OMM/OMD meets with MPAA over movie ratings - concerns politely dismissed
Last month, OMM/OMD met with Joan Graves, president of the ratings board for the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).
Like you, I have deep concerns about the ratings system used to rate Hollywood movies. For too many parents, the MPAA doesn't give enough information about the content of movies. The current ratings are extremely vague and inconsistant.
Specifically, we asked the following questions:
- Why do only people who live in the Hollywood, California area decide for the rest of the nation what rating a movie should get?
- Why, over the past decade, have movies rated PG been allowing more sex, violence and profanity?
- Why does the MPAA allow s-words in PG movies and f-words in PG-13? (They told us the s-word is not considered a profanity!)
- Why should parents rely on outside sources for movie information, rather than from those whose job it is to provide it?
- How could a movie (Harsh Times) with 296 f-words and 145 s-words only get an R-rating, rather than an M-rating?
We did our homework and prepared substantial evidence that parents are frustrated with the current ratings system. We gave them copies of your letters to OMM/OMD, expressing a need for something to be done. Our reviews of every major motion picture released in November and December, 2006 clearly showed the ratings did little to help parents know the true content of movies.
I guess I was a bit naive. I really hoped the MPAA would realize what you and I already know...the system is broken. Instead, all we got for our trouble was a polite smile and a "thanks for coming by." During the meeting, the MPAA did little more than smile and nod their head. On occasion, they would politely defend a specific movie and why they rated it too low for most people's standards.
You can imagine my disappointment when I discovered we had been hoodwinked by the MPAA two days later. The entire time we were meeting face to face with the MPAA, they concealed the fact that they had committed to schmooze with the Hollywood crowd the next week. In a news article, the MPAA said it was ready to hand over to filmakers, a list of the people who actually rate the movies!
While OMM/OMD was asking the MPAA to fix the ratings system by raising the ratings standard and giving parents more information, they were practically preparing to give filmakers a key to the movie raters home (remember, raters and filmakers live in the same glass house known as Hollywood)!
TAKE ACTION
Send an email to MPAA Chairman Dan Glickman asking him to fix the broken ratings program. Tell him you want the MPAA to favor families over the film industry. Remind Chairman Glickman that the MPAA was founded for the sole purpose of helping parents make informed decisions on which movies their families choose to see.
NOTE: If you see a commercial or program which is offensive, email us the information.
Many of you have done this, and it is very helpful.
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