"It is not events that disturb the minds of men, but the view they take of them." ~ Epictetus
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On this day in 1968, the Motion Picture Association of America adopted its film-rating system to provide parents with advance information on films. The board rates films by theme, language, violence, nudity, sex, and drugs.
A strictly voluntary standard, parents seem to like the advance warning. In a 1999 survey, 76% of American parents of children under the age of 13 thought the rating system was a useful service, the highest level of approval since the system’s inception.
Others are not so crazy about the system. Critic Stephen Farber said ratings force filmmakers to keep their work within certain categories, sometimes preventing them from exploring their full vision.
Restrictive, or not, American Civil Liberties Union attorney Solange Bitol concluded, "Nothing is as good as old-fashioned parenting. You, as a parent, are obligated to have to sit down with your children and watch these movies and talk about it with them."
Let an alternate view start the dialogue.