Forty years ago this month, Hollywood tried to solve a decades-long problem and ended up creating a mess of a different kind. I'm talking about the Motion Picture Association of America's rating system, which took effect in November 1968.
The MPAA claims its system works, because polls show that a vast percentage of parents say it's at least somewhat effective. Well, duh: If I were hungry, and you gave me one hard-boiled egg, I'd be somewhat less hungry.
The system has many flaws, but one of them is tragic. Because the MPAA didn't copyright the “X” rating – which once meant simply that a film could be seen only by adults – pornographers applied it to their movies. The MPAA eventually replaced it with an NC-17, but the general public still considered that a “porn” rating, and studios refused to issue pictures that bore it.
As a result, because those studios keep the MPAA in business, the ratings board applies an R to every picture that doesn't feature the most disgusting violence, streams of filthy language or graphic sex. Movies that should still be seen only by legal adults are accessible to anyone who buys a ticket with a parent or guardian, unless individual theaters decide to enforce stricter policies.
Of course, studios have no interest in changing these ratings, because reviving a viable NC-17 would limit the number of tickets that can be sold. Better to alter the minds of impressionable kids than to alter the profit margin.
@Nyx.CommentBody@