LVNSD would be much more informative than “Rated R,” or, “PG-13.”
- L - Language
- V - Violence
- N - Nudity
- S - Sex
- D - Drug use
- B - Blasphemy
Let’s include recommended age at the end, so theaters can know whom to exclude (legal reasons):
Family Guy LVNDB-18
Dexter’s Lab V-8
Looney Toons VD-8
Telly Tubbies 0
The problem is you’re counting on the censors to be reasonable, unbiased and even-handed with these judgments. The reality is, they won’t be like that - at least not 100% of the time. They can and will be influenced to slap the label on simply because the powers that be don’t like something, and give “blasphemy” as an excuse. Now, all of a sudden, you have a biased ratings system creating new cultural issues and inflaming tensions that didn’t exist before.
My opinion on this is simple - if you don’t like it, don’t watch it. If you have children and you care about monitoring their media diet, review media first before they consume it. That should be the parents’ call, not outsourced to a ratings/censorship group that can be influenced. If you’re part of a religious group who makes recommendations against certain pieces of media, that’s fine if you want to follow your group, but those classifications should not have any bearing on the rest of society outside of that group. And finally, governments should have no business declaring what is and isn’t blasphemy - everything is blasphemous to someone, and it could never be fully inclusive to all belief systems.
But there is no censorship of media being suggested here.
Simply a warning at the start of the movie to say “If you don’t like that it could be considered blasphemous, then don’t watch it” same for your kids or whatever.
This may seem a bit different, but it’s the only example I can think of to explain my view. I’m into True Crime podcasts, but often, if the podcast includes crimes against children, there will be special warnings ahead of every episode. Simply because it upsets a lot of people and they don’t want to hear it.
I hold the view that wether you agree or not with another persons views, there is no need to be offensive.
Adding a letter in front of a movie that says “this may be offensive to anyone with the well known religious beliefs” hurts nobody.