Censorship

What do you all think of the ratings system, and how movies are marketed? Do you think that censorship, even partially, is acceptable? Do movies have an effect on people's actions?

What the deal here?

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Heck yeah. A movie theatre chain, for example, has every right in the world to censor anything for any reason. They can censor the word "dog" if they want. If people don't like it, it'll likely effect them. That's a free market system.

As for how it effects us: we are born a certain way, but I figure half of us has gotta be made up of our environments. There will always be cases where someone who was "borderline" crazy will snap due a to a movie (Natural Born Killers, for example), but I'd say just about everyone out there who kills would do so regardless of any movie or video game.

I do believe that kids need to be monitored more closely, and, ABOVE ALL, they need better parenting. Parenting today, in the US, is a total disgrace. If a kid is raised well, and does not have any chemical imbalances, or anything like that, they should be able to play Doom all day long and watch nothing but Terminator 2, and still not go out and murder someone.

One thing I have found interesting, at least in the case of video games, is that the army sometimes uses them to train their soldiers. They simulate the real thing...if they can push this button to kill a picture of a solider, they'll more easily pull a trigger to kill the actual solider. It's a scary thought.

Did I quote correctly?
But what if they saw Mary Poppins instead and didn't get that extra push over the edge and never killed anyone? I think these people are right on the edge, a push in either direction would change the outcome of their lives. I also believe that the amount of influence media has is way, way, under-rated. Mostly music, but I've heard of movies setting off riots and I myself have come out of theatres feeling inspired (if it was an inspiring ending) or cool, or maybe I felt like driving fast like after Gone in 60 Seconds etc...

I don't pay any attention to movie ratings but there are some good parents that do, so I think we should keep them. I don't have any kids btw.

I think censorship is okay. We might even need more. Everyone asks, who's to say what we should censor or not? Me. I will, I volunteer. Let me do it.

The problem with the ratings system in my mind is that it is inconsistently applied. Something that would be PG13 in one movie is R in another. I am a parent, and I don't rely on the rating for my information. If there is a question as to whether a movie would be appropriate for my kids, I read multiple reviews, seek out other opinions, etc. I've even gone so far as seeing a movie myself ahead of time to make sure there's nothing in it that I wouldn't want my kids to see (usually you don't have to go to that extreme).

To be a truly informed parent, one cannot rely on the rating system.

But I've found that, so far, being open and honest with my kids and taking an interest in their lives is the best way to keep them on the straight and narrow. My kids are still young, but they are far better behaved than I was at their ages. A parent cannot protect their kids from everything (nor should we try). The real world will creep into their lives somehow or another. Better to have an open dialogue with your kids about these issues than to try and pretend they don't exist.

If it were up to me, there would be no ratings system. And this buckling under of the movie studios over advertising R-rated movies during the family hour was disgusting. The reason we have movie ratings and volutary restrictions on advertising is largely because parents don't want to spend the time necessary to be parents anymore.

They want a label on everything so they don't have to do the legwork. They don't want movies advertised during the "family hours" so the parents don't have to say "no" when their kids ask to see the movie. Parents don't want to be parents, so they expect others to parent for them. Personally, I'm insulted that Congress, the movie studios and whoever thinks I'm too stupid and lazy to raise my own children.

I don't want to see any commercials during Sat morning cartoons except maybe for toothpase and vitamins. I wish they would use those break times to tell kids of the joys of sharing and picking up their toys. Also, don't fight with your brothers and sisters. That would be nice. Aahhh.

Sometimes they could tell 'em not to sit so close.

Well, Ryan, it may be insulting, but most parents are just that: either stupid, lazy, or just plain apathetic towards their children. It's a shame, but it's the truth in this case...at least from what I see. You are right about it's purpose though: TV MA, PG-13, it's all so that parents can just check the label and not look at anything individually. They could look at it on a child-by-child basis: "Well, Bill is more mature than most his age, so he can get this video game" or "Tina is highly emotional and easily frightened, so even though this show says kids her age should be able to watch it, I don't think she should."

