NEW YORK (May 11, 2007) – Robert Peters, President of Morality in Media, had the following comments regarding yesterday’s announcement by the MPAA that depictions of “glamorized” smoking can now lead to an R-rating.
“The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) is to be credited for adding ‘pervasive’ or ‘glamorized’ smoking to its list of depicted behaviors that can lead to an ‘R-rating.’
“Presumably, the underlying assumption for including ‘glamorized’ smoking is that kids can be and are adversely impacted by exposure to such depictions. Common sense tells us as much, and social science research supports common sense.
“Presumably, therefore, kids can be and are also adversely impacted by exposure to ‘glamorized’ depictions of sexual promiscuity and criminal violence. Common sense tells us as much, and social science research again supports common sense.
“To my knowledge, however, the MPAA neither warns parents about ‘glamorized’ promiscuity and violence nor takes ‘glamorization’ of such content into consideration when rating a movie.
“Why, we might ask, the disparate treatment?
“The loss of human life as a result of smoking is a tragedy of great proportions, but the loss of human life as a result of abortions and sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS, and as a result of criminal violence are also tragedies of great proportions.
“Furthermore, strand by strand, sexual promiscuity and criminal violence are contributing to the unraveling of our nation’s social fabric.
“There is also a saying, ‘Fear not them which kill the body…but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’”
