america vs the world...
So I made this entry earlier about ratings on fanfiction, and tvm made an incredibly good point. It's one I agree with, but I wasn't thinking of it at the time, or I would have made this post to begin with. LOL.I think I finally settled on "If There's no violence but they go all the way it's NC-17, and if there's violence but barely any actual penetrating sex? Then it's R.
Y'see, as an Australian, I think that RIGHT THERE is what's fucked up w/ the world. Where SEX gets a higher/more adult rating than VIOLENCE.
Honestly, my mind freaking BOGGLES at how/why this is logical. I fully believe by doing this we're teaching the younger generations that violence is more acceptable and less of a taboo than sex is.
And that is just so beyond fucked up I can't even. *hands*
But she's totally right. If I'm going to rate a fanfic nc17 for violence, it's gonna have to be really, really, really violent. So violent, in fact, that I've never ever done that. I've never rated a fic nc17 for it's violence. On the other hand, I'm very quick to rate a sexual fic nc17. Probably too quick sometimes, as most of my nc17 is very mild compared to a lot of other people's nc17 fics. But do you know why I think that is? Cause I'm American.
Now, we're not burka-wearing can't-show-any-skin uptight about sex, but seriously. Our attitude about sex is very very uptight compared to most other cultures. Specifically I'm thinking about European, British, Australian.
If you've never watched television shows that aren't American made, you might not be as aware of that (and actually, American television shows have been relaxing about their up-tightness about sex ever since Sex in the City made such a splash). See, in America, it's very much Sex Behind Closed Doors. You don't talk about it with anyone (though we do, in private), and you don't talk about it with your parents (except, uh, I do, because my Dad was explaining to me what Playboy was from the time I was 7), and you don't tell saucy jokes in mixed company (which yeah, again, do, lol). I guess my point is, that's how it's supposed to go. You whisper about sex in America, and if you don't you're a hussy, or a slut, or crass, or unladylike, or any other number of things. Same thing for guys, though, not hussy or slut or unladylike cause you're a dude, but crass and rude and incredibly unrefined.
Then again? I've never been one for rules. I'm very much not uptight, and I'm pretty sure that has a lot to do with my Dad. I mean, do I think that little kids should be hearing the word cock and seeing sex on television and all of that? No. I AM uptight about that, because that's incredibly inappropriate. But do I think that two mature adults shouldn't be allowed to discuss their sexual preferences, likes or dislikes, etc, without being thought "dirty"? Dude. Are you crazy?
That's retarded. Sex is a natural thing. I mean, hello, God created holes (be it vaginal or anal, whatever you want to take that as) for penises to go into, and he made it PLEASURABLE for us. Why would he do that if it was supposed to be considered wrong and taboo? Me and my best friend Amy talk about this shit ALL THE TIME. Me and spookyville. Me and my PARENTS. Hell, dude, my Dad makes jokes at me about my Mom not putting out when she's going through menopause, if I'm okay with that, why am I not gonna be okay with other shit?
Hell man, I made a post not that long about about masturbation, and how everyone does it and if they say they don't, they're LYING.
But ya know, even though we all do it, and even though we all probably have someone we talk about it to, we still know it's Taboo and Dirty. You don't talk about it. If a girl says dick or cock or talks about sex, she's considered trashy. It's somewhat the same for a dude as it is for a girl, but to a much lesser degree. But double standards are a discussion for another day. LOL.
Rent ANY British television series from your library. Coupling is what made me so hyper aware of it. They talk about sex very very easily. I mean, like, saying "so I had the best orgasm last night" is as easily said as "pass the bread" in that show. Now, I don't know if it's like that IN Britain, I've never been there, but I do know that those Brits I have on my f'list and have talked to on IM have never seemed the slightest bit shy about sex (hi, have you met mskatej? lol).
Which seems very weird, because we somehow see British people as Very Uptight and Stiff Upper Lipped and Stick Up Their Ass. (Not me, America. That's the general stereotype is what I'm saying). But my question is why? Sure, British people are known for being very... I don't know. Held in check? They don't talk about emotions, don't show them. That's the stereotype anyway. But if you want to talk about uptight, we need to look at ourselves a LOT closer.
