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Page 4 ? June 20, 1984 Opinion _ THE GAMECOSK^tt, Film Rating Code fails in purpose This summer's release of the film "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" has rekindled debate over the Motion Picture Association of America's rating system. At the heart of the concern is the worthlessness of the system to provide parents with a guide to films suitable for children. Certainlv the only rating with any practical relevance is X. The exact guidelines used in assigning a rating have never been disclosed, but everything seems to suggest offensive language and sex are the prime bugaboos, the apparent presumption being that an excess of one is equivalent to an excess of the other. How the MPAA works violence into the equation leading to a film's rating is anybody's guess. But to have a movie such as "Indiana Jones," containing a scene depicting a man's heart being torn out, and "E. T." both rated PG is a patent absurdity. However one feels about "Indiana Jones," many younger viewers, their parents led by advance publicity into believing that the film is just a simple updating of the old adventure movie genre of the 30s and 40s, may not be prepared for the brutal savagery of such scenes. But simply expanding the range of categories, as many are suggesting, is unlikely to work to anyone's satisfaction either. In the first six years the system was in effect. 20 oercent of the nearlv 3,000 films rated were G. PG was given to 38 percent, R to 37 and X to 5. G, of course, was intended to denote films suitable for general audiences and encompassed a variety of excellent films appealing to a broad spectrum of ages and tastes. It wasn't long, however, before G became known as the Disney label, and any film bearing it stood \itt\e, if any, chance of box office success. PG, R and X were regarded by the public not so much as advisory cautions, but as coded messages for the adult audience: "Don't worry folks, this is stronger stuff than 'Bambi.'" DrArln/?A?T ,, ,? ~ * ? 1 " ? iuuuv.wis, warning 10 maKc a ieasonat)le profit, avoided a G rating like the plague, carefully sprinkling in a few profanities here, a bare buttocks in a shower scene there, in order to save their films from the tepid curse of a G rating. A new rating, occupying a position between G and PG, might encompass a film like "The Natural" and rescue a masterpiece like "Never Cry Wolf" from the limbo of G, but you can bet the price ot your next movie ticket and a year's supply of popcorn that the last G-rated films would have already been made, and the new rating would begin to suffer the same misguided devaluation. The most workable solution, perhaps, is also the most drastic: label all pictures either PG or X and let the MPAA confine itself to the devising of short, matter-of-fact advisories to accompany ads r* - ' - lor me turns, alerting the audience to any specific extremes of sex, language or violence. Incisive, exciting, realistic ("The Godfather") or fantasy-adventure ("Indiana Jones") films could continue to be made, but films like "The Black Stallion" and "Never Cry Wolf" would escape being lumped unfairly with "Bambi" and stand a better chance of finding an audience and earning a profit. | Gamecock I Editor in Chief Leslie J. Dun son News Editor Marisa Porto Copy Editor Herb Reeves Asst. News Editor Hal Hewell General Manager Ron Emler Entertain. Editor Robert O'Connor Ad Manager Ron Emler Sports Editor Tracy Mixson Business Manager Carolyn Griften I Dateline Editor Margarita Pate Production Mgr Mark McEwan I Photo Editor Drew Pearson Graduate Asst Wanda M. Hite \ uopy tanor Ann harmer Adviser Mark Ethridge Jr. Newsroom 777 7181 Advertising 777 4249 Business Office 777 3888 Production 777 2833 The Gamecock welcomes letters and guest editorials. All letters and guest editorials must be typewritten, triple spaced on a 65 space line. ; Letters should be no longer than 300 words and guest editorials should be limited to one newsworthy subject no longer than four typed pages, letters and guest editorials MUST be signed with the writer's name, telephone number, mailing address, class standing or faculty position and major. Pseudonyms are unacceptable, but the writer's name may be withheld upon request if the circumstances warrant. we reserve me rigm to eon guest editorials and letters Address letters and columns to: Opinion Page Editor, Gamecock, Drawer A, (JSC, Columbia, S.C. 29208. i^msmtiFvirF i IWAS SUCCESSFULLY 1NTERCEPTEDA DWYW^ m V*-,V , ,;y JW i. - Censorship "Of Mice and Men," "The Grapes of Wrath," "Secret Life of Walter Mitty," and "Catcher in the Rye" are popular works that are often required reading in English classes. But a recent survey shows that these books, along with dozens of others, are being censored in Ohio and across the countrv. The study done by The People for the American Way shows that in the last three years there were more than 100 documented accounts of censorship in Ohio. The organization surveyed 615 city and county school superintendents throughout Ohio. Two hundred, thirty-seven surveys were returned with 58 school districts reporting censorship attempts within the past three years. some censored works include pictures of nude models in an art draw ing America iea The Soviets have the system down pat with a littlp lifln frr?m th#? Amprioon ...... _ ...... .. -w?