Nudity vs. Violence

[Boozy]

American "morality" confuses me, especially their reactions to television content.
There are lots of shows that depict some of the most horrific acts of man's inhumanity to man - murder, torture, rape - and no one says anything. These, in fact, are immensely popular shows, ie "24".
Then a TV show will include a love-making scene and air it before 9 pm, and people are up in arms. (I can almost hear Mrs. Lovejoy's voice - THINK OF THE CHILDREN!)
Or Janet Jackson's boob. A part of the female anatomy that is used to nourish children. And people think their kids are scarred by seeing this.
So the message is this: Your body is shameful. Making love is evil. Murder, violence, and torture is fun and makes for great entertainment.
Europe has a better idea. Nudity is okay. Cursing is okay. These things don't hurt anybody. But if you show the same kind of twisted violence as you see on American TV, then people get mad.

[protege]

I could never figure out that one either. I still don't know what the big deal was when Janet Jackson's boobie made itself known. Hell, there's *worse* stuff aired on the 6pm news every night and printed in the newspaper every morning!

I have a feeling that those who are so uptight about sex are either:

1. Not getting any themselves, or
2. Awful at it.

If either one of those is true, it's no wonder they're trying to make people feel ashamed over it. As long as it's between two consenting adults, who cares?

[MadMike]

"Remember what the MPAA says: Horrific, deplorable violence is OK, as long as they don't use any naughty language!"

Seriously, I think seeing a body in its natural state would do far less damage to a child than seeing a body hacked to pieces.

I've seen quite a few violent movies that they showed on regular TV, where they edited out all the bad language, and any nudity, but left all the violence intact.

Talk about having priorities out of whack.

[AFPheonix]

Oh, totally. Have you seen the edited Robocop? They change "bastard" to "blaggard", but leave in the part where Murphy gets the living crap shot out of him.

Jeebus, we live in a weird country.

[Dreamstalker]

Seriously, they edited out "bastard"? That sounds like my grandmother, to her "hell" is the worst thing anyone could ever say.

[rahmota]

Well since I came back into this late all I have to say is ditto. This is one messed up and confused country. The phrase mixed messages should be a part of our national anthem.

[AFPheonix]

Oh yes. I'm trying to remember some of the other unintentionally hilarious dubs. I imagine it'll come around again on bad Saturday morning movie specials on one of the networks eventually.

[HYHYBT]

Sorry to come in late, but it could be a matter of convenience. Even young children understande the concept of violence, but sex is something parents might have to explain (and might not even be *able* to explain).

[protege]

Oh yes. I'm trying to remember some of the other unintentionally hilarious dubs. I imagine it'll come around again on bad Saturday morning movie specials on one of the networks eventually.

The best one is in the 3rd Die Hard flick...when Samuel L Jackson calls Bruce Willis a "racist melon farmer" instead of a "mother fucker." I thought that one was freaking hilarious :D

[AFPheonix]

Oh god, that IS funny!

So what did they do for the yippy kay-yay motherfucker part?

[MadMike]

Sorry to come in late, but it could be a matter of convenience. Even young children understande the concept of violence, but sex is something parents might have to explain (and might not even be *able* to explain).

Understood, and I've often wondered myself how I would have explained it if my son had accidentally seen a sex scene when he was little. Like you said, they can understand someone beating someone else up, but they can't understand what "that man is doing to that woman."

However, I think we're talking about simple nudity here, not really sex. A child can easily understand "s/he isn't wearing any clothes!" Although if the child doesn't have a sibling of the opposite sex, he or she might wonder why the person on the screen doesn't have the same parts as the child does. ;)

[Lace Neil Singer]

Oh yes. I'm trying to remember some of the other unintentionally hilarious dubs. I imagine it'll come around again on bad Saturday morning movie specials on one of the networks eventually.

Think the best one I heard was "mother funster"... wtf? :p Or "melon farmer"; since when was that an insult? XD

As for nudity and violence; don't think kids should be exposed to either very early in childhood, if only to stop embarrassment to their parents when one pipes up during Sunday lunch with the grandparents to ask "Mummy, what's a penis?" XD

[AFPheonix]

We were watching Young Guns this weekend while we were down at a horse show. There was one part where Emilio Estevez said "Kiss my ass!" and they edited it to "Kiss my hand!" :p

[ArenaBoy]

Nudity I'm okay with as a human body is more natural and a thing you're going to see at one point in your life. The chance of someone seeing an actual fight scene involving motorcycles and a baguette? Zero. I do draw a line for nudity though, there's nothing wrong with seeing a naked body but we shouldn't be showing hardcore wild raving sex on TV either. The last thing parents want to hear is "daddy, how do you *insert any position*?

By the way, take a look at 70s and early 80s movies, there was so much nudity in some of them it's not even funny.

[Will-Mun]

Europe has a better idea. Nudity is okay. Cursing is okay. These things don't hurt anybody. But if you show the same kind of twisted violence as you see on American TV, then people get mad.

