#ratings systems

[firefly124]

What does “PG” mean to you?

So, I was watching MCC today from a few different points of view, and I found myself questioning something I’ve wondered a few times. How do people define “being PG” in the context of MCYT? Because I often see eyerolling and hear exasperated cries of “PG!” in response to things that ... I think of as falling well within the parameters of PG?

For anyone who isn’t in MCYT fandom and is still reading, a bit of context: the Minecraft Championship is a team event that matches up various Twitch and YouTube Minecraft streamers* who may not often collaborate or even really know each other. They do try to match them based on their stream rating (grouping adult-rated streamers together and family-friendly or PG streamers together) because the players on a team will be audible generally to the viewers of each others’ streams. The match-ups are not always perfect, because there are other factors involved, and when that happens, it’ll generally be “may occasionally stress out and swear” people matched with “PG” people. And like any “championship-type” event, people routinely stress out. Swearing is likely to happen at some point.

This is something that comes up in other collaborative streams/recordings as well, but not in quite the same ways.

Anyway, I think part of it is that there’s probably some difference in how it’s defined in different English-speaking countries that use this system or some variation of it. But even then, I feel like people are conflating PG with G (US) or U (UK). (I didn’t dig for other countries’ definitions, as I figured two was probably a good starting point for English-speaking audiences generally.)

This is what I found about the UK: https://www.bbfc.co.uk/about-classification/a-parents-guide-to-language#pglanguage

It doesn’t sound that different, tbh. If anything, it sounds a little more permissive than the US, because I don’t think you can get away with “hell” in G-rated movies, but apparently you can in U-rated. Pretty sure “damn” is off the table for G-rated movies in the US as well, but can apparently occur in U-rated UK films. But let’s see what I can find for the US that’s at least kind of official.

https://www.metrotheatres.com/mpaa-ratings/

Less well-defined, but things like “brief nudity” and “mild profanity” are covered by PG in the US and excluded from G. Of course, we rarely actually even use PG anymore, as far as I can tell. Most films seem to jump from G to PG-13. (Cue me feeling old. Back in my day, there was no PG-13, no NC-17. It was just G, PG, R, and X. And then came Gremlins and Basic Instinct and they started splitting hairs.) I wonder if that might not be true elsewhere as well, so some are expecting that “milder than PG-13″ means something that would actually be rated G/U, but they’re calling it PG.

Either way, UK or US definition, “hell” is not really something that I’d expect people to be yelling “PG!” over or feeling that they need to apologize to their chat for someone else having said. F-bombs? Yes. Hell? Damn? Even shit? Not so much. Double-entendres are, to my understanding, also covered by “PG,” though that’s less of an issue for MCC than other collaborative situations.

Regardless, this is clearly not a universal expectation among MCYT creators or audiences. In one streamer’s chat today, there was a whole bunch of sighing over what a team member had said ("hell"), and the chat moderator even said they hadn’t heard anything that seemed out of range. The streamer apologized to their audience, because clearly their audience had expectations of milder language.

Whether those expectations were realistic is beside the point when you need to retain your audience, which I totally get. As a writer, whether of fanfic or ofic, I want my readers to have a pretty good idea what they are getting into and not have any unpleasant surprises, both because I prefer to avoid unpleasant surprises and because I’d like them to come back and read other things. That makes for some interesting adventures in content tagging sometimes, and that’s with something that has at least been read through once before posting (and usually a lot more editing than that), not something live, which is much more challenging. I found myself really sympathizing with the streamer as a result, because it was an awkward position to be in.

Part of the problem, I think, is that MCYT is a bunch of largely independent producers of live and recorded video, which is very different than having a board of some kind reviewing a recording and determining what rating to slap on it (or however that works). YouTube and Twitch have their respective Terms of Service, most of which boil down to COPPA, since they’re US-based, and are therefore not all that helpful. As a result, streamers and video creators do need a way to communicate expectations to their audience that goes beyond ToS, and so they use a familiar system, but not only do not all creators have the same understanding of what falls within the boundaries of “PG,” neither do their audience members.

At least, that’s how it appears to me. I’m interested to hear other people’s thoughts. Whether you’re in MCYT fandom or not, what are your expectations of something, live or recorded, that is considered “PG”? And are those expectations different at all when the thing is live versus recorded?

*I think all MCC participants are livestreamers, but that may be selection bias. The reason I even know MCC exists is because people I watch in other contexts also participate in MCC and stream it when they do. It’s possible that some players do not either stream or record their performances, but I’m not sure. Having heard one of the organizers talk about the Tetris of matching people on multiple axes including stream ratings, though, I think that everyone participating is streaming it live.

[jobycewl]

I believe in the “Everyone is jealous of Shang Qinghua” agenda

[xfilesinamajor]

You can tell I’ve been a mom longer than I’ve been on tumblr, because whenever I see “rated E” my brain goes “E for everyone” instead of “E for explicit.”