Hell, dude, look at our attitude towards sexual education? Kids aren't learning it in any kind of proper fashion in America. Yeah, yeah, there's that one class you're forced to take about "Suzie gets her period" or whateverthefuck, but we need more than that. There should be more classes about it. It shouldn't be so fucking taboo, because that? Is WHY there's so much teen pregnancy and so many abortions and so much of all that other bullshit. Because when you make something taboo, you make it exciting, and you make it impossible for someone who is confused or ignorant to feel comfortable enough to talk to anyone about it. I'm very lucky in that my Dad's not uptight (mom on the other hand? is. lol) and I was always able to talk to him about anything. But generally, kids learn about sex by 1) talking to their other friends who know equally as little about sex as they to, or 2) by DOING.
But no. We don't want to offer condoms in high school, because if they SEE the condom, they're gonna USE the condom. Don't even get me started and on the retardedness of that sentiment.
Plus, then you have the whole gay thing. Which I think it's probably fair to say that America is the most uptight about that. I don't know about third world countries, but Europe? So not concerned. Again, I guess I really can't comment that much, because I've never actually been there, but the impression that I get is pretty much anywhere else in the world, sex is as you see fit. Sex is for your pleasure. And if you want men or women in your bed, that's YOUR deal. It's not looked down upon. (Again, could be wrong, that's just the impression I get)
I guess it all comes back to the fact that we were settled by Puritans. LOL.
So even though I'm less uptight than America would have me be (as is true for most people my age, as opposed to people our parents and grand parents' age), I'm still probably MORE uptight than most other people from other countries who are less uptight. So when I write a story that's even SLIGHTLY explicit about the sex, I'll label that sucker nc17 VERY quickly.
But violence? Nah. LOL. America, you silly, backwards bitch.
And then I have some more stuff to say about ratings:
So America's rating sy stem is G, PG, PG13, R, & NC17. It's confusing. The lines are blurry. It's a little hard to make a clearcut line between G and PG and between R and NC17. Hell, sometimes it's even hard to distinguish between PG13 and R. And it all kind of depends on what you decide is more taboo than other things. Violence? Cursing? Sex? It's really a lot more subjective than it should be.
When the MPAA made a stink about fanfiction using their ratings system, fanfic writers came up with a new system, and I think it's better than the regular (g-nc17) system. (I still use the g-nc17 system cause I'm a traditionalist, I haven't memorized the fan system, and also, I'm just fucking used to it, lol)
FRC - Fan Rated Suitable For Children
FRT - Fan Rated Suitable For Teenagers
FRM - Fan Rated Suitable For Mature Persons
FRAO - Fan Rated Suitable For Adults Only
P - Profanity
SC - Sexual Content
V - Violence
GV - Graphic Violence
(thanks to synful_trixx for laying it all out for me in response to tvm in that other post)
This system seems a little bit better at outlining what a fic is and why it is that way. Like for instance, I'd label my latest fic as such:Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Title: Crooked Little Mouth
Rated: FRM (SC, P)
Characters: Lorne/McKay, Sheppard
My problem with this system? If you don't know what it means, you have no fucking CLUE what it means. LOL. I mean, FRM? What's that mean? I guess you could rate it "mature" but... My problem is with the acronyms, and how they don't necessarily mean anything to me unless I'm looking right at the key code. Of course, the same was likely said for the G-NC17 system when it first came out, but that's been around since I was born so I'm used to thinking with that line of reasoning.
The British system (I think it's the British system, I mostly notice British people using it) I think makes the most sense to me, because they use Ages instead of acronyms or whatever.
They'll rate something at 13 for what we'd refer to as PG13, 15 for what we'd probably refer to as R, and 18 for what we'd refer to as NC17.
That just makes more sense in my head, and also, it seems to make the lines a little clearer. I think I'd have less problems decided whether something should be read by a fifteen year old or an eighteen ye ar old than I would deciding whether or not it should be rated R or NC17.
