Sunday, July 29, 2007
The Randomness that is the MPAA
i was watching some movies this weekend, and decided to pay attention to the MPAA film rating system. i think a lot of people (read: parents) rely on this system to be able to judge what their children are allowed to watch. however, i don't think that people realize a few things about this system:
1) this in not an independent body
2) there are inconsistencies and no specific guidelines
3) uneven emphasis on sex versus violence
4) inconsistencies between Hollywood major studio motion releases vs. independant films
5) biases towards conservative mainstream views
and there are many more.
the point is this: its a system that allows people to (falsely) feel better about what they or their children are watching. its one versus five "fuck" words; its talks about masterbation vs. brutally killing people, its arbitrary.
If parents want to control what their children watch, they should take the time to see the movie, or let the child see the movie, then see it themselves, and then discuss the content in the movie. don't let the MPAA babysit your children for you. and i know that someone reading this might say "do you know how much time it would take to do that..." To which i say, if you decide to have children, then its your responsibility to do what it takes to make sure that you are doing what you can do. relying on an arbitrary movie rating system is not doing all you can do.
another viable option is actually gathering some independent people, a body of lay persons that represent different classes, political, social, religious groups, parents vs. non-parents alike, into coming up with a standards rating that is unambiguous and has systematic widely encompassing guidelines. not that that will solve anything, but at least its wouldn't be so random.
also, read this for some interesting information
http://blog.oregonlive.com/madaboutmovies/2007/07/never_mind_the_mpaa_rating_wha.html
1) this in not an independent body
2) there are inconsistencies and no specific guidelines
3) uneven emphasis on sex versus violence
4) inconsistencies between Hollywood major studio motion releases vs. independant films
5) biases towards conservative mainstream views
and there are many more.
the point is this: its a system that allows people to (falsely) feel better about what they or their children are watching. its one versus five "fuck" words; its talks about masterbation vs. brutally killing people, its arbitrary.
If parents want to control what their children watch, they should take the time to see the movie, or let the child see the movie, then see it themselves, and then discuss the content in the movie. don't let the MPAA babysit your children for you. and i know that someone reading this might say "do you know how much time it would take to do that..." To which i say, if you decide to have children, then its your responsibility to do what it takes to make sure that you are doing what you can do. relying on an arbitrary movie rating system is not doing all you can do.
another viable option is actually gathering some independent people, a body of lay persons that represent different classes, political, social, religious groups, parents vs. non-parents alike, into coming up with a standards rating that is unambiguous and has systematic widely encompassing guidelines. not that that will solve anything, but at least its wouldn't be so random.
also, read this for some interesting information
http://blog.oregonlive.com/madaboutmovies/2007/07/never_mind_the_mpaa_rating_wha.html
The End of Privacy - Whitaker