SEX AND VIOLENCE

Personalyl I think nudity and sex are part of life. To censor it out of movies is not the answer. let movie makers put out their work, including nudity and sex, and let the viewers decide if they want to watch it or not. There are a ton of movies out there with no nudity or sex. Leave the option and the choice to the masses.

SEX AND VIOLENCE ON AMERICAN TELEVISION:
The Great Puritan Fraud

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Dana Point, CA-- The news is full of reports about the "sex and violence" on television, stirring debates in Congress, angering housewives, and inspiring self-styled "Virtues Czars" to demand controls, but few people are able to rise above the hysteria to actually question the motives of those raising the alarms, or the actual state of television programming as it is instead of as the alarmists imagine it to be.

First, there is no connection between sex and violence. The very use of the phrase "sex and violence" is deceptive and manipulative because it is a deliberate attempt to link two unrelated things that the alarmists have moral reservations about, which they hope they can cause other people to join them in. Second, while people are outraged over sex and violence, no one seems to be outraged by the superficiality of television. Television is a WASTELAND. A typical topic on a talk-show can be illustrated by a recent genuine promo that went: "SALSA: Do you dance to it or do you eat it?" While television news upholds the artificial confidence of the general public through coverage that shamelessly promotes the infallibility of the police and the President, few people recognize that the country is racked with social tensions caused by a thoroughly corrupt system of government. Instead, the public is distracted with campaigns to "clean up" television that openly seek to force the whole population to accept the personal religious standards of a few powerful individuals.

The fact is that there indeed IS too much violence on television. Violence is part of the American culture going back to the Revolution, and it is the great moral flaw of the republic. In reality, however, there is NO sex on television WHATSOEVER. There isn't even nudity permitted on American television. What there is is suggestions and innuendos and nothing more. Has anyone actually witnessed a full-fledged sex act on prime time television? No.

Recently the results of a "study" were released by a "family group" that claimed that there is more sex on television in the 1990's than there was in the 1970's. What the "report" failed to notice was that in the 1970's, television was openly dominated by censors. Words like "pregnant" were not allowed to be uttered on the public airwaves. A return to censorship should not be interpreted as a progressive measure by any rational people.

Furthermore the amount of overt violence on television is HORRIFIC. This violence is not by suggestion or innuendo, instead television is dominated by images of fights and murders and mayhem. While there is NO sex on television at all, there ARE murders, explosions, and beatings that are meticulously explicit. And for every producer who disclaims the influence of television to create real-life violence through copy-cat behavior, there are advertising salesmen swearing to their customers that the commercials they buy will influence the millions of television viewers to patronize their products.

The real problem we face is that those narrow-minded people who are hell-bent on demanding ratings standards, are really trying to restore the censorship of the past with themselves in control. They will decide for all of us what is true and what is not; and they will decide what is "decent" and "virtuous." While it will start out as a "voluntary guideline," it always ends up as a penal code, with violators going to jail and prison. We are in real danger today because the news and the media won't scrutinize the issues: They just go along and help prop up the powerful, using the "editorial function" as their justification for falsifying the news, confident that any popular resistance will be met with police power and punishment.

(CNS, 12/18/96)

What do the different ratings for movies and TV mean?

When you think of movie ratings, the one used by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) probably comes to mind. Though movie producers are not required to use the rating system, most movies that make it to the big screen have one of the following MPAA ratings:

G. General Audiences. All Ages Admitted.Contains very little violence; no nudity, sex, or drug use. May contain some tobacco or alcohol use.

PG. Parental Guideance Suggested. Some Material May Not Be Suitable For Children. May contain adult themes, alcohol and tobacco use, some profanity, violence, or brief nudity.

PG-13. Parents Strongly Cautioned. Some Material May Be Inappropriate for Children Under 13. Contains more intense themes, violence, nudity, sex, or language than a PG film, but not as much as an R. May contain drug use scenes.

R. Restricted. Under 17 Requires Accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian. Contains adult material. May include graphic language, violence, sex, nudity, and drug use.

NC-17. No One 17 and Under Admitted. Children should not be admitted. Contains violence, sex, drug abuse, and other behavior that most parents would consider off-limits to children.

This is the oldest, most well-known, and widely used rating system for any form of media, but it is not perfect. For example, the ratings divide children into three age groups (under 13, 13 to 17, and over 17). However, a PG movie that contains some violence or nudity will have a much different effect on a 5-year-old child than it would a 12-year-old. Find out as much as you can about a movie before letting your child watch. Read reviews, check the Internet, talk to friends who have seen it. Choose carefully when considering movies with PG-13, PG, and sometimes even G ratings. If you aren't sure, see the movie first, and decide if it is appropriate for your child.

Television

The television industry has adopted a set of ratings called the TV Parental Guidelines to help parents select programs for their children. Channels that have agreed to use the ratings show them for 15 seconds at the start of a program. They may also be found in your local TV listings. The ratings apply to all TV programs, except news and sports. (Keep in mind that news programs often contain violence that may be inappropriate for viewing by young children.) Instead of flipping through channels, use the following ratings to help you and your child choose TV shows:

TVY. The program is suitable for all children. Whether animated or live-action, it is designed for a young audience, including ages 2 to 6. The program is not expected to frighten younger children.

TVY7. The program is suitable for children aged 7 and older who can tell the difference between make-believe and reality. The program may contain mild fantasy or comedic violence that could frighten children under 7.

TVY7FV. The program is suitable for children aged 7 and older who can tell the difference between make-believe and reality. The program contains fantasy violence more intense or combative than TV-Y7. Violence is the central theme of the program and the fighting is presented in an exciting way. Violent acts are glorified, and violence is used as an acceptable, effective way to solve a problem. Programs can be cartoons, live-action, or a combination of both.

TVG. General Audience. Most parents would find this program suitable for all ages. There is little or no violence, no strong language, and little or no sexual content.

TVPG. TVPGV. TVPGS. TVPGD. TVPGL. Parental guidance is suggested. The program contains material that parents may find unsuitable for younger children. It may have an inappropriate theme, and it may contain moderate violence (V), some sexual content (S), and strong language (L) or suggestive dialogue between characters (D).

TV14. TV14V. TV14S. TV14L. TV14D. Parents are strongly cautioned. The program contains some material that many parents would find unsuitable for children under 14. It contains intense violence (V), sexual content (S), and strong language (L) or intensely suggestive dialogue (D).

TVMA. TVMAV. TVMAS. TVMAL. Mature Audience. The program may be unsuitable for children under age 17. It contains graphic violence (V), strong sexual content (S), and/or crude, indecent language (L).

Starting in 2000, all new television sets with screens 13 inches or larger have a computer device called the v-chip. The v-chip allows parents to block programs from their televisions. TVs with screens smaller than 13 inches do not have to have the v-chip. If your child is allowed to watch TV alone, choose a set that is at least 13 inches so you can use the v-chip to block programs.