The Weird and The Wacky Meet

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MCR 6:  Film

Study: Violence Abounds in PG, PG-13 Films

Researchers Say Rating System Fails to Gauge Violence Accurately

By Susan Rabin, MA and Sherry Rauh

May 2, 2005

WebMD Medical News

http://my.webmd.com/content/Article/105/107813.htm

 

                 A new study in the journal, Pediatrics, has found that there can be more violence in a movie rated PG than in a movie rated R.  While most PG movies do not have more violence, there is certainly a need to rate movies by the type and amount of violence shown.  One alarming fact is that, of the 98 highest grossing films of the last few years, only three were found to have no acts of violence whatsoever.  The article does not touch on what this means for children, or how violence affects them; it just talks about how much violence there is in film.

                 During our chapter on film, we learned a lot about the new ratings system versus the old studio production codes.  I think this article pointed out, with some pretty alarming facts, that we may need to rethink the current system in favor of something a little more specific.  Reshaping the way films are rated is a difficult process, because it means forcing the public to look at movies in a whole new way.  Still, the fact that there were 2,000 acts of violence in the highest grossing 98 movies is not really encouraging, and makes me think that we need to re-examine our priorities when it comes to letting kids into movies with violence.

                 Still, we don’t know exactly how this violence affects children or even adults.  There are no conclusive studies linking violence on film to violent behavior.  It’s also unclear whether depictions of some types of violence are more damaging to viewers than others.  But it’s hard not to be concerned about whether we are desensitizing ourselves to violence, given how prevalent it is.  It’s also disturbing to realize the extent to which society doesn’t have a problem with violence, while sex is still taboo.  I stand by my belief that depictions of sex are a lot less damaging to a child than those of violence, partially because the latter seems to be easier for a child to comprehend.  More to the point, though sex is a part of a normal, healthy life, while violence is something we would generally want to avoid where possible, these priorities are reversed in our rating system.

                 If the rating system is re-done, it will affect me as a consumer because I see a lot of movies, and I enjoy the occasional kung fu extravaganza action flick on the big screen.   As a mature adult, I feel that I should have the option to see movies with considerable amounts of violence and even sex.  Arguably, having detailed information about the contents of a movie would allow people to make more informed decisions, and television already has a ratings system with content descriptors.  Movies are different, though, because ratings directly impact on the bottom line by forcibly excluding potential viewers.  Once the rule keeping those under 17 from going to R-rated movies was more strictly enforced, studios were led to bowdlerize some movies down to a more profitable PG-13, making artistic compromises in the process of cutting out much of the sex and some of the violence.  If concerned doctors and parents create a new, more detailed rating system, this may push Hollywood to sanitize movies even more, and this can’t be good for adults like me.

 

Copyright 2005

by Amanda Evans

Date: 05/03/05