[babyblueetbaemonster]

"HA HA HA HA HA! I'M LITERATELY AIMING MY FINGERS!!!"

"This kid is going places..."

[fuckyeahchinesefashion]

Cnetizens: WTF why is the Chinese translation of Mozart L'Opera Rock·L'assasymphonie(The Assassin Symphony) on NetEase Music App is 口人交响曲('Blowjob that Man to Death' Symphony) It's not professional, and it's not ethical 

OP: I'm so sorry.. It's me who uploaded the translation because they censor words like murder/kill/assassin....So I cover the sensitive word with 口.....and they immediately approved it

they even censor the subtitles

Follow-up: The correct translation has been uploaded and changed to 'Death has arrived' Symphony.

btw the censorship system on various platforms is simply overkill, such as the biggest APP of fictions for women, the jinjiang novel

There's a post went viral about a well-known writer's efforts for recovering one affectionate comment her reader gave her

[reasonsforhope]

"Expanding freedom and opportunity to millions

Over a decade ago, researchers, policymakers, journalists, and individuals and family members harmed by prisons and jails helped define American mass incarceration as one of the fundamental policy challenges of our time. In the years since, policymakers and voters in red, blue, and purple jurisdictions have advanced criminal justice reforms that safely reduced prison and jail populations, expanding freedom and opportunities to tens of millions of Americans.

After nearly forty years of uninterrupted prison population growth, our collective awareness of the costs of mass incarceration has fundamentally shifted–and our sustained efforts to turn the tide have yielded meaningful results.

Since its peak in 2009, the number of people in prison has declined by 24 percent (see figure 1). The total number of people incarcerated has dropped 21 percent since the 2008 peak of almost 2.4 million people, representing over 500,000 fewer people behind bars in 2022. Absent reforms, more than 40 million more people would have been admitted to prison and jail over this period. The number of people on probation and parole supervision has also dropped 27 percent since its peak in 2007, allowing many more people to live their lives free from onerous conditions that impede thriving and, too often, channel them back into incarceration for simple rule violations.1

"Absent reforms, more than 40 million more people would have been admitted to prison and jail over this period. [2008 to 2022]"

Make no mistake: mass incarceration and the racial and economic disparities it drives continue to shape America for the worse. The U.S. locks up more people per capita and imposes longer sentences than most other countries. Nearly 1-in-2 adults in the U.S. have an immediate family member that has been incarcerated, with lifelong, often multigenerational, consequences for family members’ health and financial stability. Yet the past decade of successful reforms demonstrate that we can and must continue to reduce incarceration. These expansions of freedom and justice–and the millions of people they have impacted–help define what is at stake as public safety has reemerged as a dominant theme in American public and political conversation.

...We have a robust body of research built over decades showing that jail stays and long prison sentences do not reduce crime rates. And fortunately, we have an extensive and expanding body of research on what does work to reduce crime and keep communities safe. The evidence is clear: our focus must be on continuing and accelerating reductions in incarceration.

Black imprisonment rate drops by nearly half

People directly impacted by incarceration and other leaders in the criminal justice reform movement have persistently called out how the unequal application of policies such as bail, sentencing, and parole (among others) drive massive racial disparities in incarceration. The concerted effort to reduce our prison population has had the most impact on the group that paid the greatest price during the rise of mass incarceration: Black people, and particularly Black men.

The Black imprisonment rate has declined by nearly 50 percent since the country’s peak imprisonment rate in 2008 (see figure 2). And between 1999 and 2019, the Black male incarceration rate dropped by 44 percent, and notable declines in Black male incarceration rates were seen in all 50 states. For Black men, the lifetime risk of incarceration declined by nearly half from 1999 to 2019—from 1 in 3 Black men imprisoned in their lifetime to 1 in 5.

While still unacceptably high, this reduction in incarceration rates means that Black men are now more likely to graduate college than go to prison, a flip from a decade ago. This change will help disrupt the cycle of incarceration and poverty for generations to come.

Expanding safety and justice together

The past decade-plus of incarceration declines were accompanied by an increase in public safety. From 2009-2022, 45 states saw reductions in crime rates, while imprisoning fewer people, with crime falling faster in states that reduced imprisonment than in states that increased it.

This is in keeping with the extensive body of research showing that incarceration is among the least effective and most expensive means to advance safety. Our extremely long sentences don’t deter or prevent crime. In fact, incarcerating people can increase the likelihood people will return to jail or prison in the future. Public safety and a more fair and just criminal system are not in conflict.

