ChildCare Action Project (CAP): Christian Analysis of American Culture
ATTITUDE: In Perspective
Investigation Area Scoring and Trend
in CAP Entertainment Industry Investigations
Special Report-001
Thomas A. Carder
CAP President
PREFACE
To make the most sense of this Special Report you should first read the material suggested by the CAP Site Map (Table of Contents).
There are several extremely strong influences of the entertainment industry on the character (integrity, self respect, coping skills) of an observer, especially the impressionable: influences which reach deep into human VALUES, quite possibly into human BELIEFS, especially in those with undeveloped or underdeveloped values and beliefs. The extremely strong influences of the entertainment industry include:
freedom from accountability, especially to God's Law
freedom from authority, especially parental
freedom from consequences with falsified martyrdom if consequences are exacted
the "It ain't good enough, no matter what 'it' is" attitude
situational redefinition, counterfeiting and conditional application of the Scriptures to suit the moment, especially calling good evil and evil good (Is 5:20)
self importance and self esteem at the expense of self respect
unmerited acceptance, unrighteous permissiveness, and excessive tolerance
dissonance as a manipulation or proselytizing technique
suggestion by implication
usurpment of and abandonment of parental teachings/authority
moral relativism
pansexualism
immediate gratification, constant entertainment; the "I want it all and I want it now!" syndrome
situational, emotive, and behavioral ethics
lowering the threshold of acceptability and inhibition
glorification of rebellion and arrogance
encouraging values/beliefs re-thinking/modification
the "Go ahead and do the wrong as long as you are sorry for it afterwards", the "Ignore the pain and damage to others along the way" and the "You'll thank me when you're older" rationales
excusing unacceptable and vicious behavior by embedding it under warm and loving themes
trumped-up "messages" to excuse and manufacturing of justification for aberrant behavior and imagery
too much independence and autonomy too soon
promotion of focusing on the self
nihilism
using the sins of others to justify or excuse sin
stealing of childhood from children
ALL PRESENTED AS PROPER, ACCEPTABLE, DESIRABLE, AND INDEED SATISFYING AND GRATIFYING.
Analysis Model Summary
During the development of the CAP Numeric Analysis Model (the CAP Model), the entertainment industry and other entities were observed for examples of unacceptable activities and behavior -- unacceptable in accordance with the teachings of Jesus. At developement's end, 80 examples of unacceptable behavior were selected. The 80 examples of unacceptable activities and behavior became the CAP Investigation Standards. The partitioning of the Investigation Standards led to the designation of the partitions as the six CAP Investigation Areas (W-I-S-D-O-M):
| Wanton Violence/Crime | | | | | |
| Impudence/Hate | | | | |
| | Sexual Immorality | | | |
| | | Drugs/Alcohol | | |
| | | | Offense to God | |
| | | | | Murder/Suicide |
Basic Methodology
This is a brief description of the methodology used to generate CAP scoring and findings. If you wish a more detailed description, CAP Methodology provides greater detail, though it does not present the equations used.
Using the CAP Model, 39 randomly selected feature-length, non-cartoon movies were investigated for relative morality content: twelve each from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) ratings of R*, PG-13, and PG, and three from the G rating. The high and low CAP score movie in each of the R, PG-13, and PG rating sets were discarded, leaving ten movies in each of R, PG-13, and PG. Only three G-rated movies were incorporated into the model because
- G-rated feature-length non-cartoon movies were very difficult to find (See CAP Special Report-003, Where's the G!?) and
- the three scores for the G-rated movies completely confirmed the scoring range forecast for G movies.
Discarding of high and low extremes in a statistical distribution set is typical to compensate for inherent Gaussian skewness (extremes) in both the diversity of the investigated population and in the investigator. This action left 33 movies for the comparative baseline database. Upon completion of the baseline investigations, the average of the scores of all 33 movies was compiled to reveal the trending of movie content relative to the six Investigation Areas. This Special Report provides that finding. A significant revelation was found! Please, read on.
* G, PG, PG-13, and R (plus X and NC-17) are registered trademarks of the MPAA. Films rated X and NC-17 will not be analyzed by the CAP Ministry.
Findings
G-rated Movie Set
From the G-rated movies, the average of the scores in each Investigation Area revealed:
This relationship revealed that in the movies investigated no material offensive in accordance with the 80 Investigation Standards was found in Sexual Immorality or Murder/Suicide. Further, the G-rated movie set presented relatively little Wanton Violence/Crime, Drugs/Alcohol, and Offense to God. But please note that if an area score is less than 100 then unacceptable material exists. Also note the obvious dip at Impudence/Hate (I). The dip in the Impudence/Hate average will become more important as you read on.
PG-rated Movie Set
The PG-rated movie set revealed the following averages of Investigation Area scores:
As was expected (except for Drugs/Alcohol) the average of each Investigation Area was lower than the average of the same Investigation Area in the G-rated movie set. Five of the six Investigation Area averages started falling, indicating unacceptable material is clearly present in PG movies. But a trend was starting. Note that the Impudence/Hate Investigation Area average in the PG-rated movie set is the lowest of the six Investigation Areas as it was in the G-rated movie set. While behavior aberrations in the Investigation Areas of Wanton Violence/Crime, Sexual Immorality, and Offense to God are starting to show their ugly heads as morality and wholesomeness decay in PG movies, the Impudence/Hate Investigation Area average is showing a sharp drop and is still the lowest average score of the six Investigation Areas.
