General reply to the various comments:
1. Proof that ratings only lead to profanity/obscenity etc. on TV.
2. "Societal benefit" ??? F*** word is not of benefit to anyone's edification. The real reason is simple: RATINGS. The networks want to widen the gate for gratuitous use of words now found on Cable, so they compete aka the Race to the Bottom. See the comment re "penis" in Friends. This show is at 7pm on our TV, we cannot keep it on with kids. I am sure F*** will be used in many other places now besides some movie.
3. " Saving Private Ryan Not a Kid's movie" is right. All the more reason to edit it so it can be properly watched by kids. Keeping F*** words for "Realism" is a piss-poor excuse in my book - lots of "reality" is not deserving or needs to be on TV, and that includes some elements of war itself. do they shows these guys take a piss too??? The excuse to show it, slap a rating on it and let it pass is a wink and a nod to simply letting kids watch anything adults see - in the end the kids will watch it anyway, and we will wring our hands at the ongoing debasement of our culture and wonder how and why it happens. All JMHO.
Pssst - Get a clue,
buy a vowel,
BUT PLEASE forfiet your parental rights IMMEDIATELY - if you think Pvt Ryan is a movie for kids.
Sheeesh!!
So you will let them see depictions of actual war, with people being killed and suffering in some very horrible ways, but feel they should be sheilded by profanity?
If everyone stopped worrying about everyone else's kids and started focusing on their own, then they wouldn't have to worry about what kind of language is on TV. Parents should do one of the following:
A. Use the parental lock features built into just about TV, VCR, cable box built in the last few years.
B. Watch the movie with their kids, then talk to them about everything they saw. Give them your whole "Only horrible, heathen soldiers say the 'f' word" bit if that's your thing.
C. Not let them watch the movie at all and hopefully keep them from experiencing this America-has-changed-forever attitude that is sweeping the nation. The only thing that has changed for me is the number of times I hear "terrorism" and "anthrax" in one day.
I'll give all parents this advice, which my mother gave to me: "Try not to swear. It makes you look stupid." And, of course, don't swear in school, at least until college. It gets you in trouble - I would know :)