Posted by Adam H. Kerman on 03/25/07 02:40

At 9:13pm -0400, 03/24/07, Jay G. <Jay@tmbg.org> wrote:
>On 22 Mar 2007 14:36:21 GMT, Fred Garvin, Male Prostitute wrote:
>>Jay G. sprach forth the following:

>>>If there is really film "censorship" in the US, it's a voluntary
>>>censorship agreed upon by the studios and driven by the free market.

>>You need to watch 'This Film Is Not Yet Rated'.

>I do, but I doubt it's going to change what I wrote. I'm not saying the
>MPAA system isn't without its problems, and may even be corrupt, but it's
>still a voluntary system that only has power because the free market system
>gives it so.

In the strictest sense, it's voluntary only on the part of producers and
distributors. It's definitely mandatory on the part of exhibitors.

It exists because movie studios fear backlash from those who do not believe
that the free market should determine which movies people see and instead
would impose something much worse.

Quite frankly, the fact that exactly one rating system exists and that
producers are compelled to use it by exhibitors is in itself an argument
against your free market statements. Monopolies are not free markets.

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