This article came to my email and can be found at OneNewsNow.
It poses a fundamental question–where has the decency in entertainment gone?
Most of us–from our youth–remember the Catholics banned movies and books based on morality issues, even if one wasn’t Catholic. They still do, actually, and in the United States it’s known as the National Catholic Legion of Decency. Trouble is, no one pays attention anymore.
In my opinion? Both the Hays Code and the Legion of Decency need to be brought back into the sphere of the everyday. Maybe we wouldn’t have the garbage on TV, the radio (hip hop bullshit), movies, books, etc., that are so rampant today. And, maybe if we quit “rewarding” the makers of this garbage, including the “entertainers” that thrive on shock and immorality, reducing them to the gutters of porn where they belong, we could get the country back on track and rebuild its greatness.
A prime example? Brad and Angelina. Oh yes, they adopt children. SO WHAT? She’s in love with her father (Conservative spokesman Jon Voight), admitted she set out to separate and cause the divorce between Brad and Jennifer Aniston when the two of them worked on Mr. and Mrs. Smith, refuses to marry him, bears a child out of wedlock (yes, my two youngest are also technically “bastards”, so guess what? I get to criticise) and this is held up as exemplary behaviour? In whose deluded world?
Bastard children are glorified (no, they shouldn’t be blamed for being born–their parents should be ashamed of depriving the children of a two parent household, except under severe extenuating circumstances)–IF they’re allowed to be born at all in the abortion death cult atmostphere. Divorce, drugs, partying all night while the kids are left with nanny’s, bedhopping, adultery, belittling God and Christianity, spouting treason, associating with terrorists and their friends–all that’s considered NORMAL.
Because we’ve gotten away from the basic decencies of humanity, simple basic morality. So, yes, bring back the Hays Code and the Legion of Decency. And, while you’re at it, find a way to bring back Joseph McCarthy and Hollywood/Politician blacklisting. Sound extreme? Too bad–extreme times call for extreme measures.
Here’s the article:
Movies with no nudity, profanity, and ridicule of religion? Believe it or not, it used to be that way … and it took no government intervention — only public outcry. It can happen again.
Many years ago, my first job out of college was working as a secretary for the Department of Program Practices at CBS. (It was essentially the censorship department, but nobody used that term.) My duties included typing up instructions for the Programming Department regarding what objectionable language had to be cut from various movies that would air on the network. The editors I worked for also had to keep track of instances of smoking, drinking, and if I’m not mistaken, use of phrases like “Oh my God” and other potentially offensive content. In those days, at least, there was concern on the part of the networks — not only CBS — about airing material viewers might find inappropriate.
Since it was long before cable, and the networks had licenses that had to be renewed, TV was pretty innocent. Early evenings were considered family viewing time, and the programs reflected that. The fact that children might be watching was taken into account. Guidelines for standards and practices existed and were enforced.
And believe it or not, there was a time when moviemakers also followed a code of content. Starting in the 1930’s, the Motion Pictures Producers and Distributors Association (which later became the Motion Picture Association of America) adopted the Hays Code. Some of its general principles read as follows: “No picture shall be produced that will lower the moral standards of those who see it …. Correct standards of life, subject only to the requirements of drama and entertainment, shall be presented.”
The Hays Code also included some specific restrictions: nudity was prohibited; the ridicule of religion was forbidden; specific language was banned; the sanctity of marriage and the home had to be upheld; and “excessive and lustful kissing” was to be avoided.
Sounds positively idyllic, doesn’t it … and like an impossible dream now.
And guess what prompted it all? Public outcry. Public outcry over perceived immorality in the movies and in the lives of Hollywood stars. In a nutshell, the public wanted Hollywood to clean up its act. Will H. Hays, who headed up the Motion Pictures Producers and Distributors Association, set out to project a positive image of the movie industry. The Production Code (which became known as the Hays Code) was written, and for eight years Hays tried to enforce it, with little effect. But public pressure continued from organizations such as The Catholic Legion of Decency which declared certain films “indecent” and encouraged boycotts. Finally an amendment to the code required all films to obtain a certificate of approval prior to release. So for the next 30 years, up until the 1960s, virtually all movies made in the U.S. adhered to the Hays Code.
It’s remarkable to think that such standards once existed, and perhaps even more remarkable to think that public pressure was the driving force behind them. Amazing also that the government had nothing to do with it all. In fact, Hollywood studios adhered to the self-regulation in large measure to avoid government censorship.
My, how the world has changed. Take the current movie, The Ten. According to a write-up in WORLD Magazine, the film is a series of ten vignettes in which characters “find new and creative ways to shatter the commandments.” (So much for not ridiculing religion.) In one, a librarian vacations in Mexico where she has an affair with Jesus. Yes, that Jesus. In another, a doctor murders his patients “as a goof,” and ends up in jail as another inmate’s “wife.” That’s where coveting comes in apparently. Enough said.
Today, not only is there no self-regulation, there’s no cohesive public outcry to motivate self-regulation. Occasionally I hear outrage expressed from religious groups over films they consider blasphemous and blatantly anti-religious. But why don’t religious organizations do what the Catholic Legion of Decency used to do and encourage boycotts of “indecent” films — films which lower our moral standards? Surely religious leaders across the spectrum could take the lead in raising public outcry.
Our expectations have been lowered to the point where we expect crude language, immorality and disrespect for religion and family. We’re surprised when a good film is made that doesn’t contain anything offensive. We no longer expect films to be uplifting or to reflect our values. We’ve bought into the lie that “there’s no going back.”
We must raise our expectations, speak out against films that further coarsen the culture, and demand once again that Hollywood clean up its act. We should ask our religious leaders to lead the way. Public outcry helped change the course of Hollywood history in the 1930s. There’s no reason why it can’t be changed again with enough public support. Time to fire up your moral outrage.
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Filed under: Hays Code, Legion of Decency, Miss Beth, Morality, Values | Comments Off on Whatever Happened to DECENT Movies?
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