Who controls the MPAA?

In theory, the MPAA makes sense. It is there to protect children from grotesque violence and sexual innuendos that they are not old enough to see. Parents can just glance at the box and see whether or not it is appropriate viewing for their child. However, the MPAA is not without its faults. It is riddled with biases that affect the ratings movies are getting. As Kirby Dick explains in his interview with CNN, the rating system is controlled by the six major movie studios and they can influence the severity of the restrictions. The corporate bias to make the most money possible is always present while new releases undergo the ratings process. Dick also discusses the studios desire to appeal to the adolescent audience. He says, “Adolescents like violence.” Huge studios loosen up on violence to appeal to the younger crowd while they tighten restrictions on sexual scenes in order to increase revenue for corporations. Corporate biases on movie ratings is not a new trend, it dates back to the late 1960’s when this way of rating first began. Studio president James Aubrey appealed the rating received from Eugene Dougherty was “based not on screen content, but on box office dollars” (Leff 276). It is clear; the studios are only interested in money and will all they can to get the most money in return as possible. The ratings system is supposed to be beneficial to families and an aid to parents who want to protect their children, but in reality it turns out to be another corporate money generator. Even the way the raters are chosen is vague. In Kirby Dick’s interview he remarks on the untrained parents that are chosen to rate movies. Even the MPAA website is unclear on how these raters are chosen. The only information on the raters is that “There are 10-13 members of the Board who serve for periods of varying length.” They do not mention any credentials or guidelines that must be followed. The ratings process should be for the peoples benefit. It should not be for the studios to make more money off of the ratings that suit the mass audience. Critics, like Kirby Dick, are right to question the way these ratings are made. It is important that the ratings have merit and aren’t just letters used to generate revenue.