The MPAA: Protecting you from yourself
by: bamf 1 year, 5 months, 2 weeks, 10 hours, 39 minutes ago 1
Email Article Print ArticleAnd apparently I am too. Jack Valenti is responsible for Americas film rating system the MPAA. Now he is dead, and we reap what his gift has sewn.
Bamf here rematerializing from the void..
I’m twisted on this one, really. To have a honest discussion about censorship, you have to talk about what is being censored. This means questionable content on whether it is prurient in nature cannot get a fair shake in a forum that is geared towards the family. I feel I have a style that would not fit in the L.A. Times or the paper of record. The net with its endless bounty of ink gives me full leisure in what I want to say, like XM does for Stern. But with this privilege comes a certain amount of responsibility. Its freedom of speech sure, but that does not mean you have the freedom to be heard.
I have chosen not to post my review of This Film Is Not Yet Rated here because I feel the inheritant nature of the content may be too racy for the general audience of Komikazee--and I want no part in pushing readers away. So I leave the choice to you, click the link or not. One might say I made the choice for you by posing the question, but I am not pushing on that right index finger in any way. The review is a repost on the myspace, and if you think you are up to dirty words about sex, cinema and violence, then come on over. I warn you though, this read comes with a price, you may very well learn of something you never wanted to consider. It could seem innocuous like how the average movie raters child is over 20 years old (when the MPAA says they are 5 to 17), or it could be something far, far worse. Really.
Kirby Dick produced a documentary about the MPAA, Jack Valenti’s gift to the free world. A rating system that makes sense on paper, but fails in practice. Why? Well I have my soft conclusions, but you will not find them here. I will say that Valenti seems like a man who loved cinema, and positioned himself in a place to always see the newest stuff, for that I am envious. This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dicks scathing report on the Valenti legacy can be seen on IFC this week, so set your tivos, add it to the Netflix cue, or hassle your Blockbuster. But do not say I did not warn you first.
And now....click?
Jack Valenti and many others had / have a good idea about guidelines for movie content. While it is OK to talk about average age and other issues, the truth is many adults want guide line information. Will I always agree with them? No! Would I want to do away with them? No!
In a perfect world, parents could protect their kids from content deemed unsuitable. In the real world, it isn’t possible.
The current system is better then letting anyone, who can raise financing, make a movie, with disturbing or unsuitable content for an unsuspecting audience.