Why do we have ratings (G, PG, R) ? (possibly NSFW)

The current movie ratings began in 1968 and replaced the Hays Code of the 1930s. It was an effort by movie producers to give theater owners and the public an expectation of what could be seen in a movie.

It isn’t wrong to swear, it is just inappropriate for children.

I see it as for parents, so they know what to expect when bringing a child to a movie.

You know if it’s R, it’s probably not only going to have curse words, it may have sex and/or nudity, or it may have extreme violence, or all of the above.

To protect the children!
For the love of God…THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!! ~

@cookieman We can’t have them corrupted! ~~ (SARCASM lol).

I had to swallow a mouthfull of sunlight dishsoap in the first day in grade 2 because I said the f word in class.

@RedDeerGuy1 I think that’s a cruel punishment.

@jca2 I drank it because I knew that one day I would sue the school. I never got around to it. The two teacher’s would be in their 60’s by now. God knows how many students that they harmed since?

@RedDeerGuy1 It would probably exceed the statute of limitations for filing a lawsuit. It’s still cruel to do to a child. I used to hear about parents threatening to put a bar of soap in the kids’ mouth, but I never knew of anybody it was done to, that I know of. Making a child drink detergent is cruel and would probably mess with their digestive system, since the digestive system consists of acids and other things that digest food.

@jca2 I will mention to my psychologist on next friday, and see what she thinks.

@jca2: Exactly!

It’s a great question, actually. In the 1930s there was something called the “Hays Code” which was suggfested by the president of the Motion Picture Producers, Will Hays, which was put in to force by the Motion Pictures Association of America. It was basically a censorship that prohibited what was seen as morally questionable things like swearing and sex. (You can look it up).

The Hays code was enforced for decades, but weakened in the 50s and 60s. Finally, in 1968 it was abandoned and replaced by the MPAA codes G, PG, R, and X. Those were further modified into G, PG, PG-13, R, and NC-17.

The current rating system is asinine and should be completely abandoned.

@RedDeerGuy1 Washing your mouth out with soap for saying the F word in 2nd grade was probably appropriate.

Before the Hays code, there was very little restriction on what could be shown. One of the original Tarzan and Jane movies with Johnny Weissmuller had Maureen O’Sullivan swimming nude.

The application of the ratings has shifted over the years. The first R rated movie I saw in a theater was the mpvie M*A*S*H with a flash of a nude Hot Lips when the shower tent gets pulled down. Now it is shown on television.

Off topic but there never should be corporal punishment for kids in any form.

It’s so kids know what movies are worth watching when Mom and Dad aren’t home.

There is a great story of how in the brilliant film Notorious, Hitchcock skirted the Hays code in the extended kiss scene between Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. The Hays Code said that a kiss could only last 3 seconds, so what Hitchcock did is have Grant and Bergman…well, you just have to see it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8xRZeIZAx8

Shit. I don’t fucking know…

@MrGrimm888 See my answer above. It was a modification of the Hays code.

^I hate the high pitched ALL treble music, in older movies.
I get it.
That’s a point George Carlin used to make, about censorship.
Specifically, about language, but it fits in your provided scenario too.
Language, is communicating an idea/concept to someone.
Without saying certain words, the context, can reveal the words anyway. So. Why attack the words?..
I am certain that many things have had to be altered, to get movies into a certain rating.
It really fucks up a LOT of movies, because the censored/altered versions of things can appear unusual to the observer/viewer, as sometimes a really vile story, is very hamstrung by trying to keep movie PG-13 in hopes of higher box office grossing.
The younger the allotted audience, the more likely the movie sells more tickets.
Although there is no direct 100% proof, that that strategy works.

I often get excited about upcoming movies, only to grone when I see it will not be R rated.
My understanding is that they had a LOT of trouble, originally releasing “Scarface,” and they had to trim some of the story out, to keep it from being rated NC-17( no viewers younger than 17, even with a guardian.)

I think the ratings are wildly inconsistent. I know that many books I read, starting at like 12, were in the “sci-fi” part of bookstores. I didn’t know, until several books deep, there were VERY explicit and detailed sex scenes that I was shocked I was allowed to read. Clearly, in retrospect, nobody had actually read the books. The sex scenes didn’t dominate the books, and were rare, but there was usually at least one per book.

Now. They are trying to ban books, for all sorts of reasons. And the stuff I read, will probably still be considered ok.

@jca2 I’m one of those kids. The incremental unpleasantness of the experience depended on the brand of soap, but they were all horrible. And as I’m standing there waiting for the allotted time to pass, drool starts dripping out of my mouth, down my chin and into the sink. So gross.