Oh, and Ryan, you could've saved $8 or so with these two sites:

• http://www.screenit.com
• http://www.kids-in-mind.com

Seeing as how I go to many movies with my parents, those two sites (I use the first most of the time) are totally invaluable. I can now screen any movie for content beforehand. Fabulous.

Yes, you're right...which is why I was careful to say "just about everyone" rather than "everyone." There will always be someone SO borderline that something as trivial as a movie would push him or her over the edge, but I think this is rare. I think it's all lack of parenting. Parents who gave a damn wouldn't be letting their kids build bombs in their own rooms, for example.

Technically, my parents don't really look through my room enough to know if I'm building a bomb or not, but If I were, they'd probably pick up on it somehow, and I'm glad for that. Anyway, this is one helluva thread we've got going.

sorry but I have to disagree with you. People always blame films and computer games for killings. But the killer has to be messed up in the first place before watching/playing.

Also about the being bad parents for not looking in their children's rooms? Sorry but that has to be one of the stupidest statements I've ever heard. Also 'lack of parenting?'. Parents can never keep an eye on their children 24/7. If you want to watch an adult rated film and you cant at home, then you'll just go around a mates house.

Do you really want your parents breathing down your neck all the time? No, course you don't. If they do, you'll complain, but then you complain anyway saying that it is 'lack of parenting' for them not being there 24/7.

If you want to blame it on something, then blame it on your society.

Stare at this dog Desert Rat. After a while it will talk to you telepathically.

Click here

What did it say?

I don't know about the US, but over here things are being rated a lot less harshly than they used to be. "We rank things:

U(c) - Universal, esp recommended for children
U - Universal - suitable for all
PG - Parental Guidance recommended
12 - Must be 12 to see it
15 - Must be 15...
18 - Must be 18...

And then it progresses to adult rankings, which I of course know nothing about.

Anyway, let's take two films, say... Karate Kid and Three Kings.

In Karate Kid, released in 1984, there is hardly any swearing (I think that there might be a "sh*t" in there somewhere). No major dangerous fighting - a little beating here and there, but nothing that is too realistic, prolonged or brutal. Karate Kid is a 15.

In Three Kings, released in 1999, you see an Iraqi soldier put a gun to a defenceless woman's head and pull the trigger. The film shows her brains coming out the other side of her head. You see Mark Wahlberg get oil poured down his throat and electrified for prolonged periods. Loads of people get killed. Three Kings is a 15.

Is this consistency? No! The BBFC (the board that decides on classification) is going soft, and I for one don't approve.

I also do think that games and films have an effect on kids. A couple of years ago two 14 year old boys killed a man a few miles from my house by acting out WWF moves on him. There are countless examples, and although obviously the parents have to be responsible, it is not easy when they have so much violence that they have to stop their children from seeing. There needs to be co-operation between the authorities and the parents to form more regulation.

JMHO .

Wrestling aint a film though, well to the extent that it hasn't a director ETC. I do agree with you about wrestling cos not so serious as your example but a few people I know have had their head cracked open by someone attempting the moves. But kids will try to impersonate anything they see on TV.

Do they? Remember, Rat, I said that just about all of them are messed up and would have done it anyway, but there will always, basically be DEFINITION, be some people who wouldn't have gone on a spree if not for this movie or that game. This is ridiculous to deny.


Did I say parents that don't search their kid's rooms were bad? C'mon man, read my post carefully. I said, very specifically, that my parents DO NOT go looking through my room a lot, but that they pay attention to me and the way I am, the way I act, etc, so that if I were building a bomb, they'd be pretty likely to pick up on it at some point.

Parenting is pitiful in the US today. Sorry, but that's the truth.


I never said they should be watching us like spies, so chill out, alright? It's lack of parenting because they don't talk to their kids, they make use of digital babysitters all the time, and they go "oh, they're going through that phase." Bull.

