars... had families, farms, houses, jobs... etc. This was before our society started treating teenagers like toddlers. That topic deserves a post itself.
Anyway to finish owning the MPAA I suggest you watch This Film is Not Yet Rated. Great movie.
Onto the ESRB!
The ESRB is the rating system for video games. Just like the MPAA they name the ratings based on age which I have a problem with BUT the ESRB ratings is NOT enforced legally. It is up to the individual store to see if they want to ban the sale of Mature or Teen games to minors. Most stores do have such policies (employees are not allowed to sell Mature rated games to people under 17). I raise the middle finger to these stores but that is their decision. It also keeps me from buying video games from stores... my own little boycott haha.
Problem with the ESRB is it suffers from the same puritanical nonsense as the MPAA (though to a lesser degree thankfully) sexuality and nudity are seen on a similar level as violence. That is stupid.
Nudity and sexuality should not be *explicit* or *for mature audiences/gamers only* I really feel part of the problem with our country is that youth are kept in the dark about sex. This makes them easier to be takn advantage of and makes it more likely they will make ignorant choices. Nudity isn't even sexual... we only see it that way because that is how puritans saw it. Bums.
I didn't even go into the MPAA and their whole *war* against piracy and P2P networks... but yea that deserves it's own post too.
Peace, Love, and Cheeeeeeeeeeks! Don't forget, let your kids see rated R movies!
I agree 100%. The rating system should be informational only, never used to exclude people under a certain age from seeing a movie. Nor should it be used to get movies sanitized, as in your example. This whole thing smacks of that censorship board movies had to deal with from the 30s through the 60s.
ReplyDeleteExactly... artists shouldn't be censored. People (including younger people) shouldn't be forced to wait to watch what they want.
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