Movies Control: Sex and Violence

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Recommended: Gender and violence in the media today

Nowadays, the media has a greater influence than ever on what the public believes and accepts. Research shows that the amount and realism of violence and sex in movies has skyrocketed, influencing the views of our generation. However, little to no attention is placed on the effects of movies on our views of racism, sexism, classism, and heteronormativity. Before watching a movie, you can get a general idea of how much sex and violence it will contain, in order to decide if it is appropriate for you. However, how can one tell if a movie is too racist, sexist, classist, or heteronormative for his/her viewing pleasure? What makes a movie racist, sexist, classist, or heteronormative for certain audiences, and not others? My take on the Motion Picture Association of America’s rating system serves to tackle these questions and bring light to the media’s influence on our views on racism, sexism, classism, and heternormativity. My audience for this rating system is primarily parents, who are easily offended by the racism, sexism, classism, and heteronormativity present in the media. They would likely care the most about the presentation of these ideologies in a movie, since they would not want their children to be influenced by the views portrayed in the films they watch. According to my rating system, a G rated movie would be appropriate for all audiences. It would not have any racial undertones or contain any racially charged language or slurs. It would not serve to further any racial stereotypes either. It would focus on our current views of race, not those of the past. It also would not highlight the effects of white privilege, such as seeing members of your race widely represented in the media. A G rated movie would pass the Bec... ... middle of paper ... ...d the globe. On the other hand, certain movies could be used to bring about social change. Movies that show equality between the sexes, or respect towards gay/lesbian couples could be used to break down social barriers by changing the values of its viewers. Therefore, identifying racism, sexism, classism, and heteronormativity in movies is important in bringing attention to the way in which movies control and affect these values in our society. Works Cited "Bechdel Test". RetrievedDecember , 2013 Available: http://bechdeltest.com/ Jhally, S , "Media Violence: Facts & Statistics". RetrievedDecember , 2013 Available: http://www.mediaed.org/ McIntosh, P , "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack . " ,Independent School, p. – Katz, , "Heterosexual Privilege ". RetrievedDecember , 2013 Available: http://sap.mit.edu/content/pdf/heterosexual_privilege.pdf

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