Although the movie rating system was created to protect children from obscenity, Western culture exposes them to much more obscenity than movies do. Photo courtesy of tealeafnation.com.
By ANEESA CONINE-NAKANO – Web Master
The current movie rating system, which was revised in the 1990s, gives unrealistic ratings in a world where censorship is impossible.
Most people who frequent movie theatres or even one who drives past their local theatre can attest to the rise of R-rated movies. According to the Georgia Theatre Company website’s list of movies showing as of March 31, five out of eleven movies currently screening are rated R.
Although this can easily be blamed on the growing amount of profanity and sexual content in the media, the primary reason is the outdated rating system. The rating system created by the Motion Picture Association of America has five ratings.
G-rated films are aimed to be universally appropriate. They should not contain sex, nudity, strong language, strong violence or drug usage.
PG-rated films may not be suitable for some children and the MPAA states that the movie should be seen by a guardian first. PG-rated movies can contain limited profanity and brief violence, but there will be no drug usage.
A PG-13 rating means the content may not be suitable for children under the age of 13. If one is under the age of 13, an adult must be present. A PG-13 movie contains more unrealistic violence, non-sensual nudity and more language .
R-rated movies require children under the age of 17 to have a parent or adult guardian with them. R-rated films “may include adult themes, adult activity, hard language, intense or persistent violence, sexually-oriented nudity, drug abuse or other elements.”
The rarest of all of the ratings is a NC-17 film where no one under the age of 17 is permitted in the theater. NC-17 films may include violence, sex, aberrational behavior, drug abuse or any other element that most parents would consider too obscene.
No movies currently showing through GTC are rated G. It is hard to find new G-rated movies because of the high standard of profanity that is now considered acceptable for children. Profanity is a common part of life and violence is an unavoidable subject.
Walking through an average high school hallway, strings of profanity and sexual innuendos might give a movie of the same situation an R rating. The obscenity that a teenager experiences in a school setting is equal or greater than the content in most R-rated movies. So why can most high schoolers not attend those movies?
If one turns to a news segment, they are likely to see a scene of a violent, real act. Most recently, the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) videotaped themselves beheading eight Muslims. This video, although not shown on TV, can be accessed on the internet very easily.
Movies should be more accessible because the so-called “obscenity” a child will see is no different than what they see in their everyday life. The horrific acts being done around the world are much worse than any swearing or slight sensuality in a R-rated movie.
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