Beth
If movies in the past were created to separate the elite high class from the middle class, do you believe that they are still created in the same way in today's times?
Zach
To what extent, if at all, do you think popular culture reinforces, or breaks down social class barriers?
Simone
Do you think that class is still reflected in popular culture?
Cara
According to the Defining Popular Culture reading, Dwight McDonald wrote that "Mass culture is very, very democratic: it absolutely refuses to discriminate against, or between anything or anybody." Is this true?
Chris
To build off the "Defining Popular Culture" piece, Japanese popular culture certainly seems to fit the Frankfurt School model as mode for fueling capitalism, but in the wake of economic downfall, is that really such a bad thing for the masses? What are the positive and negative effects?
Lauren
How does pop culture tie into politics and economics? Can pop culture make or break a country’s political/economic system?
Brandon
How does the environment an individual grows up in affect his outlook on pop culture as they move through life?
Suzanne
Is pop-culture defined and forced onto a population by institutions like the media or is the information and ideas it puts out up for interpretation by the people who receive it?
Katie
Who has more power in determining what fits under the category of popular culture? The consumer or the producer?
Ashley
In determining what becomes popular culture, is the role of the media greater than the role of the "people"?
Danielle
Do you think popular culture is the main cause of women being portrayed as victims and objects to men?
Collin
Why is it possible for something to be considered "pop culture" in one area, and something commonplace in another?
Meredith
In "Japan's Gross National Cool" McGray makes a distinction between foreign audiences and foreign inspiration, stating that Japan is uniquely able to "transmit certain kinds of mass culture" (48). Do you agree with his assertion, or do you find it difficult to pinpoint elements of Japanese culture that are "traditional" rather than "invented for tourists"?
Kristyn
Why do you think popular "ownership" is important when classifying something as pop culture?
Jennifer
Do you think that the extreme censorship of movies create the taboos we so strongly avoid discussing in America today, or that our culturally created taboos create the censorship americans find necessary for films?
Chris
Cinema is a prominent form of popular culture; do you think the movie rating system can be considered an accurate reflection of our cultural values and mores having gotten a better understanding of the methods of rating and censoring films? Why or why not?
Simone
Why do you think American society deems extremely violent acts more acceptable in movies over sexual or intamate acts?
Laquan
If sexuality is prominent in pop culture, then why is sex "desexualized" in the certain forms of media such as film and video and not others such as the internet when it is considered more powerful with unlimited access?
Danielle
Why do you think that raters are more concerned with sex than violence? Do you think that all movies that show sex should have the same rating or do you think they should continue to decide based on how much is shown?
Jarred
Is it safe to say, as Americans, are values and "rating scales" are distorted being that we condemn sex rather then on-screen violence?
Tiye
Why are Americans so comfortable with violence?
Margaret
Does having movie raters help create/control pop culture?
Zach
In "This Film is Not Yet Rated" it states that homosexual materials recieved more negative ratings. Is this because of the idea that homosexuality is seen as a deviant culture throughout the United States? Are parents trying to guard their children against this material and ideas?
Meredith
What do you make of the tone and imagery used to describe how ratings are given? Do you believe that the use of cartoons and "casual" language suggests that these ratings are given arbitrarily?
Lauren Howland
Could another rating association ever be able to be created that would be recognized by the public and could compete with the MPAA?
Collin
How has "what our children should see" changed from our parents' generation to ours? Why have these things changed?
Kristyn
Censorship in America, specifically by the MPAA, is gradually becoming less and less strict. Do you think this is for the better or worse?
Suzanne
By not disclosing who the MPAA members are to the public, is that not an admission that what they are doing and how they are rating films is flawed? After all, aren't they hiding their identities out of some fear that the public disagrees with them?
Peter
If filmmakers knew the identity of those rating their films, how would this remedy an NC-17 rating or any other unfavorable rating?
Tye
Why do you suppose there was more freedom to display female pleasure in the 1970's? What has happened since then that would make the rating rubric more prudish?
Beth
Is the movie industry the only medium of pop culture that deserves to be this scrutinized? Should radio or television have similar rating systems to the MPAA?
Greg
Censorship in American is clearly a major issue; however, it seems as if popular culture stigmatizes how censorship is viewed, specifically of the MPAA. Is it right to allow certain individuals to represent the majority opinion of America, even when this individual is not a representative sample of how each person thinks about certain issues, especially that of sex, violence, and strong language?
Melissa
As a movie interviewee asks can you rate reality? Do you believe that there are films that should be a lower rating so that reality is viewed by more of our younger and older population due to its message about life and realism?
Allison
Why do you think the rating system for movies hasn't been challenged when it is a form of censorship and the ratings are arbitrarily given?
Ivan
Does the problem with the rating system stem from a laziness from parents in that they won't invest their time in censoring their children's media but would rather have an outside agency do it, or is it just an intrinsic unfairness in the system itself?
Marquis
While the movie obviously criticizes the ratings system and the idea of what a normal parent is, the movie didn't offer a alternative to the ratings system outside of dropping it completely. Does this mean that there isn't a alternative or does the movie only look to challenge the "set" criteria of the ratings system
Katy
Some films in the documentary were given an NC-17 rating because raters felt "uncomfortable." Is this reason acceptable and representative of the American population?
Lauren
Do you believe it is possible for rating board members to act as an "average American parent" when choosing which films get a certain rating? Or, after hearing what directors like Michael Moore had to say, do you believe that certain inherent biases play into the decision that are made (and, in turn, ratings that are given?
Allison O'Brien
While watching this film, did you find yourself gender stereotyping the members on the MPAA ratings board? Were you surprised to see that the majority of the members were actually male? why?