The Rant

The more quotations and statistics and articles and analyzations and accusations that I am subjected to, the more I despise the Motion Picture Association of America. Its faults are undeniable and fairly simple to adjust. The MPAA's clear bias towards major film studios, the ridiculous NC-17 rating and its effects, the unnecessary mystery behind the process, the simplicity of tricking the MPAA, and the strange preference of violence over sex are all the greatest and most apparant flaws of the system, yet the MPAA refuses to acknowledge such problems. This is because the MPAA benefits directly from all of these flaws. Regardless of the amount of press statements or assurances on the official website, the MPAA does not serve the parents. It serves the studios. It serves Hollywood. It serves the government. It serves the conservative, Republican agenda. It serves to blunt the growth of inteligent cinema, constantly condemning the so-called "deviants" of society. The filmmakers that have spoken out against the MPAA are hardly radicals or evil; they are the people that I admire and aspire to be. Kimberly Peirce does not deserve a limited audience for exploring grey matters of sexuality in the film Boys Don't Cry. Maria Bello does not need to feel guilt for a fleeting shot of her pubic hair in The Cooler rendering the film limited to audiences. John Waters should not be seen as a danger to our children for telling them to not fear their own sexuality. It is the MPAA that should be at the receiving end of the accusatory finger, not the artists or, even, humanitarians that have the courage to express their voices.