Arguments rage over teenage moviegoers' R-cards

[dArKeR]

LIBERTY OR LICENSE?: The cards show parental permission for teens to see R-rated movies, but some critics argue they are just an abdication of parental responsibility

NY TIMES NEWS SERVICE , BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS
Sunday, Jun 27, 2004,Page 7

With school out for summer, Kirsten Larson and Sydni Norris of Bloomington, Illinois, often head with their friends to the Parkway Cinemas. But they do not always pick the same movie to see.

Kirsten, 16, and Sydni, 15, can get into R-rated movies that their friends cannot view without an adult along. They each have an "R-card," a parent-permission slip issued by the GKC Theaters chain, which has theaters in 24 cities, including Bloomington, in five Midwestern states.

The R-card costs US$2 and allows youths to attend R-rated films unaccompanied by a parent or guardian, as would otherwise be the case for anyone 17 or younger.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/06/27/2003176730

[Rabrrrrrr]

1. The ones who call it parental abdication

are likely the ones who force their kids to be watched over the youth program at their jesus Crispy church four nights a week while the parents go to prayer meetings and etc., and who likely have sex in the dark because it's "rotten, nasty, filthy it is, yes, precious, nasty, rotten".

Uptight idiots.

[Jack_DeLeon]

2. Sounds like a good idea.

It lets the parents decide if thier children are mature enough to watch R movies without need them to babysit.

[Democat]

3. What is the argument? The parents allow them to see R rated movies!

Who would argue with that?

[Piperay]

4. They didn't have cards like that when I was under 17

but if they had of my parents would've gotten me one. My parents were very responsible and felt that my brother and I had been raised correctly enough that they trusted our judgement. We read whatever books we wanted and could watch whatever movie or TV show that we wanted to.

[cally]

5. I wish the theaters in my area had these

I trust my teens to choose movies that are appropriate. The rating system rarely reflects my own values of what's appropriate. It's not abdicating parental responsibility but instead exerting it. My values are different than the ratings board.