A month ago I mentioned that I hoped this guy died soon.

And now he has. Everyone is rushing to lionize what a pioneering and wonderful man he was but this at best a half-truth. He was a proud censor, a man who made sure a priest helped form our rating systems, a bigot and a homophobe. He was a world class fuckhead, and even in death he’s not going to get a pass from me.

MUCH more ranting and raving after the more button

When someone like Vonnegut dies you mourn. He pointed out legitimate problems with our world.

Valenti? He thought he was a better parent than you could ever be.

Look at some of these quotes from AP:

Recognizing that the industry had outgrown the morality code regulating movie content since the 1930s, Valenti replaced it with a ratings system that survives today with its G, PG, PG-13 and R designations.

Now mind you he had no actual authority. The MPAA is not a government agency, we don’t get to vote on the rules or the people who assign ratings. The MPAA gives easier ratings to the people who fund it, the big studios. Independent film gets screwed. Anything controversial is frowned upon. Walk lockstep with someone else’s values or go broke. Those are your choices. Everyone buys into this “voluntary” system because they have no choice. The theater chains won’t run an unrated film because of bad publicity. So then, Jack succeeded in curbing the first amendment. Nice work pal.

(Jack) “enabled the industry to give parents the information they need to make appropriate decisions for their children

A true ratings system would have value. I know that. But that’s not what we have here. The ratings for films aren’t descriptive and don’t make any sense. Casino Royale (which rocked by the way) was given a PG-13 and it was one of the most violent films I’ve seen in the past few years. Bond KILLED ten people. But he didn’t have any actual sex did he? Whew. Can’t have our 13 year olds learning about people’s naughty parts.

“While I believe that every director, studio has the right to make the movies they want to make, everybody else has a right not to watch it,” Valenti told The Associated Press shortly before his retirement in 2004. “All we do is give advance cautionary warnings and say this is what we think is in this movie.”

No, no, no, no. This is an absurd lie. We are not given a chance “not to watch it” because it won’t appear in theaters without a rating. Plus, what the MPAA doesn’t like is changed. The only shot we have at seeing a film the way it was intended is the “unrated” version, but you better believe the MPAA wants its dirty little hands on that.

He became one of the highest-paid and best-known trade association executives, with a salary topping $1 million and his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Yes, he was paid a MILLION dollars to run a “voluntary” and unregulated big studio scam.

Valenti was always quick to rebut critics, saying frequent MPAA surveys found that parents with young children felt the ratings system was a helpful guide.

This is because no one ever peered behind the curtain. The question should have been posed “would you like a completely unfair system to govern what you see?” Because that’s what we got out of the deal. Movies shouldn’t have a rating, they should have an honest description of what’s in the movie, and then parents should decide. Yes, sometimes a kid will be exposed to something adult. Yes, sometimes parents will fall down on the job.

But guess what? That happens now. All the time. The difference is we’ll get to see interesting ideas if we so choose. Us ADULTS will get access to films without the Gestapo telling us what’s good for us.

So fuck you Jack. Rest in peace.