MPAA Ratings ~ I'm Confused

[tucsonlib]

Lately I've been seeing these movie trailers on TV that are chock full of war, bombings, shootings, torture, sociopaths bent on revenge, and just overall general mayhem. And at the end there's this voice that intones, "Rated PG-13." Now, I don't know how much violence it takes to graduate to an "R", but I think the bar is set pretty high. On the other hand......

..if your movie should include just one frontal shot of naked female breasts....BOOM! - "Rated R". We must protect innocent 14-16 year-olds from being exposed to such evil.

Now, I've tried and and tried, but I've been unable to come up with even one evil incident in the history of mankind that has been caused, instigated or influenced by....nipples.

You know, the U.S. is pretty much alone in the western world when it comes to equating nudity with immorality. In Great Britain, for example, naked breasts are shown regularly on network television, and no one blinks an eye. Does this mean America adheres to a higher moral standard? Or does it mean American values are ass-backward?

I realize this is a rather trivial matter to bring up in these times of war and economic collapse, but I can't help thinking that our glorification of violence, coupled with our prudish approach to nudity is just another little indication of a nation in decline.

[Common Sense Party]

1. You can't come up with one nipple-induced world tragedy? Really?

What about Sarah Palin's nomination?

[tucsonlib]

2. Point Taken n/t

[JackintheGreen]

3. Joe Esterhazy's "Showgirls"

Definitely one of the nipple-induced world tragedies.

[Common Sense Party]

4. I'm gonna have to take your word on that one. n/t

[JackintheGreen]

5. Oh no you don't.

I won't suffer alone anymore! (booby alert)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7A2iNFtMKM&feature=relate

[comtec]

6. mmm boobies...

Kicked, so I can watch at home LOL :)

[iverglas]

7. here's my question

You know, the U.S. is pretty much alone in the western world when it comes to equating nudity with immorality.

Why is it that such a lot of the western world equates nudity with women's body parts?

You did. Just for instance.

I've never actually felt a need to have women's breasts thrust in my face when I'm watching a BBC mystery, myself.

Yes, the US "standards" in this regard are somewhat screwy. That still don't make women's bodies -- specifically, the naked bodies of women performers who are expected to expose their body parts in ways that men are not, if they want to work -- necessary or even appropriate content for the huge majority of television programming.

The Janet Jackson incident was offensive not for the fact that her breast was exposed -- although that in itself was undeniably completely inappropriate in its context. It was offensive because it involved a man ripping off a woman's clothing and exposing a part of her body that we do consider private to public view, to her (at least apparent) discomfort. The incident was enormously offensive for that reason.

Now, if you want to talk genuine prudery, rather than the mixed bag of reasons for objecting to the use of women's sexuality to sell stuff, and contrast that with the vulgar violence so common on television (and interestingly, so commonly committed against attractive young women, whose maimed bodies are then displayed on screen), we could talk "language".

Trailer Park Boys (Watched the rest yet?)

All the language you can imagine, in prime time on regular cable in Canada, just like in the UK. Not only no fines for airing it, but gummint funding to produce it. ;)

[tucsonlib]

8. Re: Why is it that such a lot of the western world equates nudity with women's body parts?

I agree! We should place the same (or stricter) limits on male nipples. Doubly evil due to their udder uselessness. :rofl:

You make some excellent points. And yes, not only have I watched all the clips, but I recorded the "Trailer Park Boys Movie" that was shown on HBO.(They gave it 1 1/2 stars)

[iverglas]

9. yeah, it sucked

Sitcoms do not generally translate well into feature films. Hell, even Law & Order didn't translate well into a 2-hour TV movie. Fortunately, nobody ever tried to make a Larry Sanders movie.

But those weren't clips, those were the entire series on youtube -- seven seasons of episodes, three parts per episode. All watched?? A marathon indeed.





After three weeks in the Garden of Eden, God came to visit Eve. "So, how is everything going?" inquired God.

"It is all so beautiful, God," she replied, "the sunrises and sunsets are breathtaking, the smells, the sights, everything is wonderful, but I have just one problem. It is these three breasts you have given me. The middle one pushes the other two out and I am constantly knocking them with my arms, catching them on branches, and snagging them on bushes." "They are a real pain," reported Eve and she went on to tell God that since many other parts of her body came in pairs, such as her limbs, eyes, ears, etc., she felt that having only two breasts might leave her body more "symmetrically balanced", as she put it.

"That is a fair point," replied God, "but it was my first shot at this, you know. I gave the animals six breasts, so I figured that you needed only half of those, but I see that you are right. I will fix it up right away." God reached down, removed the middle breast and tossed it into the bushes.

Three weeks passed and God once again visited Eve in the Garden of Eden. "Well, Eve, how is my favorite creation?"

"Just fantastic," she replied, "but for one oversight on your part. You see, all the animals are paired off. The ewe has a ram, and the cow has her bull. All the animals have a mate except me. I feel so alone."

God thought for a moment and said, "You know, Eve, you are right. How could I have overlooked this? You do need a mate and I will immediately create a man from a part of you. Now let's see ... where did I put that useless boob?"

Now, doesn't that make more sense than that rib story?