Or we could just eschew this whole thing and go "Rated: HOT BUTT SEX!" "Rated: CURSING BUT NO PENETRATION!" "Rated: TOTALLY COOL FOR KIDS!" LOL. I dunno.
Y'see, as an Australian, I think that RIGHT THERE is what's fucked up w/ the world. Where SEX gets a higher/more adult rating than VIOLENCE.
Honestly, my mind freaking BOGGLES at how/why this is logical. I fully believe by doing this we're teaching the younger generations that violence is more acceptable and less of a taboo than sex is.
And that is just so beyond fucked up I can't even. *hands*
But she's totally right. If I'm going to rate a fanfic nc17 for violence, it's gonna have to be really, really, really violent. So violent, in fact, that I've never ever done that. I've never rated a fic nc17 for it's violence. On the other hand, I'm very quick to rate a sexual fic nc17. Probably too quick sometimes, as most of my nc17 is very mild compared to a lot of other people's nc17 fics. But do you know why I think that is? Cause I'm American.
Now, we're not burka-wearing can't-show-any-skin uptight about sex, but seriously. Our attitude about sex is very very uptight compared to most other cultures. Specifically I'm thinking about European, British, Australian.
If you've never watched television shows that aren't American made, you might not be as aware of that (and actually, American television shows have been relaxing about their up-tightness about sex ever since Sex in the City made such a splash). See, in America, it's very much Sex Behind Closed Doors. You don't talk about it with anyone (though we do, in private), and you don't talk about it with your parents (except, uh, I do, because my Dad was explaining to me what Playboy was from the time I was 7), and you don't tell saucy jokes in mixed company (which yeah, again, do, lol). I guess my point is, that's how it's supposed to go. You whisper about sex in America, and if you don't you're a hussy, or a slut, or crass, or unladylike, or any other number of things. Same thing for guys, though, not hussy or slut or unladylike cause you're a dude, but crass and rude and incredibly unrefined.
Then again? I've never been one for rules. I'm very much not uptight, and I'm pretty sure that has a lot to do with my Dad. I mean, do I think that little kids should be hearing the word cock and seeing sex on television and all of that? No. I AM uptight about that, because that's incredibly inappropriate. But do I think that two mature adults shouldn't be allowed to discuss their sexual preferences, likes or dislikes, etc, without being thought "dirty"? Dude. Are you crazy?
That's retarded. Sex is a natural thing. I mean, hello, God created holes (be it vaginal or anal, whatever you want to take that as) for penises to go into, and he made it PLEASURABLE for us. Why would he do that if it was supposed to be considered wrong and taboo? Me and my best friend Amy talk about this shit ALL THE TIME. Me and spookyville. Me and my PARENTS. Hell, dude, my Dad makes jokes at me about my Mom not putting out when she's going through menopause, if I'm okay with that, why am I not gonna be okay with other shit?
Hell man, I made a post not that long about about masturbation, and how everyone does it and if they say they don't, they're LYING.
But ya know, even though we all do it, and even though we all probably have someone we talk about it to, we still know it's Taboo and Dirty. You don't talk about it. If a girl says dick or cock or talks about sex, she's considered trashy. It's somewhat the same for a dude as it is for a girl, but to a much lesser degree. But double standards are a discussion for another day. LOL.
Rent ANY British television series from your library. Coupling is what made me so hyper aware of it. They talk about sex very very easily. I mean, like, saying "so I had the best orgasm last night" is as easily said as "pass the bread" in that show. Now, I don't know if it's like that IN Britain, I've never been there, but I do know that those Brits I have on my f'list and have talked to on IM have never seemed the slightest bit shy about sex (hi, have you met mskatej? lol).
Which seems very weird, because we somehow see British people as Very Uptight and Stiff Upper Lipped and Stick Up Their Ass. (Not me, America. That's the general stereotype is what I'm saying). But my question is why? Sure, British people are known for being very... I don't know. Held in check? They don't talk about emotions, don't show them. That's the stereotype anyway. But if you want to talk about uptight, we need to look at ourselves a LOT closer.
