Goodnight, Mr. Valenti
While I have plenty of issues with the MPAA’s ratings system, I’m still a bit sad that Jack Valenti has died at 85. Valenti was part of the LBJ powerset, and he instituted the current Motion Picture Association of America rating system. This system, although not overtly censorship, has resulted in some pretty troubling self censorship, particularly when it comes to non-heteronormative sexuality.
I disagreed with Valenti, who retired from the MPAA in 2004, on almost everything, but his passing really does seem to mark the end of an era. I’m going to refrain from snark — not because I think speaking ill of the dead is wrong (though it may be in poor taste), but because all the jokes seem so cheap and obvious.