My point?
A movie can get blackballed for showing somebody's pecker, but it's perfectly ok to show an 18 inch bear penis on tv. Human? Bear? Who cares? Well, I do. It's a double standard. Heck, if you want to get down to brass tacks, there are plenty of times they even show human genitalia on The Learning Channel, The History Channel, and The Discovery channel, and most of these shows are rated for teens. Has anybody ever seen The History of Sex? Or the XY factor? There was actually a slow motion sequence of a human male penis becoming errect. And the show was clearly rated for teens. However, if they put this in a movie for the theatre, it would have been labeled as NC 17, which is stupid. NC 17, no children under 17. And yet, it takes an 18 year old to get into a rated R movie. Which is by no means as bad as an NC 17 flick.
That's what I have a problem with, the Double Standard.
Let's take for example, the N word. An expletive for black folks. Now, if you sit down and watch a movie for kids that has "historical accuracies" using the N word is just fine and the movie can even get a G rating, and, indeed, there has been a few movies that have done this. However, use the N word in a somewhat more menacing fashion, and BAM, instant rated R rating. Quite frankly, I honestly DON'T want to hear the word at all, historical or otherwise, and would be a happy man not ever hearing it ever again. I grew up being called a "prairie N word" and have developed a real fanatical hatred of the word. I damn sure don't want folk calling me, or anybody else for that matter, this name, historical or not. And as for it being ok in a historical sense, NO. It's not. My cousin's stepson got backhanded for saying the N word. He learned it watching Roots of all things, and being the tender age he was, figured that black folks should be called that.
The rating system should be one flat universal rating system. All men are created equal, well, the rating system should be the same. Nobody should be let off the hook. If a movie is going to have the N word, for what ever reason, or a dancing penis, there should be some sort of warning. Or bare jiggling breasts. Or anything else for that matter. As it currently is, the PG 13 rating means SQUAT.
As for standards changing with the times, yes, yes they do. Take for example, Old Yeller. As it stands right now, Old Yeller would now get a rated R rating for graphic cruelty and violent acts to animals. There is no way in hell that it could be pawned off as family friendly entertainment now. In some ways, it's gotten worse with the times. The Blue Lagoon would now get an NC 17 rating, and would be blackballed by way to many theatres, it would end up flopping based on rating alone.
As a parent, which I am not, but I do have a Goddaughter now for which is changing my life in ways I can not possibly understand, would you want your kids seeing graphic sexual acts on TV, human, bear, elephant, or otherwise? If you were sitting on the couch with your 12 to 14 year old son or daughter, could you honestly say you were comfortable with the zoomed in image of hot and heavy sex, no matter the species? Would you want them seeing that? If so, that's fine. If not, then you must agree, the current rating system is flawed.
I do not agree with censorship of any form, however I am a big fan of some sort of warning system. Instead of just saying Warning, the following film may include some graphic content, give a brief blurb about what sort of content you might be seeing. Giant bear penises, the N word, profanity, sexual grunting, or sex with assorted fruit pies, in this particular case, apple. Mmm warm apple pie. Or somebody sticking a flute up their vagina. Whatever. I think if we spent a bit more time working on an educated warning system, we could make better choices on what we, our children, and our society watches.
Edit I really feel I should explain the bear sex bit. I personally have no problem. However, my wife who tends to be easily embarassed, nearly fainted when she saw it. No warning, no prOn grOOve music or anything, just slam bam thank you ma'am bear sex. See, it's all about a warning system. Personally, I nearly shot boiling hot coffee right out my schnozz because I started laughing so hard, not at the bear nookie, but at my wife's reaction. I seared my sinuses with steam, and all because I never saw it coming. For the rest of the day I had to suffer from questions like "how does a bear stuff a ding dong that big into the girl bear and not hurt her?" Or "Do you think bears have the Big-O?" Or my personal favourite, delivered as I was eating oatmeal, and it caused me to choke, "Geeze, how deep is a girl bear's bottom anyways?"
