Re: "This post is G-Rated"

[tcmay@got.net (Timothy C. May)]

At 9:58 PM 1/25/96, Bill Frantz wrote:

>goal.  The big problem is how are the labels attached to the programs.  I
>agree with Tim that it is probably imposible for individual Usenet
>postings.  However is should be possible for TV programs, and whole
>newsgroups.

Coincidentally, after writing my post this morning, I saw a report on CNN
or CNBC about how broadcasters, networks, and producers are strongly
opposed to the mandatory V-chip. Not news, but some of there reasons were:
not enough time.

The movie business produces about 600 hours of product per year, and the
~weeks it takes for the MPAA to view the final product and rate it (and
then negotiate with the director about cutting out scenes to make an
R-rated film into a PG, etc.) is marginally tolerable.

Such is not the case with television, with many shows in a final version
only hours before broadcast (and obviously some with even less or no
advance time available).

And remember that the MPAA rating is most definitely NOT a "self-rating."

I see self-ratings of Usenet and mailing list posts as possible, just
nearly worthless. And the reall contoversial stuff, this kind of goddamned
fucking shit, will not get screened out. After all, I voluntarily rated
this thread "G," and look what got through! (And it's only the tit of the
iceberg, so to speak.)

A meaningful "parental filter" cannot be done on-the-fly with self-ratings.
Some minor steps can be taken, but not all worth the expense and hassle of
a mandatory system.

--Tim

Boycott espionage-enabled software!
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Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
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