rant about ratings

[salixbabylon]

I recently learned (yes, I'm slow) that the MPAA ratings are a private system and are not legally enforced in any way. At all. It's simply part of an economic agreement between movie studios and distributors. Which explains why "art house" movies are often unrated. But let me reiterate this -- it is in no way illegal to sell a 12 year old a ticket to an NC-17 movie. (XXX and other outright porn, yes, but not R or NC-17 rated movies.) (Nor for a public library to lend such a video, which is how I learned this tidbit.)

So why do we willingly rate our fics? Who is writing slash that has a problem with explicit material? For archives, sure, if they don't put a warning on a top-level web page. I understand that complains are probably annoying. But are there that many complaints? At least of the "I was so shocked and offended to find explicit sex on your slash archive" type? (Sure, on Harry Potter, I get it - the books are for kids and I can see adults getting their knickers in a twist about sex stuff .)

Had geocities.com or livejournal or any other web server asked writers to put warnings or ratings on their explicit entries/web sites? Even the ones that are text only?

Is there something I'm missing or are we all willingly participating in this stupid agreement? To me, it gives slash websites and writings this weird, dirty, doing-something-we-shouldn't kind of feeling, and I don't like it. It's valid writing, it's not porn in the bad sense, and where is the line between art and pornography anyway? Isn't it up to each individual to choose? When does erotica or an explicit bodice-ripper become porn?

Why are we going along with this stupid system?

Is it just an easy shorthand way that I can quickly find the smut I crave? ;)

Comments

[mellacita.livejournal.com]

I am SO there with you. I have always thought applying American visual standards to internationally written work is ridiculous. I was reading and buying bodice rippers as a young teenager and no one said boo.

[salixbabylon.livejournal.com]

Definitely, me too = reading explicit things well under age. I think people, kids included, find what they want to, when they want to. Labeling artistic work as 'age-appropriate' is just weird.

[marlinadietrich.livejournal.com]

Ha! Even Harry-Potter-reading kids should be exposed to more sex, I think. They gotta learn about it sometime. We can't pretend that 13 year olds aren't thinking about it. Besides, that Harry Potter can be pretty racy without the slash. I mean, Occlumency? "Defense against external penetration"? Really, now.

[salixbabylon.livejournal.com]

*giggle* Next thing you know, there will be the anti-conception and anti-STD spells. :)

[astrojen.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid I don't agree. I've got a 13 year old son and I don't let him read any of my slash-fics. I've written some Gen and PG-13 stuff specifically with him in mind however but I don't think he's quite ready for NC-17 stuff. I think writers should rate their fics simply out of care for others who might not want to read explicit material. Ok, I'm not entirely naive, I know that kids will find and read this stuff if they really want to but at least those who wish to avoid it will have been warned and will steer clear. The same goes for adult readers who might not want to read explicitly detailed material. And then it works the other way too. Slash-fans can zero in on the rating they want without trawling through fic after fic. Is this making sense?

Jen ;->

[salixbabylon.livejournal.com]

Hm, you've made me consider this some more, and I guess maybe I didn't think this out so well before I ranted.

It's a good point that a 13 year old probably isn't "ready" for graphic sex. But I tend to think that readers of all ages "self-select" for materials as appropriate, and that so long as a fic isn't violent or otherwise disturbing, explicit sexuality shouldn't be a problem. If the kid is interested in it, s/he will find and read it. If not, s/he won't bother. At least, that's how it was for me. I do understand that others may have different values about what they want their children to read, and I try to respect that as a parent's right to monitor their child. BUT I think that is the parent's responsibility, not the writer or website developer.

It is true though, that readers who don't know they're on an explicit website might be surprised, if that's not what they want. I suppose I'd thought they would just go away, if that was the case, but you're right, a rating makes it clear. So that's the part I'm not sure how to find a way to compromise with.

And yeah, I myself tend not to read any fics rated PG-13 or under, unless I -know- I like the author and it will be well-written -- there's just so much slash that's by teenagers with annoying writing. (Perhaps that's a holdover bias from when I was mostly into Harry Potter fics.) So I guess I have a double standard.

Thanks for making me think about this some more. I wish there was a way to not have to self-label, but I do see that labels are helpful in some contexts.

[astrojen.livejournal.com]

You're welcome, Sal.
*hugs*

jen ;->