PG-13-rated Movie Set
The movie set rated PG-13 revealed the following averages of Investigation Area scores:
Also as was expected, morality and wholesomeness decayed even more in PG-13 movies. Note that what is now PG, PG-13, and R material used to be encompassed by PG and R ratings*. This means the PG-13 rating now takes a piece of the R rating. Some of what is now PG-13 used to be R material! Also note that the current NC-17 rating used to be the X rating*. For that reason the CAP shall not investigate NC-17 or more severe material.
* The Voluntary Movie Rating System: How It Began, Its Purpose, The Public Reaction c1994, Jack Valenti, President and CEO, MPAA.
Note again the obvious lowness of the average of scores in the Impudence/Hate Investigation Area in comparison to the averages in other Investigation Areas. Note also, in a more positive light, the Drugs/Alcohol average is not dropping nearly as sharply as the Impudence/Hate average! While the Impudence/Hate average dropped to 77 in the G-rated movie set to 44 in the PG set to 31 in this PG-13 set (a 69-point span), the Drugs/Alcohol average dropped only two points between the PG and this PG-13 set and only one point lower than the G set!. What a wonderful revelation! Drugs and alcohol may be starting to take a back seat. But to steal thunder from the marvelous stability of the Drugs/Alcohol average, the Wanton Violence/Crime average dropped to 96 in the G set to 68 in the PG set to 49 in this PG-13 set -- a span of 41 points! And Offense to God dropped sharply between the rating sets as well (97 to 73 to 56). However, please keep in mind Impudence/Hate still presents the lowest average! And also please keep in mind that even if an Investigation Area score seems "tame" such as the Drugs/Alcohol average, if the score is less than 100 there is unacceptable material present.
R-rated Movie Set
The movie set rated R presented the most serious decay of moral values and wholesomeness as revealed by the following relational scale:
The average of the Impudence/Hate Investigation Area is at the almost lowest possible score (at four points). And this is an average of the 10 baseline movies in the R-rated set of movies! This means some of the Impudence/Hate Investigation Area scores in the R-rated set had to be less than four. In fact some were zero. Some of the movies presented the unacceptable material so rapidly that an accurate accounting of each example was impossible. It is possible that the scores and averages in the R-rated movie set are higher than they should be.
All Investigation Area averages have suffered progressively over the span from G-rated to R-rated movies, but none have dropped so sharply as the Impudence/Hate average! The following list presents the numeric drops from 100 more compactly.
- Wanton Violence/Crime dropped 62 points.
- Impudence/Hate dropped 96 points.
- Sexual Immorality dropped 55 points.
- Drugs/Alcohol dropped 6 points.
- Offense to God dropped 62 points.
- Murder/Suicide dropped 48 points.
The two graphs below should help put this finding into more clear perspective:
The graph to the left displays the average of the Investigation Area scores of all four movie rating groups. The graph to the right pictorially presents the magnitude of the drop of Investigation Area averages from 100 -- the taller the column, the greater the drop from 100. For the statisticians reading this report, the graph to the left represents the X-bar figure: the average of averages. Please note the severe drop in the Impudence/Hate average: the greatest drop in averages of all six Investigation Areas!
Conclusion
An overwhelming and indefensible presence of Impudence/Hate exists within the observed material, significantly more so than other presences of assaults on morality and ethics. An overwhelming presence of Impudence/Hate in entertainment media implies targeting during media production.
Significant Discovery
Impudence is arrogance: a proud look (KJV Proverb 6:17). The NIV Bible calls it haughty eyes. Impudence is the first in the list of seven things our Lord hates. Impudence is the strongest presence in the movies analyzed.
The discovery by the CAP Ministry of the overwhelming presence of impudence in entertainment media is quite possibly a revealing of the subliminal, insidious, and sometimes invisible tactics of Satan: a revelation that in these final days the father of lies and deception is accelerating his battles with Jesus using exponentially more deceptive attacks on the most vulnerable target, our youth, through the single avenue Jesus despises the most -- impudence (Prov 6:17 - "a proud look" (KJV), "haughty eyes" (NIV)). And all this during the most impressionable period of their lives with the lures most typically sought by youth: unearned and unmerited independence and autonomy; freedom from accountability; freedom from authority; freedom from consequences; each being an offspring of impudence. All of which, together AND separately, feed the foolishness bound in the hearts of youth (Prov. 22:15) and steal the childhood from children!
Comment
The thread of impudence runs throughout all four movie classifications -- it is no respecter of age! Impudence/hate is everywhere. We are inundated by it every day. The big-screen media have no monopoly on the promotion of arrogance as acceptable, desired, justifiable, and satisfying. And what should be most alarming to the Christian, the main doctrine of the church of Satan is "Do what thou wilt is the whole of the law." Sounds to me as though that is precisely what the entertainment media and their sponsors/writers are promoting whether intentional or not!
We all have heard of the influence of the entertainment media: influence that can corrupt or contaminate wholesome morals and values. While many sources claim this relationship to be true, we intend to scientifically prove a symbiosis between the entertainment media preferences of youth and the relationship of youth with fair authority. In doing so, we intend to expose for all to see the exaggerated promotion of freedom from accountability to His Law.
We will each live forever. We have His Word on it. It is up to our freedom of choice where we will spend eternity. And by refusing to choose, we make our choice.
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In Jesus' name:
Lord, Master, Teacher, Savior, God.
President
ChildCare Action Project: Christian Analysis of American Culture (CAP)
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