Thats where I disagree with you... Europe doesn't have the better idea, they have the same idea in reverse. Getting up in arms over digital, fictional material is asinine in my opinion.

I suggest everyone here check out the movie "This Film Not Yet Rated" its an awesome film on the American movie ratings board. It's actually kind of disturbing how hypocritical and dominating the Ratings Board is.

Making restrictions on digital media is just stupid, and removes the choice from the person who may want to watch it. What we truly need is a comprehensive SUGGESTIVE rating system that leaves the responsibility with the person or parent...

And above all else... If you don't like what you're watching? CHANGE THE FUCKING CHANNEL! :D

[rahmota]

Exactly. But that would mean people would have to think for themselves and take personal responsibility for their lives. Gasp something dangerous in amerika today.

Be dangerous think for your self!

[protege]

And above all else... If you don't like what you're watching? CHANGE THE FUCKING CHANNEL! :D

But, as we all know...if it makes sense, it's not allowed.

Some of you might remember me saying something about what one of our county commissioners wanted to do. For those who don't, this idiot wanted to outright force the cable company to ban any and all "objectionable" (read: porno) service in his district. Now I don't know about you folks...but if someone's going to tell me what I can and can't watch in my own house, that just pisses me off. Just because the service is there, doesn't mean you have to order or watch it! Change the damn channel! The entire local voting populace was pissed. Needless to say, after that fiasco, he wasn't in office much longer--voters decided on "home rule" and threw out all 3 commissioners.

Somewhat along those lines, if you've seen the additional footage for the South Park movie, it explains that the creators were trying to push the envelope for an R or NC-17 rating. Each time they were denied, the movie kept getting more raunchy :)

[Will-Mun]

Somewhat along those lines, if you've seen the additional footage for the South Park movie, it explains that the creators were trying to push the envelope for an R or NC-17 rating. Each time they were denied, the movie kept getting more raunchy :)

Well, yes and no. What happened was that they send it in and it came back NC-17. Completely shocked, Matt and Trey say "Well, what can we change?" They were told (and if you saw 'This Film Not Yet Rayed' you know that the MPAA tells small films nothing, and gives a LIST of what to change to big production company movies...) that the sex scene needed to be shortened, and the woman couldn't be on top, missionary or whatever only...

So, guffawing at the idiots not realizing that these were... duh... DOLLS, the joke being that this is what kids do with Ken and Barbie... They added the most RAUNCHY things they could conceivably do with the puppets and sent it back...


Seriously.... 'This Film Not Yet Rated.' Watch it, be amazed at the inept underhanded unfair MPPA...


*Edit* Unless of course you're talking about the actual South Park movie; Bigger Longer and Uncut... As oppose to just the South Park Guy's movie Team America... Then I have no idea... I was talking about Team America... Oops? :(

[protege]

*Edit* Unless of course you're talking about the actual South Park movie; Bigger Longer and Uncut...

Oops. I was referring to Bigger, Longer, and Uncut. My bad :)

[Will-Mun]

No need to apologize. You said "the South Park movie" of which there is only one. I just for some reason automatically set on Team America, probably because the stories are so similar.

I didn't know they did that with BL&U. I find it funny that they pushed the limit for BLU for shits and giggles, and for Team America they were so aghast that the MPAA DID give them an NC-17 over "puppets fucking", they upped the nastiness just to screw with them. :D


Seriously, you should see some of the stuff they added to the scene...

[Spaniard]

Making restrictions on digital media is just stupid, and removes the choice from the person who may want to watch it. What we truly need is a comprehensive SUGGESTIVE rating system that leaves the responsibility with the person or parent...

And above all else... If you don't like what you're watching? CHANGE THE FUCKING CHANNEL! :D


That's what we have here in Australia... To a point. Obviously a child who is under 15, can't buy an M rated game or movie, and sometimes, if you buy an R-18 rated movie here, (in a department store - so it'd likely be more violent then overtly sexual in nature) then you may get carded if you look possibly too young.

(One gripe I do have is that we have no R18 adult rating for games, since they are only for kids apparently. Despite the average gamer being between 16 and 35.
But that's a rant for another time.)

As for the violence vs nudity thing... If that's how Europe does it, to me that does seem better. After all, the human body is a natural thing.


And I think children, though not exactly understanding at whatever age, do have a rough idea of the difference... After all, they have parents who kiss and cuddle. And they have the whole 'Ew... Boy/girl germs!' game.. So they do know there is a difference, even when they are young. Even though they may not fully get it.


As for children seeing a sex scene... Yeah, that I can understand people not wanting to happen. However, it's not really as bad as seeing a person shot over and over, or beaten up really roughly or *insert example here*.

Sadly though, due to all the overexposure to violence on tv, it seems to have become the norm to accept it, even if it is logically more harmful.