|^ * i vtn v i v 4 ktiivi ivuu y^y ^ i doing what it can do to catch up. Persecution in the name of psychiatry name of treatment. A while back a Soviet newscaster refe incursion into Afghanistan as an "iiv guerillas fighting Russian troops as "fre announcer disappeared from the airwav< The Soviets said he was obviously r receiving "treatment" at a mental hospit air now. The treatment can probably be tar ? he hasn't again referred to the A fighters." The Soviet Union has become quite dissidents' mental illnesses. Year in malcontents are sent to the state hospit their deseases. There are two advantages to this mei The persecutor can claim that he U persecuted, and, in labeling the persecut discredits the dissident and his ideology. Last December Andrei Sakharov, the nuclear physicist and human rights cru? smuggled to the West in which he urged to let the Soviets get the nuclear advant< Now the arms race is an issue where hold widely differing opinions. How dii Sakharov's arguments? "A sane man would not say such thin high Soviet official, told the press. He ta indicate mental unbalance and said t "talented but sick man." The Soviets define mental health as munist state. Thus by definition a sar against the communist state and a dissic There are those in the psychiatric comr what the Soviets do is an abuse of their i World F'syciatric Association urged ther of psychiatry. The WPA misses the point. It is not t TTVni tr?i r ir 10, ... I MMQEHIMTZ Jk. Intercampus apparent in book; a textbook describing different arguments about why the war in Vietnam occurred, an excerpt concerning a nursing baby, and the film, "Ordinary People." People for the American Way, founded in 1980, is a non-profit educational organization that works to protect individual rights and freedoms. Founders include writer-producer Nor man Lear and former congresswoman Barbara Jordan. The group was founded to offer an alternative to such highly organized groups as the Moral Majority and Pro i-amny i-orum. People for the American Way, based in Washington D.C., has more than 100,000 members across the country and five regional offices that use the mass media, citizen action and public rnina Soviet . The United States, of psychiatry that i< iiatric*community, is lusion between stat In America we hi Punishment in the Mr. Longstaff imm Now, nineteen yeai rred to his country's vasion" and to the Mr. Longstaff is edom fighters." The Naturalization Serv :s for a while. preferences to imm nentally ill and was not asked if he was :al. He's back on the had a "Psychopath juageu a success so "Unbeknownst t( .fghans as "freedom as saying, "I was ; American laws." adept at treating its Indeed he was. V and year out the discovered some em als to be treated for was labeled based u part, by the social < Homosexuality is thod of persecution- Since the onlv Qvmr? . V "J '"K actually helping the also the disease itsel ed as mentally ill, he ly choose homosexi The implications; Nobel prize-winning a concept that denie sader, had an article tion is wrong and the United States not should be made ill jge. bitrarily to mask pe reasonable men can Psychosis is distil d the Soviets answer psychotic disorders those with neuroses gs," Vitaly Ruben, a Mr. Longstaff is ipped his forehead to about not having he Sakharov was a evidence that Long On the contrary it i loyalty to the com- vice that appears tc le man cannot rebel On whose behal lent cannot be sane. deportation? Lone; ninity who claim that would go into remi: science. Last year the Is his disease cor n to end their misuse Americans that sho he Soviet application |J|^piMChlCai}p'Ilrlbmye,.. N. VT CAN'T ) OK. I Ohio, too education to counter censorship actions. Joyce Garver Keller. Ohio Director of the organization, said "What all these books have in common is that they offer students a chance to learn about new ideas and different viewpoints, and that they encourage studetns to think for themselves. Apparently, that is just what the censors do not want." Keller said her organization's major challenge is educating the,pubIjc.Jhat, ,:}l this kind of censorship is indeed taking place, and is instigated by individuals and small groups which do not represent a majority of the community. She said one way to control censorship is to make the public aware of meetings where the fate of these works are decided. The Latern Ohio State University H psycniatry / ; the problem, it is the very existence of cole and psychiatry that is the abuse. ave the case of Richard Longstaff. In 1965 ligrated to this country from Great Britain. .> IU1V.I , I IV. 1UV.C3 ucpui Itfl IUII . a homosexual, and the Immigration and ice is claiming he lied about his sexual igration officials. But Mr. Longstaff was a homosexual. Instead he was asked if he ic personality." :> me," The New York Times quoted him a psychopathic personality, according to ic was not diagnosed by physicians who pirical disease growing on him. Instead he pon behavior. Mental health is defined, in ind sexual norms. abnormal, therefore it is a mental illness. tom of the disease ic thf? hf?h:?v/ir?r /\?/hir-h ic 0 it is impossible for a sane person to freelality. are enormous. Is American law to sanction s that actions can be freely taken? If an acsociety wishes to punish it, that action egal. It should not resort to labeling ar:rsecution. igushed from neurosis in that people with are unable to function in society where : generally can. accused of lying to immigration officials a psychotic personality. But there is no staff's personality made his life difficult, s the Immigration and Naturalization Ser> have made his life miserable. f are they attempting to carry out this staff's? It is hard to see how his disease ssion by mere change of locale. Society's? itQoiAiicO I f . ii su mere are many nanve uld not be allowed to run free. The Crimson White university of Alabama