www.broadwayworld.com: In 2021, the BBFC revealed that parents would like content warnings on racism and discrimination being shown in media so they can make informed decisions. The research also concluded that some parents found value in exposing their children to instances of discrimination to "prepare them for real life."
3 comments:
I think it's pretty great to see growing awareness around the moral/emotional impact movies can have on young audiences. I think Wicked’s decision to include a trigger warning that concerns topics of prejudice and societal rejection is really mature, wise, and important. Children are easily influenced by the media. Children's media that follows stories containing discrimination, prejudice, and societal rejection should be communicated. This is because these topics concern earth’s violent and awful social history. Prejudice is also embedded in many people when they are young, and parents should know so they can encourage their children to do better. The green skin is a core part of Elphaba’s identity, it symbolizes societal rejection and prejudice, which could also be triggering for some children, particularly those who have faced discrimination or bullying. The UK’s decision, shockingly (unlike a lot of their other decisions) demonstrates a thoughtful commitment to creating a safe viewing experience while still preserving the essence of the story.
I don’t know how to feel about trigger warnings on films just because of how inconsistent they are. There are lots of movies that have instances of being racist or ableist that are not announced at the beginning of the movie but I suppose if the purpose of this for Wicked was for the children I can see where they’re coming from. A lot of animated films as well do not get those warnings who deal with similar topics and as I said before the fact they are not consistent across theatrical performances or movies makes it hard to heed seriously. Vague terms like “suggestive content” and “emotional cobflict” too vague to even know if the content was going to make somebody uncomfortable and upset. I feel like using Wicked to teach your children about racism and ableism is a bit more of a loaded statement than the article doesn’t dive into but again I guess I understand the sentiment if it’s talking about the context of children.
I think that If you want to know this much about a film before you watch it or let your children watch it you should do your own research into what it is about instead of claiming that everyone should sit through a five-page-long content warning about each movie. In the case of Wicked, I feel as though with just a little bit of research these concerned parties might come to understand and prepare for the prejudices exhibited. These people who call for more trigger warnings also seem like the same type of people who need to read a full summary before choosing to read a book. I think that some trigger warnings are necessary, but maybe we can also expand our rating system to include trigger warnings. I wonder if the lobbyists for trigger warnings will also go after movies and series that came out before the popularization of adding warnings to cinema.
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