Hell, dude, look at our attitude towards sexual education? Kids aren't learning it in any kind of proper fashion in America. Yeah, yeah, there's that one class you're forced to take about "Suzie gets her period" or whateverthefuck, but we need more than that. There should be more classes about it. It shouldn't be so fucking taboo, because that? Is WHY there's so much teen pregnancy and so many abortions and so much of all that other bullshit. Because when you make something taboo, you make it exciting, and you make it impossible for someone who is confused or ignorant to feel comfortable enough to talk to anyone about it. I'm very lucky in that my Dad's not uptight (mom on the other hand? is. lol) and I was always able to talk to him about anything. But generally, kids learn about sex by 1) talking to their other friends who know equally as little about sex as they to, or 2) by DOING.
But no. We don't want to offer condoms in high school, because if they SEE the condom, they're gonna USE the condom. Don't even get me started and on the retardedness of that sentiment.
Plus, then you have the whole gay thing. Which I think it's probably fair to say that America is the most uptight about that. I don't know about third world countries, but Europe? So not concerned. Again, I guess I really can't comment that much, because I've never actually been there, but the impression that I get is pretty much anywhere else in the world, sex is as you see fit. Sex is for your pleasure. And if you want men or women in your bed, that's YOUR deal. It's not looked down upon. (Again, could be wrong, that's just the impression I get)
I guess it all comes back to the fact that we were settled by Puritans. LOL.
So even though I'm less uptight than America would have me be (as is true for most people my age, as opposed to people our parents and grand parents' age), I'm still probably MORE uptight than most other people from other countries who are less uptight. So when I write a story that's even SLIGHTLY explicit about the sex, I'll label that sucker nc17 VERY quickly.
But violence? Nah. LOL. America, you silly, backwards bitch.
And then I have some more stuff to say about ratings:
So America's rating sy stem is G, PG, PG13, R, & NC17. It's confusing. The lines are blurry. It's a little hard to make a clearcut line between G and PG and between R and NC17. Hell, sometimes it's even hard to distinguish between PG13 and R. And it all kind of depends on what you decide is more taboo than other things. Violence? Cursing? Sex? It's really a lot more subjective than it should be.
When the MPAA made a stink about fanfiction using their ratings system, fanfic writers came up with a new system, and I think it's better than the regular (g-nc17) system. (I still use the g-nc17 system cause I'm a traditionalist, I haven't memorized the fan system, and also, I'm just fucking used to it, lol)
FRC - Fan Rated Suitable For Children
FRT - Fan Rated Suitable For Teenagers
FRM - Fan Rated Suitable For Mature Persons
FRAO - Fan Rated Suitable For Adults Only
P - Profanity
SC - Sexual Content
V - Violence
GV - Graphic Violence
(thanks to synful_trixx for laying it all out for me in response to tvm in that other post)
This system seems a little bit better at outlining what a fic is and why it is that way. Like for instance, I'd label my latest fic as such:Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Title: Crooked Little Mouth
Rated: FRM (SC, P)
Characters: Lorne/McKay, Sheppard
My problem with this system? If you don't know what it means, you have no fucking CLUE what it means. LOL. I mean, FRM? What's that mean? I guess you could rate it "mature" but... My problem is with the acronyms, and how they don't necessarily mean anything to me unless I'm looking right at the key code. Of course, the same was likely said for the G-NC17 system when it first came out, but that's been around since I was born so I'm used to thinking with that line of reasoning.
The British system (I think it's the British system, I mostly notice British people using it) I think makes the most sense to me, because they use Ages instead of acronyms or whatever.
They'll rate something at 13 for what we'd refer to as PG13, 15 for what we'd probably refer to as R, and 18 for what we'd refer to as NC17.
That just makes more sense in my head, and also, it seems to make the lines a little clearer. I think I'd have less problems decided whether something should be read by a fifteen year old or an eighteen ye ar old than I would deciding whether or not it should be rated R or NC17.
Or we could just eschew this whole thing and go "Rated: HOT BUTT SEX!" "Rated: CURSING BUT NO PENETRATION!" "Rated: TOTALLY COOL FOR KIDS!" LOL. I dunno.