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Opinion: Hollywood Needs to Clean Up Its Language
Filed under: Opinions
The movie may be rated R, but what's the title rated? Illustration: Christopher Healy
I remember a time, not so long ago, when a parent could take a child to the movies and only have to worry about any profanity or objectionable material in the film they were actually going to see.
Lately, though, a family visit to the multiplex may require a lot of eye-shielding, as you parade your kids past increasingly disturbing imagery on horror movie posters (I would have liked to pixelate most of the posters from the Saw series, for example). And as of this weekend, with the releases of the action comedy Kick-Ass, it's beginning to feel as if we might need a ratings system for the marquees outside the theaters.
Inglorious Basterds was bad enough (was the misspelling supposed to may it okay?), but at least its polysyllabic nature gave budding readers some pause before they started sounding it out. Kick-Ass, on the other hand, is Profanity 101. Even my preschooler stands a shot at working that one out phonetically. Making matters worse is the fact that the Kick-Ass characters are superheroes -- you've got colorful costumes with masks and capes right there on the poster, begging little kids to look their way.
Of course, kids don't even have to be literate to hear the name of the movie spoken aloud during its TV ads. But I'm not naïve enough to think that a Kick-Ass trailer is the only place on television for kids to hear the old A-word. Or the B-word. Or the other B-word. Or the D-word (and I'm not talking about "damn").
It never bothered me in the slightest to hear mild swear words on Saturday Night Live or used by late-night comics like Jon Stewart, but this salty verbiage has been creeping earlier and earlier into prime time. Sure, there are some shows that just aren't intended for kids, like the NBC drama Trauma, which recently used a formerly forbidden term for male anatomy. But there are others that will have kids in their audiences -- and still don't watch their language. Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution revolves around children, but its star is a little too free with the cursing (even if his accent makes it sound endearing). And young viewers are definitely attracted to reality shows, but I don't believe you can watch an episode of any without hearing one contestant refer to another with, shall we say, colorful language. I think there's a direct correlation between the loosening of those television standards and the fact that we now have the word "ass" emblazoned across the front of movie theaters in giant red letters.
I don't consider myself a prude by any stretch. I'm just a parent hoping to keep his kids innocent (i.e., hold off the inevitable) for as long as possible. My simple request to the film industry: Can we please keep the R-rated stuff in the R-rated movies?
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
4-19-2010 @ 9:58PM
Lauren said...It's not that hard to check the ratings of a movie. Get over yourself, if you don't want your child to see a particular movie, don't take them. Oh, and a little profanity isn't going to ruin the world. Your kid's not going to turn into a bad kid because of a few bad words.
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4-20-2010 @ 4:26PM
quinana2001 said...They may not turn into bad people, but foul language has become entirely too common in our society. Swearing used to be the language of fools and the uneducated! In place of intellectual debate, we teach our kids to spit out these filthy words and belittle each other to prove a point. And we wonder why they grow up to become rude and disrespectful- all under the impression that swearing is "their first amendment right of free expression." I commend this parent for going against the grain and wanting to limit children to boundaries that are suitable for their age. More parents should take note.
4-19-2010 @ 10:33PM
Frank said...This is silliness. Hollywood is now supposed to censor words YOU find offensive from titles of films? I don't consider "Ass" an expletive, neither do most people I know. If you don't like your kid saying it, correct them when/if you hear them uttering it. Be a parent and don't rely on society to conform to your standards of politeness.
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4-19-2010 @ 10:49PM
Adrianna said...Honestly, I agree with you wholeheartedly.
I'm 18 years old, and I shudder when I hear curse words. It's absolutely appalling that this movie appeals to children, and is fraught with words that children should never be exposed to.
I can call myself a prude, in that level.
And I'm proud to say that.
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4-20-2010 @ 2:36PM
carl said...and lets censor religion ,I can stand the thought of what children think when they see that "corpse on a cross" it's gross and advocates tourture and death !
4-19-2010 @ 11:48PM
ninjalurk said...This is retarded. Seriously. Not only are you contributing to the further sanitation of our society, furthering it into a sector of faux innocence, but you're suggesting that our first amendment rights should also be even more choked off than what they are.
Look around at other countries whose censorship is less strict than ours. Not only are their children smarter than us, but their societies as a whole are happier.
It's a parent's job to keep things they don't want their children to see away from them. Yeah, it's a little more difficult, but if it's really that hard, then maybe ease up a bit. Profanity, nudity, sex, all of it isn't going to hurt your kid. It's crap he/she's going to learn on their own anyways, LONG before you approve or even know. Instead of trying to shield them from what they'll stumble onto themselves, maybe introduce it in a way where they'll at least understand it in a responsible way.
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4-20-2010 @ 12:35PM
anon said...But the best you can come up with is "retarded". Nice. You're so educated.
6-20-2010 @ 5:24AM
Dorothy said...It isn't the film industry's place to keep your child from seeing profanity, nor that of the prime time television. If you are so worried about what your child sees in theater and on television try being a parent instead of letting the television do it. All you should have to do is let the child know that you think that kind of language is inappropriate. If you are gonna blame anyone blame yourself. My 3 year old son does watch films with some less than pleasant language, yes, but he does know what his mother will and will not tolerate. Children need to know that the TV doesn't make it ok, their parents do. You need to man up and take some responsibility. KICK-ASS should not have to change it's name because you are afraid you can't keep your child in line. That is flirting with freedom of expression. They have the right to put what ever they want on the screen you have the right to tell your child "No." or "That is not acceptable language for a child." or even "We don't talk like that." and if you enforce it, it will work.
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4-20-2010 @ 5:17PM
momof2teens said...I completely agree with Christopher! It's really tough out here for parents of teens and tweens. Have started using the website commonsensemedia to get detailed movie and book reviews.
I hope Hollywood is listening. Don't even think about watching TV with your family past 9pm! The commercials and/or previews will get you if the show doesn't.
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4-20-2010 @ 6:48PM
JoeH said...Wow, sounds like some of you read a different article. Where did the writer say he thought bad words were going to turn his kids into bad people? Where did he say he lets the TV babysit his kids? Where did he say he wants to censor the movie? What he said is that he doesn't like the fact that there's profanity in a movie's title. And I happen to agree. Because if I'm taking my kid to a G rated movie, I shouldn't have to worry about them seeing the profanity from an R rated movie that I'd never take them to see. It's a valid point. I don't know what people are getting so upset about.
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