Censoring Films: Return to McCarthyism?

Some people get freaked out by issues involving nudity, drugs, violence, and religion. Whether people like it or not, these four things affect the human race more than anything else. They are a part of "LIFE." These are the main things that bother people. Bad language can also be an issue, however most people will overlook that. I have heard, "Why do movies show it? Old movies never showed things like that." That's funny, because if you study film, you will find that before the government decided to black ball a bunch of filmmakers and start censoring films, they often depicted nudity, drugs, violence, and religion. Film-making started as an art. Art depicts, in some way or another, "LIFE." In the 60's and 70's things began to change. Filmmakers were able to start portraying these subjects again. The culture changed. Movies like, "The Trip" and "Easy Rider" put drugs and sex back into the mainstream film world. Directors like Alfred Hitchcock, Stanly Kubrick, and Martin Scorsese have shown sex, violence, drugs, and religion for what they are. They don't make a stand on the issue necessarily. They just show you the reality, in a very artistic way sometimes. They just show the cold hard reality. They tell a story or show a perspective through a character or characters. You don't have to agree with them to enjoy the film. After it is over, you can make a decision about what it all means. It's fun to use these films as a basis for discussions, whether they are about history or "LIFE" in general. Sometimes they are about both. That's what I love about those writers, directors, and those films.

Basically, I'm a fan of a time when people could just watch a movie and get excited about it, just because of the magic of the whole thing. I never lived during that time, but I bet it was great to be in a theater back then. I want people to have an open mind when watching movies. So many people limit their taste because they are afraid of certain issues brought up by certain films.

I was watching the news the other day and I noticed that someone is trying to make it an automatic "R" rating for showing a person smoke a cigarette. What is going on with that thought process? I'm tired of people trying to make it hard on filmmakers to produce their art. Presently, a lot of filmmakers try to go for a "PG-13" rating, not because they want to, but because some people are trying to bring back a form of McCarthyism. We can't let that happen. We should leave the content editing for the parents. I agree with the disclosure of content under the rating, such as, Adult Language, Drug Use, Strong Violence... I think that is what people should look at. It tells you clearly what is in the movie. Make your decision with that in mind. If it says, "Cigarette Use," stop your kids from watching it. They shouldn't raise the rating, they should tell the viewer what they are about to put before their eyes and ears. Don't make it harder on the filmmaker to tell their story.

Just like when McCarthyism first started censoring movies, it is a clear sign of the level of paranoia that grips the United States. We are living in an "apocalyptic" mindset. People seem to think that they can curve bad behavior and change the world, just by censoring what kids see. However, you can't censor real life. The kids will still see Uncle Joe and Grandma Bernice smoking. Why do kids choose to smoke? Curiosity is the main reason. I have to admit, watching Clint Eastwood smoke in the Fistful of Dollars movies did make it look cool; however I tried cigarettes for the most common reason. It was bad for me and my friends were doing it. You can't change that "teenage, rebellious, I have to try it myself," attitude.

The bottom line is this; trying to control everything others do never works. It creates more rebellion. Look back at your own childhood. Even better, look at the prohibition, or the hippie movement. When "the man" starts sticking his hand in the cookie jar, it just makes it that much cooler to be bad. We go through these cycles as a society. Here's to the Revolution!!!