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WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10270

I liked this article. It illustrates one of my biggest complaints about selfish people (ahem, those wanting, not needing, children and expecting someone else to raise them and pay for them):

I am not an apologist for the MPAA. As Cinematical's Eric D. Snider astutely observed recently, the Classification and Rating Administration of the Motion Picture Association of America continues to 'arbitrarily enforce and haphazardly apply' their own ratings, generally favoring big-budget studio pictures while lowering the boom on lower-budgeted independent films. With a track record of more than 40 years, though, does any parent today believe that the MPAA is solely responsible for telling them what is suitable for their children to watch?

Evidently Deborah Knight Snyder does. The mother of two children wrote an article for the GateHouse News Service in which she wondered about the movie rating system, which she described as an "imprecise, almost backward process." No argument there, but then she described Alex Proyas' Knowing as a movie that "scared the hell" out of her and questioned: "What parent in their right mind would let a 13-year-old see such a movie?" She continues: "Thank goodness our 13-year-old was otherwise occupied and chose not to join us for the film," and then relates an experience suffered by her older son when he saw The Ring just before he turned 13 several years ago. He later told her: "That movie was terrifying for a 12-year-old!"

Snyder doesn't address her own accountability in these two incidents, of course. One son "chose not to join us" and the other went with a friend's mother: "I confess I didn't think much about his going to see it." From this, we can surmise that an adult who has been watching movies for several decades and has two children -- one of whom is now in college -- had, until this very week, abdicated responsibility for deciding what her children could watch, ceding that role entirely to the MPAA.

Continue reading this article on Cinematical.

While I am sure many parents need a helping hand, they never helped themselves in preparing to have a child before they were knocked-up with the responsibility of raising said child[ren]. Haven observed my parents in their poor role of parenting, followed by my nine older siblings and their poor examples, I chose to save society Mr. Green

by not rolling the wheel of destiny and plaguing America with MOIs myself. You are welcome. Thumbs Up

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 2:29 pm Post subject:

No MiniWanMan's in your future huh?

ecrabb · Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 2:58 pm Post subject:

greg_mitch · Joined: 03 May 2006 Posts: 5320

I don't get what your point is...you are suggesting that every parent should watch movies before their kid watches them to see if they are okay? Its just not practical for new releases. Not really practical for DVD's (who has the time).

If the rating system is broken it needs to be fixed. Some movies are common sense...but if the thing says it is PG or above it is pretty much a subjective rating by someone other than yourself. If you want to shield your children from everything that will POTENTIALLY be scary or too risky then don't watch movies...read a book.

ecrabb · Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 3:36 pm Post subject:

Well, he has a good point that the mother could have at least read a synopsis of the movie... If she had, she might have known that if the movie was a scary movie, it wasn't appropriate for a 12-year old... irrespective of the rating. OTOH, you have the better point... That, if the ratings can't be relied on to determine whether a move is appropriate or not, then what good is it?

The MPAA rating is far too general. Basically, all it's good for is determining whether the words "sh*t" or "f*ck" are uttered, or whether there's a sex scene with some nudity, or perhaps some bad violence.

Back on the other hand again, The Ring looked like a damn scary movie to me when I saw the trailers, and I was right... Pretty damn scary movie, and there's no way in hell I would have let a 12-year old girl watch it without me, unless she was not easy to scare - at all.

There are definitely some really lazy parents - that woman appears to be one. But, the MPAA rating is pretty useless and could be much better.

SC

garyfritz · Joined: 08 Apr 2006 Posts: 12088 Location: Fort Collins, CO

If you ask me, taking a 12-yr-old to something like The Ring borders on being criminally irresponsible. You didn't have to watch it ahead of time to know that -- it was clearly marketed as a horrifically terrifying movie. You don't take kids to something like that. If you think the kid has to go for some strange reason, THEN you screen it first to see if it's appropriate for a young impressionable child.

Parents have a responsibility to protect their children from inappropriate and possibly damaging experiences. That woman was IMHO not being a responsible parent.

CRT_Ben · Joined: 28 Aug 2006 Posts: 1684 Location: Northern Virginia

The Ring creeped me the F out. I saw it over spring break because I had to stay for athletics, watched it on my friend's big screen and then had to go back to a big, EMPTY college dorm. And of course there's a TV in the room Shocked

greg_mitch · Joined: 03 May 2006 Posts: 5320

Belcherwm · Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 3:02 am Post subject:

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10270

Person99 · Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 4899 Location: Flower Mound, TX

ecrabb · Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2009 7:13 pm Post subject:

emdawgz1 · Joined: 14 Mar 2006 Posts: 7949

I have never seen or heard of "the Ring" But its not the sort of thing i would take my 13 yr old to see. I figured that out after about 5 minutes on the internet.....

My thing is, w/ TV, Radio, and all other media...YOU as a parent are the gatekeeper. If your child sees, or hears it, it's your responsibility... tough job??? Yup. Thats why you are the parent and i'm not! Thumbs Up

Person99 · Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 4899 Location: Flower Mound, TX

Brian Hampton · Joined: 22 Apr 2006 Posts: 1173

Hi,

The Rating system is broken and I don't think it's going to be fixed. I just ignore it.

I have kids and I just try to use a little sense. I would not take them to see Batman,... I know it's not targeted for kids even though it's Batman.

When I saw Batman Begins in the theater someone behind me had brought tikes that were bored, scared, confused and generally frustrated with it and kept reminding their dad. When I was over they were like "Yeah! It's over!". Urg.

Still people take kids to stuff like Watchmen... It's just lazyness. My mom took me to see Jaws when I was 8 because she was simply wanting to see it and didn't even consider what I would think of it. (I love the movie now though... it's a good one.)

You can have real hardcore violence and as long as no one sees a bare breast or no one says a four letter word then it's family friendly,... So I know I can't rely on other people's notion of what's right for my kids I have to try to figure it out for myself.

-brian

Person99 · Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 4899 Location: Flower Mound, TX

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10270

Its simple, in my book. If you are a parent and are actually parenting then you will make time to find out the negative aspects of a movie before letting the little one(s) see it with you. If you do not have that time then either stop with the intentions on letting the little one see it or let someone else parent your child through adoption. Very Happy

greg_mitch · Joined: 03 May 2006 Posts: 5320

It really easy for people that aren't parents to talk about how easy it is to be a parent. Rolling Eyes

tri_joel · Joined: 03 Jul 2007 Posts: 646 Location: Northern Virginia

I'm much better at raising other people's children than my own. It's easy to see what others are doing wrong.

Person99 · Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 4899 Location: Flower Mound, TX