Rating movies according to their content allows viewers to dicriminate the content they and their children watch, without censorship. What I cannot stand about movie ratings are the subtle messages that are being projected.
Before I get into those messages, here is a refresher about the rating system. G: general admission, all ages admitted. PG: parental guidance suggested, some material may not be suitable for children. PG-13: parents stronly cautioned, some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. R: restricted, under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. NC-17: no one 17 and under admitted.
I’m going to cover the two main messages that I’ve picked up on, though I’m sure there are many others. (Anyone feel free to mention them.) The first one is that homosexuality is okay, so long as you make fun of it. The second, that women are meant to be naked, men are meant to be clothed. Where do I get these ideas from? The movie rating system.
Movies with gay characters (ones that aren’t on the screen for a mere second or two) are rated R, UNLESS they are being made fun of about their orientation. The movie “In & Out” is PG-13, but the premise of the movie is that the main character desperately tries to prove that he is straight despite his “homosexual” image… only to discover that he is, in fact, gay.
And, the feeling that I get from watching movies is that nudity is perfectly okay. For females. Or rather, it may not be okay, but that somehow, women just end up being naked a lot more often, and that’s okay. Can anyone think of a movie where a man was fully nude… penis and everything… and was on screen for more than a split second… WITHOUT shadows or something obstructing view? (NOT PORN) Generally, there is nothing of the sort in movies, and if there is, the movie is bound to be NC-17. But there are plenty of movies where women are completely naked, from neck to ankles, for everyone to see. Those movies are rated R.
These are just a few examples. Those responsible for rating movies are obviously biased, and have done nothing to change the antiquated views that have been preying on society for so long. Sure, we’re free to watch whatever we want, but we’re still being told, quietly, subtly, that all are not equal.
You can find more information also at: http://www.filmratings.com and http://www.mpaa.org/movieratings.