2008 Woodie Awards
Should age restrictions be enforced?
Jennifer Horton
Staff Writer
Issue date: 2/25/08 Section: Opinion
As you get older, it seems each birthday marks a milestone of finally being allowed to do that which was previously forbidden. When you turn 17, you can legally see an R-rated movie; at 19 you can buy cigarettes; at 21 you can buy alcohol; and at 25 you can rent a car (which is not that thrilling but worth mentioning, as it pretty much goes downhill after that). I understand the government is merely trying to guide us and help us grow up to be decent, responsible adults.
I thought that was what we had parents for.
When I was in the 9th grade, "Varsity Blues" was the movie to see. All the girls were pining away for the guy from "Dawson's Creek," and the guys were pumped for a movie combining football and hot girls.
However, getting in to see the movie proved to be a challenge. It had been deemed by the Motion Picture Association of America to be unsuitable for our pure, innocent minds to contemplate.
So, of course, we snuck in. I was petrified the entire time I stood in line. I could see police being called, being expelled from school, my whole life ruined because I wanted to see a cute guy in tight football pants. My friends and I got up to the ticket window, and the guy working there gave us a skeptical look but let us in anyway.
The sad part about it is that while I had to deceive the movie theater, my parents knew exactly where I was and what I was doing. They had no problem with me seeing an R-rated film. I watched them all the time and was still a pretty normal, non-deviant teenager. Theirs should have been the only approval I needed for how I spent my Friday night. However, the government seems to feel our parents need help raising us, and they are more than willing to fill the position.
Video games, music and television shows have become very popular targets as well. Video games are constantly berated for desensitizing its players and making them more prone to violent behavior, so the gaming industry is policed and retailers chastised for carrying the titles. Musicians are criticized if their lyrics don't seem to conform to the ideas that the government feels are appropriate.Certain bands are banned from cities because the local government wants to make sure our morals are not compromised. Live television is becoming more and more a rarity, as the networks shudder in fear at the prospect of a "wardrobe malfunction" or an obscenity being uttered which will be followed by massive fines and penalties. Do we really think that seeing Janet Jackson's breast is going to be the downfall of our entire society?
I thought that was what we had parents for.
When I was in the 9th grade, "Varsity Blues" was the movie to see. All the girls were pining away for the guy from "Dawson's Creek," and the guys were pumped for a movie combining football and hot girls.
However, getting in to see the movie proved to be a challenge. It had been deemed by the Motion Picture Association of America to be unsuitable for our pure, innocent minds to contemplate.
So, of course, we snuck in. I was petrified the entire time I stood in line. I could see police being called, being expelled from school, my whole life ruined because I wanted to see a cute guy in tight football pants. My friends and I got up to the ticket window, and the guy working there gave us a skeptical look but let us in anyway.
The sad part about it is that while I had to deceive the movie theater, my parents knew exactly where I was and what I was doing. They had no problem with me seeing an R-rated film. I watched them all the time and was still a pretty normal, non-deviant teenager. Theirs should have been the only approval I needed for how I spent my Friday night. However, the government seems to feel our parents need help raising us, and they are more than willing to fill the position.
Video games, music and television shows have become very popular targets as well. Video games are constantly berated for desensitizing its players and making them more prone to violent behavior, so the gaming industry is policed and retailers chastised for carrying the titles. Musicians are criticized if their lyrics don't seem to conform to the ideas that the government feels are appropriate.Certain bands are banned from cities because the local government wants to make sure our morals are not compromised. Live television is becoming more and more a rarity, as the networks shudder in fear at the prospect of a "wardrobe malfunction" or an obscenity being uttered which will be followed by massive fines and penalties. Do we really think that seeing Janet Jackson's breast is going to be the downfall of our entire society?
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Dick Hardwood
posted 2/26/08 @ 4:30 PM CST
Fucking idiot.
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