Strong and widespread support for reform

We have also seen dramatic progress on the public opinion front, with a clear understanding from voters that the criminal justice system needs more reform, not less. Recent polling shows that by a nearly 2 to 1 margin respondents prefer addressing social and economic problems over strengthening law enforcement to reduce crime. [In simpler terms: people are twice as likely to prefer non-law-enforcement solutions to crimes.]

Nearly nine-in-ten Black adults say policing, the judicial process, and the prison system need major changes for Black people to be treated fairly. Seventy percent of all voters (see figure 3) and 80 percent of Black voters believe it’s important to reduce the number of people in jail and prison. Eighty percent of all voters, including nearly three-fourths of Republican voters, support criminal justice reforms.

This is not only a blue state phenomenon. Recent polling in Mississippi indicates strong support across the political spectrum for bold policies that reduce incarceration. For example, according to polling from last month, 72 percent of Mississippians, including majorities from both parties, believe it is important to reduce the number of people in prison (see figure 4). Perhaps most tellingly, across the country victims of crime also support further reforms to our criminal justice system over solutions that rely on jail stays and harsh prison sentences...

We are at an inflection point: we can continue to rely on the failed mass incarceration tactics of the past, or chart a new path that takes safety seriously by continuing to reform our broken criminal justice system and strengthening families and communities."

-via FWD.us, May 15, 2024

[halorvic]

The danger is clear and present: COVID isn’t merely a respiratory illness; it’s a multi-dimensional threat impacting brain function, attacking almost all of the body’s organs, producing elevated risks of all kinds, and weakening our ability to fight off other diseases. Reinfections are thought to produce cumulative risks, and Long COVID is on the rise. Unfortunately, Long COVID is now being considered a long-term chronic illness — something many people will never fully recover from. Dr. Phillip Alvelda, a former program manager in DARPA’s Biological Technologies Office that pioneered the synthetic biology industry and the development of mRNA vaccine technology, is the founder of Medio Labs, a COVID diagnostic testing company. He has stepped forward as a strong critic of government COVID management, accusing health agencies of inadequacy and even deception. Alvelda is pushing for accountability and immediate action to tackle Long COVID and fend off future pandemics with stronger public health strategies. Contrary to public belief, he warns, COVID is not like the flu. New variants evolve much faster, making annual shots inadequate. He believes that if things continue as they are, with new COVID variants emerging and reinfections happening rapidly, the majority of Americans may eventually grapple with some form of Long COVID. Let’s repeat that: At the current rate of infection, most Americans may get Long COVID.

[...]

LP: A recent JAMA study found that US adults with Long COVID are more prone to depression and anxiety – and they’re struggling to afford treatment. Given the virus’s impact on the brain, I guess the link to mental health issues isn’t surprising. PA: There are all kinds of weird things going on that could be related to COVID’s cognitive effects. I’ll give you an example. We’ve noticed since the start of the pandemic that accidents are increasing. A report published by TRIP, a transportation research nonprofit, found that traffic fatalities in California increased by 22% from 2019 to 2022. They also found the likelihood of being killed in a traffic crash increased by 28% over that period. Other data, like studies from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, came to similar conclusions, reporting that traffic fatalities hit a 16-year high across the country in 2021. The TRIP report also looked at traffic fatalities on a national level and found that traffic fatalities increased by 19%. LP: What role might COVID play? PA: Research points to the various ways COVID attacks the brain. Some people who have been infected have suffered motor control damage, and that could be a factor in car crashes. News is beginning to emerge about other ways COVID impacts driving. For example, in Ireland, a driver’s COVID-related brain fog was linked to a crash that killed an elderly couple. Damage from COVID could be affecting people who are flying our planes, too. We’ve had pilots that had to quit because they couldn’t control the airplanes anymore. We know that medical events among U.S. military pilots were shown to have risen over 1,700% from 2019 to 2022, which the Pentagon attributes to the virus.

[...]

LP: You’ve criticized the track record of the CDC and the WHO – particularly their stubborn denial that COVID is airborne. PA: They knew the dangers of airborne transmission but refused to admit it for too long. They were warned repeatedly by scientists who studied aerosols. They instituted protections for themselves and for their kids against airborne transmission, but they didn’t tell the rest of us to do that.

[...]

LP: How would you grade Biden on how he’s handled the pandemic? PA: I’d give him an F. In some ways, he fails worse than Trump because more people have actually died from COVID on his watch than on Trump’s, though blame has to be shared with Republican governors and legislators who picked ideological fights opposing things like responsible masking, testing, vaccination, and ventilation improvements for partisan reasons. Biden’s administration has continued to promote the false idea that the vaccine is all that is needed, perpetuating the notion that the pandemic is over and you don’t need to do anything about it. Biden stopped the funding for surveillance and he stopped the funding for renewing vaccine advancement research. Trump allowed 400,000 people to die unnecessarily. The Biden administration policies have allowed more than 800,000 to 900,000 and counting.

