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

[astrojen.livejournal.com]

You're welcome, Sal.
*hugs*

jen ;->