A movie can get blackballed for showing somebody's pecker, but it's perfectly ok to show an 18 inch bear penis on tv. Human? Bear? Who cares? Well, I do. It's a double standard. Heck, if you want to get down to brass tacks, there are plenty of times they even show human genitalia on The Learning Channel, The History Channel, and The Discovery channel, and most of these shows are rated for teens. Has anybody ever seen The History of Sex? Or the XY factor? There was actually a slow motion sequence of a human male penis becoming errect. And the show was clearly rated for teens. However, if they put this in a movie for the theatre, it would have been labeled as NC 17, which is stupid. NC 17, no children under 17. And yet, it takes an 18 year old to get into a rated R movie. Which is by no means as bad as an NC 17 flick.
That's what I have a problem with, the Double Standard.
Let's take for example, the N word. An expletive for black folks. Now, if you sit down and watch a movie for kids that has "historical accuracies" using the N word is just fine and the movie can even get a G rating, and, indeed, there has been a few movies that have done this. However, use the N word in a somewhat more menacing fashion, and BAM, instant rated R rating. Quite frankly, I honestly DON'T want to hear the word at all, historical or otherwise, and would be a happy man not ever hearing it ever again. I grew up being called a "prairie N word" and have developed a real fanatical hatred of the word. I damn sure don't want folk calling me, or anybody else for that matter, this name, historical or not. And as for it being ok in a historical sense, NO. It's not. My cousin's stepson got backhanded for saying the N word. He learned it watching Roots of all things, and being the tender age he was, figured that black folks should be called that.
The rating system should be one flat universal rating system. All men are created equal, well, the rating system should be the same. Nobody should be let off the hook. If a movie is going to have the N word, for what ever reason, or a dancing penis, there should be some sort of warning. Or bare jiggling breasts. Or anything else for that matter. As it currently is, the PG 13 rating means SQUAT.
As for standards changing with the times, yes, yes they do. Take for example, Old Yeller. As it stands right now, Old Yeller would now get a rated R rating for graphic cruelty and violent acts to animals. There is no way in hell that it could be pawned off as family friendly entertainment now. In some ways, it's gotten worse with the times. The Blue Lagoon would now get an NC 17 rating, and would be blackballed by way to many theatres, it would end up flopping based on rating alone.
As a parent, which I am not, but I do have a Goddaughter now for which is changing my life in ways I can not possibly understand, would you want your kids seeing graphic sexual acts on TV, human, bear, elephant, or otherwise? If you were sitting on the couch with your 12 to 14 year old son or daughter, could you honestly say you were comfortable with the zoomed in image of hot and heavy sex, no matter the species? Would you want them seeing that? If so, that's fine. If not, then you must agree, the current rating system is flawed.
I do not agree with censorship of any form, however I am a big fan of some sort of warning system. Instead of just saying Warning, the following film may include some graphic content, give a brief blurb about what sort of content you might be seeing. Giant bear penises, the N word, profanity, sexual grunting, or sex with assorted fruit pies, in this particular case, apple. Mmm warm apple pie. Or somebody sticking a flute up their vagina. Whatever. I think if we spent a bit more time working on an educated warning system, we could make better choices on what we, our children, and our society watches.
Edit I really feel I should explain the bear sex bit. I personally have no problem. However, my wife who tends to be easily embarassed, nearly fainted when she saw it. No warning, no prOn grOOve music or anything, just slam bam thank you ma'am bear sex. See, it's all about a warning system. Personally, I nearly shot boiling hot coffee right out my schnozz because I started laughing so hard, not at the bear nookie, but at my wife's reaction. I seared my sinuses with steam, and all because I never saw it coming. For the rest of the day I had to suffer from questions like "how does a bear stuff a ding dong that big into the girl bear and not hurt her?" Or "Do you think bears have the Big-O?" Or my personal favourite, delivered as I was eating oatmeal, and it caused me to choke, "Geeze, how deep is a girl bear's bottom anyways?"
All alone, or in twos,
The ones who really love you
Walk up and down outside the wall.
Some hand in hand
And some gathered together in bands.
The bleeding hearts and artists
Make their stand.
And when they've given you their all
Some stagger and fall, after all it's not easy
Banging your heart against some mad buggers wall.
"Isn't this where...."
The ones who really love you
Walk up and down outside the wall.
Some hand in hand
And some gathered together in bands.
The bleeding hearts and artists
Make their stand.
And when they've given you their all
Some stagger and fall, after all it's not easy
Banging your heart against some mad buggers wall.
"Isn't this where...."