Movie Ratings- A Necessary Evil

I would first like to start off by saying the MPAA is not perfect, no matter how hard it works to be considered fair by all it can never possibly be achieved. Second, I would like to point out that without the created rating system, movies how we know them to be today would be much different. After two cases went to the supreme court in regards to the obscene in cinema, Jack Valenti implemented a rating system which saved the film industry (Leff 274). Such a move was necessary to prevent the government implementing laws that could have quite possibly led to the censoring of cinema. Valenti was considered to be a "hero who saved the film industry" (274). From there, opinions on the movie ratings began to turn sour. People criticized who was rating the movies, so once again Valenti stepped in and made the necessary changes. This time he implemented a new mandate in which only parents rated the movies (280). Although all of these steps were taken in order to "encourage artistic expression" and "insure the freedom" of the film makers, it is still critiqued by many to this day.

In Kirby Dick's documentary, "This Film in Not Yet Rated" the MPAA is portrayed as using a very unqualified system to rank movies, the opinions of moms and dads. Apparently, they are not sophisticated enough to appreciate the art that some movie producers are trying to make. I must disagree with this statement. The rating system was created to protect minors from explicit content, so who is better to judge what is acceptable for children to watch than the parents of American children? Noel Murray and Scott Tobias both state in the article "Crosstalk: Does the MPAA Rating Board Get a Bad Rap?" that these boards are bias in their morales, often seeing violence as more acceptable than sexual and homosexual content. RIght or wrong, these opinions reflect how Americans feel about the issues. Let me remind you that just a few decades ago these opinions would have been the opposite, views change with time so the ratings must follow. Obviously any system that has bias in it is not perfect, but these views are definitely necessary in choosing the ratings of films.

When one criticizes the rating system, they must look back and recall how close the movie industry was to be censored by the government. Yes, the raters of movies will make mistakes at times, and yes they will be more critical of certain issues, but their job must be done. This being said the MPAA is a necessary evil.