The Movie Rating System
Chao-Hsuan Tang
Professor McKennon
Eng68 winter 2013
23 January 2013
The Rating System Movie, film or motion pictures, “a sequence of images of moving objects photographed by a camera and providing the optical illusion of continuous movement when projected onto a screen.” (Dictionary.com). A movie is an entertainment that was invented in the mid-19th century and was slowly developed in the early 1900s. At the beginning, a movie was just a simple entertainment without any sound, but as technology has progressed, movies had become more and more realistic due to computer programming and effects, which much of the impossible can be done today by just several clicks of the finger. Although technology has made movie more interesting and dramatic, it also creates the problem of being too realistic and many children or youngsters might be watching something that is not appropriate for their age. Therefore, the MPAA came up with the rating system that informs the parents about the content of the movie that they have to be cautious about. However, many oppose the movie rating system due to the fact that it limits moviemakers’ rights to create movies they want and it is against the First Amendment of the constitution. The argument continues, but no solution had come up yet that would please both sides. What is the rating system? The rating system is a system that prevents underage to watch something that is inappropriate or too early for their age; a parents’ tool to know what elements are in the movie to prevent children watching them. There are five different rating levels in the United States, where each serves different purpose and age group. First rating is G, which stands for general audience. Any movie that is rated G can be watch by any age without any parental guidance or accompany. Second, PG, which means parental guidance is suggested. Some of the PG films might contain some inappropriate words, bad humors, mild horror, and violence. However, PG rating
Professor McKennon
Eng68 winter 2013
23 January 2013
The Rating System Movie, film or motion pictures, “a sequence of images of moving objects photographed by a camera and providing the optical illusion of continuous movement when projected onto a screen.” (Dictionary.com). A movie is an entertainment that was invented in the mid-19th century and was slowly developed in the early 1900s. At the beginning, a movie was just a simple entertainment without any sound, but as technology has progressed, movies had become more and more realistic due to computer programming and effects, which much of the impossible can be done today by just several clicks of the finger. Although technology has made movie more interesting and dramatic, it also creates the problem of being too realistic and many children or youngsters might be watching something that is not appropriate for their age. Therefore, the MPAA came up with the rating system that informs the parents about the content of the movie that they have to be cautious about. However, many oppose the movie rating system due to the fact that it limits moviemakers’ rights to create movies they want and it is against the First Amendment of the constitution. The argument continues, but no solution had come up yet that would please both sides. What is the rating system? The rating system is a system that prevents underage to watch something that is inappropriate or too early for their age; a parents’ tool to know what elements are in the movie to prevent children watching them. There are five different rating levels in the United States, where each serves different purpose and age group. First rating is G, which stands for general audience. Any movie that is rated G can be watch by any age without any parental guidance or accompany. Second, PG, which means parental guidance is suggested. Some of the PG films might contain some inappropriate words, bad humors, mild horror, and violence. However, PG rating
Cited: Attanasio, Paul. “The Rating Game.” Text and Context a Contemporary Approach to College Writing, 7th ed. Eds William S. Robinson and Stephanie Tucker. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2009. 391-393. Print. Shales, Tom. “Give Movie Raters a PG, for Pigheadedness” Text and Context a Contemporary Approach to College Writing, 7th ed. Eds William S. Robinson and Stephanie Tucker. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2009. 393-395. Print. Sheinfeld, Lois P. “The Big Chill.” Text and Context a Contemporary Approach to College Writing, 7th ed. Eds William S. Robinson and Stephanie Tucker. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2009. 388-390. Print. Valenti, Jack. “The Motion Picture Association Movie Rating System.” Text and Context a Contemporary Approach to College Writing, 7th ed. Eds William S. Robinson and Stephanie Tucker. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2009. 383-388. Print.