Why arent Music Videos rated like movies

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-07-2007
Why arent Music Videos rated like movies
4
Mon, 02-12-2007 - 10:30am

Warning-- this is a rant!

I know that music CDs (and I think, videos) are rated to indicate if the lyrics contain explicit language, but that's not always enough from what I've seen lately. Why doesn't the content have a rating as well, the way movies do? Movie ratings incorporate not only language, but also content such as violence and sexuality and adult themes.

I've not seen such ratings on music vids and based on some of the vids I've seen lately, I'm really bothered that they don't. Maybe when my DS is 16+ I won't care. But at age 13, I still care.

I was in Target this weekend and watched their in-store video display for a bit. They played a popular new song I saw recently on MTV online (the only way I keep up at all.) The tune is catchy and the music is pretty, but the message is not! It's about a girl jilted by her boyfriend (on MTV they put a box over her mouth when she says the bf was f-ing a girl next door). The lyrics talk about how she gets better via help from her friends. Doesn't sound so bad at all, right? But the vid shows her paying money to some people to physically assault her ex-boyfriend in an alley, and shows them beating him up. She then takes him to a cafe and pretends to be sympathetic to his face, meanwhile laughing when he doesn't see. While in the cafe, the people she paid go to his apartment and vandalize it. Totally destroy everything, including destroying the records he uses in his job as a DJ. Again, the singer pretends to be sympathetic but is obviously enjoying her work behind bf's back.

WHAT IS THAT? In real life, those are real crimes of violence. This is not a message I want my 13 year old seeing or learning from.

And that's just one of many non-explicit vids with inappropriate messages that I've noticed lately.

If you just listened to the cleaned up version of the tune, in some cases you'd have little idea of the negative content in the video. OF course, in some the negative content is even in the lyrics -- like Enimen's song discussing physically abusing/harming his ex-wife.

Why can't there be ratings for vids just like the movies? Then parents -- and stores -- will be better able to help evaluate what their kids are exposed to.

I probably sound like a prude, but my 13 year old is exposed to enough. I would like to limit how much trash he gets fed but I can't without better information! And if the only limits on public media have to do with explicit language, how can I keep my kid from being exposed when he's out and about? Heck, it was even in TARGET (though I called and told them I was unhappy about that one.)

Ok. I'm late for work. That's my rant for the day.

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-25-2006
Mon, 02-12-2007 - 1:06pm

Yeah....the violence is everywhere--even in cartoons! I pretty much quit watching Tv, but did catch Shakira on the Grammys last night and thought she was incredible!

The other kind of music videos I hate are the ones with some dude dressed like a pimp with thirty, hardly-clothed women falling all over him. Pretty sick.

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http://www.pnhp.org/news/2009/october/meet_the_new_health_.php

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQTBYQlQ7yM

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-18-2006
Tue, 02-13-2007 - 9:49pm

You're referring to Lily Allen's "Smile" video, right? I see that video on our music channels, but not often. I've only seen it on YouTube (online) and on Rage, a music video show that plays videos on Friday and Saturday nights, during the early hours of the morning.

I'm not trying to be racist, but I really think the African-American musicians (rappers and singers alike) have got the market stitched up in offensive videos.

Although it wasn't exactly tame in the Eighties, either. Have you ever seen Duran Duran's "Girls On Film" video?

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-13-2007
Tue, 02-13-2007 - 11:08pm
Imho, the violence hasn't changed that much since my oldest (now 21) was in HS and watching all those awful videos. But now my 15-yr-old has access to all kinds of media, not just music videos where all levels of sexual exploitation, physical violence and rudeness are shown. I think it would concern me more if my DD was still 13 but I know they get to see these things no matter what I do. I try to emphasize, at least when she's listening, how most of the time the videos and the songs represent an extreme reaction to the experience of, say, having your boyfriend cheat on you. They show ideals and worst case scenarios b/c anything in between doesn't sell, sad as it is. Btw, I've heard some of the Lily Allen music -- that is a foul-mouthed young lady. I kind of like her but don't tell my DD :)!
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2005
Wed, 02-14-2007 - 9:38am

Here is a website that I use to help me in making movie, television and music choices for my family. They don't cover music videos but they do explain the content of the music. I agree, the media today is exposing kids to way too much.

http://www.pluggedinonline.com/music/index.cfm

stacy