As for cursing, it displays the uncouthness and the ignorance of a person.

You asked if I discussed PG-13 movies with my children, and why I was hesitant to discuss “R” movies. I actually said I discussed anything that came up, and I do watch “R” movies.

My family and I have seen commercials for a dozen movies that say (on the commercial) “this film is not yet rated.” Whether or not it is rated when we go see it does not matter, because if it is an action movie, we are already sold on the lack of rating, which to my boys and me means gratuitous violence.

As you can see by the last paragraph, the rating does matter. And as you’ve noticed their lack of profitability, people don’t care about someone’s “realistic,” artsy fartsy depiction of sex and violence. Part (the most important part) of being a good writer, is getting your message out, while appealing to the audience.

Thank goodness for the good ole MPAA or NAACP, or whoever wants to rate it. Who cares? Oh yeah, you and three other people. So, band together and watch the dumbass films that didn’t make it, and talk about all the dumbass people that watch mainstream movies.

You go on to speak in length of the need for height requirements on park rides. You then speak of truth and research into the things you haven’t done some more. Then, you sum it up, saying that I should, “with all my mountain climbing-experience,” wage arguments against something I care nothing about.

You say, “Having children, or even being around children during scenes of gratuitous sex or vulgarity, makes me feel uneasy, which is common.”
In what way do you feel uneasy? Do you get aroused? Do your kids get aroused? Do you feel nauseous? I would like to try to know what you experience. Also, do you think you could ever overcome this discomfort? Can you try to describe what kind of impact you think it might have on society if people stopped feeling squeamish about kids being exposed to sex?

Why do you consider “pussy,” “cunt,” “cock,” “cum guzzler,” and “fuck mouth,” to be ignorant? Why is it against common sense to use these words? What is savage about using these words?

You say, “An ‘R’ rating doesn’t mean I won’t let my kids watch, it just means, ‘Do I feel like explaining or talking about it?’ ”
Do you mean that you wouldn’t discuss a PG-13 movie with your kids? Do you mean that you are hesitant to talk to your kids about material in an R-rated movie? If so, why?

You say, “A lot of movies are being released to theaters unrated these days, which only makes people want to watch them more. I find this to be a ridiculous argument because of that alone.”
I would be interested in seeing a list of movies you’ve seen released to theaters unrated lately.
The last movie I saw without a rating was Sex and Lucía. That was seven years ago and I had to present ID.

You say, “People don’t give a flip about the rating system….”
As I argue in my article, it doesn’t matter whether people give a flip or not. People who give even less of a flip about you and your family are deciding what you are able to watch. It usually takes somebody with a lot of clout to get financing for a movie that tries to deal realistically with sex and violence.

You say, “why not try removing the height requirements on park rides”?
As far as I know, some rides pose a threat of physical harm for those who don’t meet the height requirement. For instance, some safety harnesses will not fit a child who does not reach a minimum height. However, if there are cases where the height requirement is arbitrary, I am all for removing them. Your analogy does not work because you can’t prove that you do physical or psychological harm to children by exposing them to sex and violence. If I had found evidence that children could be harmed by exposure to sex and violence, I promise you that I would not have written the above article. I have absolutely no desire to see any child or adult harmed. My aim is only to support the free expression of ideas.
My hope is that the more freely we are able to express our ideas, the less likely we will be to need abortions. My first sexual encounters were silent and in poorly lit places. There was a mystery and taboo I associated with sex that I think contributed to my anxiety and bewilderment about it. I think the culture I grew up in contributed to that. I think the media I grew up immersed in contributed to that.

You say, “No one likes it when someone is a pro, or has a lot to say, and has never even done the thing they have knowledge of. It’s preposterous.”
I agree 100%. That’s why I consulted all of the material I could get my hands on from people who have relevant expertise and experience.
I read material from concerned parents, child psychologists and cognitive researchers. Those people saved me the trouble of having a child myself. Do I think this is a superior substitute for first-hand experience? No. Do I think that consulting the work of these people is useless? No. However, have you, with all your mountain-climbing experience, presented any good arguments against what they’ve uncovered?

The comment about “transitioning into a cartoon character” was about new found freedom (adolescence in college) pushing away common sense to use these types of words around any and everybody, like a savage.

When you say take the place of the MPAA and watch all the movies myself, you missed my point about the rating already being there, like “R.” An “R” rating doesn’t mean I won’t let my kids watch, it just means, “Do I feel like explaining or talking about it?”
A lot of movies are being released to theaters unrated these days, which only makes people want to watch them more. I find this to be a ridiculous argument because of that alone. People don’t give a flip about the rating system, so you are fighting for children’s right to watch movies above their rating. That’s why I said, “Why not try removing the height requirements on park rides?”

If you do not think it is insane to use movies as education, that’s fine. I’m sure there are a lot of magnet schools that would allow you to do so, as long as the tax money we pay for education gets sent to them while poor kids watch flicks to get their knowledge.

I am not trying to be difficult, but we all made awkward unknowing transitions through life. This will not change. Knowing you had a penis did not make it any easier on you the first time you penetrated a vagina, which according to books was supposed to happen. The same is true for having kids. You might have sex in front of them, get them in for a closer look while moving to the side, or smoke pot in front of them—all of that sounds good. And trust me, I still think on how I will teach my kids; it isn’t as easy as saying “equality for everyone.” It’s harder. Just like saying you wouldn’t blush during your first sexual conversation with a girl. Okay, you didn’t. Raising kids is hard. It’s even harder talking your wife or girlfriend into their third abortion. When the time comes, you will know. You can’t speak like a person who has climbed mount Everest if you haven’t. That’s what I mean about experience. No one likes it when someone is a pro, or has a lot to say, and has never even done the thing they have knowledge of. It’s preposterous.

You say, “I find the rating system very helpful since I have children of my own, and don’t much like surprises when I watch movies with them. You’ll understand when you have children of your own.”
What will I understand?

You say, “I discuss things we see and words we hear. They aren’t startled, but I know that they will not pollute the air with ignorant words when in public, and they won’t transition into a cartoon character when they go to college because of it.”
What are “ignorant words”? What does it mean for someone to “transition into a cartoon character”?

You say, “The rating system gives adults with children the opportunity to view it before them and make the decision if the movie is okay for their children….”
Why not preview all of the movies your kids might watch yourself? Why leave your kids’ mental well-being to the MPAA, who, as I think I clearly demonstrate above, may not have your interests or your family’s interests in mind when rating films?

You say, “…suggesting we show movies as an education is insane.”
I suggest in the above article that we talk to children about things they watch that they might be upset by. I did not mean to suggest that people should seek out especially harrowing or sexually exhibitive films as an instructional aid for their kids. Still, I don’t think that even this would be “insane.”

The rating system gives adults with children the opportunity to view it before them and make the decision if the movie is okay for their children, because of nudity, sexual situations, violence, and anything that may cause them revulsion. I allow my children to watch adult humor movies unless they are too filthy, but suggesting we show movies as an education is insane. Perhaps the next thing you should crusade against should be height limits for rides, the lopped off appendages and bodies dropped from extreme heights should increase the sales on amusement park rides tremendously. Maybe we can rally for vehicle licenses at birth as well.

The rating system only boosts the ticket sales. If anything you should have created the theory of ratings being created to help push sales of goofy movies.