[...]

LP: The situation with bird flu is certainly getting more concerning with the CDC confirming that a third person in the U.S. has tested positive after being exposed to infected cows. PA: Unfortunately, we’re repeating many of the same mistakes because we now know that the bird flu has made the jump to several species. The most important one now, of course, is the dairy cows. The dairy farmers have been refusing to let the government come in and inspect and test the cows. A team from Ohio State tested milk from a supermarket and found that 50% of the milk they tested was positive for bird flu viral particles.

[...]

PA: There’s a serious risk now in allowing the virus to freely evolve within the cow population. Each cow acts as a breeding ground for countless genetic mutations, potentially leading to strains capable of jumping to other species. If any of those countless genetic experiments within each cow prove successful in developing a strain transmissible to humans, we could face another pandemic – only this one could have a 58% death rate. Did you see the movie “Contagion?” It was remarkably accurate in its apocalyptic nature. And that virus only had a 20% death rate. If the bird flu makes the jump to human-to-human transition with even half of its current lethality, that would be disastrous.

[starcurtain]

One thing I wish I'd see more of among Ratio fans is some thought about how he views himself as a teacher.

Like yes, of course he refuses to compromise on the quality and rigor of the education he imparts, and he would find it unforgivably unethical to lower his standards in order to pass more students who had not genuinely learned the material. This is core to his character.

However, as someone who is a teacher IRL, I know the absolutely miserable feeling setting that kind of standard can cause. There's the obvious disheartening sense of disappointment ("Are students these days really not capable of doing the work correctly? Is our future in danger, if this is the highest level of understanding our current generation of students can achieve?"), but even worse than that is the self-doubt.

"Is this somehow my fault? Am I not teaching this material in the right ways for the students to learn? Is there something I could have done differently to get through to these students? Would a better teacher have a higher passing rate?"

We know that Ratio does (or at least did) struggle with feeling inferior to the Genius Society, so I think it is also likely, as much as he absolutely will not budge on his academic standards, that he has doubts about his teaching ability as well.

This is the man who wants to educate the entire world to cure the disease of ignorance, and yet only 3% of his actual students are able to get there. How can someone who gets so few of his direct students to a state of enlightenment hope to enlighten the whole universe? If so few students are successfully learning the material of a given class, doesn't that mean the teacher is doing something wrong?Would a better teacher--would a genius, maybe--not be able to impart their knowledge more efficiently and educate even the most challenging of students?

As someone constantly struggling with that balance between keeping academic standards high while also meeting the needs of today's students, I think the passing rates of his courses must affect Dr. Ratio much more deeply than I've seen fans discuss. I think he would question himself harshly over his class success rates, and I think he must be constantly trying to push himself to become the best teacher he possibly can be.

tl;dr: I hope one day the HSR fandom will stop sleeping on the fact that Ratio is an actual practicing professor who probably has astronomical levels of teacher angst. 😂

[violent138]

Chain of custody in Gotham City must be a total joke. Either some corrupt cop played dumb and there are thirty minutes unaccounted for until the evidence shows up in the locker, or some guy in a Batsuit took it and returned a DNA analysis faster than their backlogged labs, and in neither case should the evidence get used, but in Gotham a reasonable judge just lets it slide.

[pachimation]

this man is just doing his best to keep it together rn

[punster-2319]

“Animated Family Films Made After 1968 That SURPRISINGLY Got G-Ratings” Starter Pack

(Before anyone points it out, yes, I am aware that The Land Before Time and All Dogs Go to Heaven were edited before their releases to avoid getting PG ratings).

[sharkest-sharks]

new shark ratings are on their way

[spacebugarts]

Made a version of Michael Afton/Mike Schmidt for Stern's FNaF/Pokémon Au on youtube, and I'm very happy with how it came out! So here he is :) I may have went a bit overboard coming up with version differences and game titles tho lol

[oh-wow-im-still-here]

Ten people already found dead the day shen qingqiu becomes comfortable enough with his sexuality and marriage to start using flirting on purpose as a form of comedy.

[gloomy-prince]

How on earth do you get a “teen” rating on webtoon, I was under the impression it was just “all ages”, “young adult”, and “mature”. And aren’t “teen” and “young adult” functionally the same thing when it comes to books?? What’s the point lol

[bastart13]

"Does that FE3H character have a bastard child?" tier list

One of the funniest things my sister and I have done with FE3H is create the Sylvain-Dimitri bastard tier list aka. on a scale from Sylvain to Dimitri, would that character have a bastard child?

Sylvain sleeps around and bitterly assumes every woman wants a child from him, so duh, while Dimitri would be so ashamed of holding hands with an unmarried partner, he would immediately marry them and claim all responsibility on the spot

The Gilbert tier is "they might if they weren't rizzless"