I live in a large family, and we're quite open with each other. Here's what's really ironic: we teach the kids about sex early on (details at 5 or 6), and we let them listen to more swearing and watch more violent things than most parents do...and guess what? There are seven of us...I am the oldest...and none of us have slept around, none of us have smoked, done drugs, gotten drunk, or, above all, killed anyone else. I don't think any of us have even gotten into a real, totally serious fist-fight for crying out loud.

You can either deny it or not, but parenting is poor. Very poor. Maybe it's different in the UK...but that would surprise me greatly. What are parentings doing wrong? I don't think they talk to their kids enough. They either pay no attention to them and let them do what they want, or they shelter them constantly so that they can't handle reality when it slaps them in the face.

Wait, are you saying that people will impersonate wrestling and TV to do dangerous things, but they won't impersonate a game or a movie?

You have seven siblings? Wow! Imagine all the stuff you could steal if you co-operated! Just kidding. I agree with you Twt.

What's the difference between 12 & 15, and 15 & 18?
Maybe Three Kings was a 15 'cause kids will graduate from high school in a few years and start thinking about joining the military. They should know it's not all helicopters and swinging from ropes. Or maybe they rate them according to who they think the movie will appeal to? Weird.

Is THAT whats in Three kings? Ewwwwww grosssss, no wonder Pigsnie wont rent it. Anyhoo I have to get permission from Pigsnie everytime I go out with my buds to watch somethin. He'll say, No harm in that or NO!I dont think youll enjoy that. Other wise, he takes me out to most movies I want to see.

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The way I see it is like this. Painters can paint anything they want to such as nude people or even death in ways that touch you emotionally. Guess what though these things aren't censored because they are art. Movies are art also in most cases, for instance: Kubrick, Spike Lee, and Scorsese. These guys are artists and their work shouldn't be censored. It really ticks me off when some people don't consider movies to be an art form like painting or sculpting. They are just like those and shouldn't be censored in any way shape or form. The parents should have complete control over what their children see, like: If a parent doesn't want their child to see "David" because it is nude. It should all be the parents decision as to what their child should see.

I go to the matinee, so it's only $4 (and actually, the regular ticket price hasn't even hit $7 yet around here), sometimes I can get the $2 matinee at one theater.

It's been very rare, though, that I've gone to see the movie ahead of time to see if it was okay. Usually, one can find enough information to know without going to that extreme.

The problem comes when parents want to infringe on the rights of others in order to prevent their kids from seeing what they don't want them to see. Too often, the solution that parents come up with to prevent their kids from seeing certain things is to prevent everyone from seeing certain things.

Good point. Don't cover your own kid's eyes so as to block out the movie, turn off the movie altogether. Which movie did you pre-screen, out of curiousity?

I don't even remember now. I know I've done it a couple of times. More often, I've wanted to see a movie anyway, and after I watched it, I decided that it'd be okay if my kids saw it (or didn't see it). It seems like Jurrasic Park was one of them. My older son was only 4, and I wondered if it would be too scary for him, so I saw it first before taking him (actually, I didn't end up taking him, though he did see it later on video tape, and we saw the sequel in the theaters).

As they've gotten older, there becomes less and less need to prescreen stuff. My older son is almost 13. He's at an age where there are few things that he can't handle. And he's old enough and mature enough to talk about things and learn to understand the things that he doesn't get. There are some movies that may well still be too intense for him, but those are usually movies he wouldn't want to sit through anyway.

I can't protect him from seeing drug use by turning off the TV or preventing him from seeing movies because he's likely going to see drug use in his real life at some point. Better to talk to him and do my best to explain the bad side, etc. honestly than to take his TV away (or whatever). Same with sex. I've never been all that concerned about nudity anyway, at least not as presented in most movies. And at age 12, you're probably not that far from seeing some live nudity yourself. Better to talk about it than to try and pretend it doesn't exist.

Dunno what laws are like in the USA but when it comes to sex in Britian it is quite strange. The fact that you can have sex and have a baby at the age of 16 but cant watch sex on a movie till your 18!