First of all, apologies if this has been brought up before.To be honest, I'd be more surpised than McCarthy at Communist-Day if it hasn't, but I think the rather specific topic and example allow some wiggle room. One can hope at least.
I was watching Kick-Ass with my friends tonight and something struck me. There is something seriously wrong with the society I live in, the United Kingdom to be precise.
The copy I own of this movie is a regular, store bought disc. Rated 15.
Fifteen!? How is it possible for this movie to be rated that low? It would appear to me that the British board of film classification takes some weighted average of "explicit" content when classifying. Sex being weighed more heavily than violence, and much so. There is even an argument as to why, I think this is the case.
Kick-Ass has two particular components of it, that speaks particularly to this point. A 12 year old girl, delivering some exceptional graphical(and awesome) violence and, here's the kicker, burning a human and relatable character alive. This ought to provoke some serious thoughts in most sane adults, not to mention 15 year olds. It isn't even sarcastic in it's portrayal of it, it's downright sadistic.
Now take the other part of the "weighted average", the sex, there is none in the movie discussed. Now think about the following(please follow the argument as expressed, there is a purpose as to why I framed it this way). Had this movie contained a sexual scene with bare breasts, odds are it would have been classified 18, even without the explicit violence.
Doesn't that strike you as odd, consider you are a human? A relationship between two adults by all reason must be more acceptable than, well, purposefully setting people on fire. Right? No, not according to some people.
Sex is wrong and violence is good. This is what, I consider, is being said by the people whom are thinking of the children. Is that really right?
Now before I get trolled to death, I think a few caveats has to be put forth. I am Scandinavian and I grew up in a time where parental discression was exactly that. I have also lived in the UK for several years - and I know there are cultural differences. The classification system itself baffled me at first....
I was watching Kick-Ass with my friends tonight and something struck me. There is something seriously wrong with the society I live in, the United Kingdom to be precise.
The copy I own of this movie is a regular, store bought disc. Rated 15.
Fifteen!? How is it possible for this movie to be rated that low? It would appear to me that the British board of film classification takes some weighted average of "explicit" content when classifying. Sex being weighed more heavily than violence, and much so. There is even an argument as to why, I think this is the case.
Kick-Ass has two particular components of it, that speaks particularly to this point. A 12 year old girl, delivering some exceptional graphical(and awesome) violence and, here's the kicker, burning a human and relatable character alive. This ought to provoke some serious thoughts in most sane adults, not to mention 15 year olds. It isn't even sarcastic in it's portrayal of it, it's downright sadistic.
Now take the other part of the "weighted average", the sex, there is none in the movie discussed. Now think about the following(please follow the argument as expressed, there is a purpose as to why I framed it this way). Had this movie contained a sexual scene with bare breasts, odds are it would have been classified 18, even without the explicit violence.
Doesn't that strike you as odd, consider you are a human? A relationship between two adults by all reason must be more acceptable than, well, purposefully setting people on fire. Right? No, not according to some people.
Sex is wrong and violence is good. This is what, I consider, is being said by the people whom are thinking of the children. Is that really right?
Now before I get trolled to death, I think a few caveats has to be put forth. I am Scandinavian and I grew up in a time where parental discression was exactly that. I have also lived in the UK for several years - and I know there are cultural differences. The classification system itself baffled me at first....
