We've Come a Long Way

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And not in a good way. On this day in history in 1930, Hollywood cracked down on what was acceptable and not acceptable in the motion picture industry. There was what was called the Hays Code. The Hays code dealt with what they deemed excessive immorality. In 1922 after several risqué movies and scandals, Hollywood hired a Presbyterian elder, Will H. Hays to rehabilitate the motion picture industry. Before the code became official, these were the don'ts and be carefuls of the industry. "Resolved, That those things which are included in the list shall not appear in pictures produced by members of this Association, irrespective of the manner in which they are treated: 1. Pointed profanity - either by title or lip - this includes the words "God", "Lord", "Jesus", "Christ", (unless they be used reverently in connection with proper religious ceremonies), "hell", "damn", "Gawd", and every other profane and vulgar expression however it may be spelled. 2. Any licentious or suggestive nudity - in fact, or silhouette; and any lecherous or licentious notice thereof by other characters in the picture; 3. The illegal traffic of drugs; 4. Any inference of sex perversion; 5. White slavery; 6. Miscegenation (sex relationships between the white and black races; 7. Sex hygiene and venereal diseases; 8. Scenes of actual childbirth - in fact, or in silhouette; 9. Children's sex organs; 10. Ridicule of the clergy; 11. Willful offense to any nation, race or creed; And be it further resolved, That special care be exercised in the manner in which the following subjects are treated, to the end that vulgarity and suggestiveness may be eliminated and that good taste may be emphasized: 1. The use of the flag; 2. International relations (avoiding picturizing in any unfavorable light another country's religion, history, institutions, prominent people, and citizenry); 3. Arson; 4. The use of firearms; 5. Theft, robbery, safe-cracking, and dynamiting of trains, mines, buildings, etc. (having in mind the effect which a too-detailed description of these may have upon the moron); 6. Brutality and possible gruesomeness; 7. Technique of committing murder by whatever method; 8. Methods of smuggling; 9. Third-degree methods; 10. Actual hangings or electrocutions as legal punishment for a crime; 11. Sympathy for criminals; 12. Attitude toward public characters and institutions; 13. Sedition; 14. Apparent cruelty to children and animals; 15. Branding of people and animals; 16. The sale of women, or of a woman selling her virtue; 17. Rape or attempted rape; 18. First night scenes; 19. Man and woman in bed together; 20. Deliberate seduction of girls; 21. The institution of marriage; 22. Surgical operations; 23. The use of drugs; 24. Titles or scenes having to do with law enforcement or law-enforcing officers; 25. Excessive or lustful kissing, particularly when one character or the other is a 'heavy'. From these two lists, you can easily see how far we've fallen when it comes to good morals and integrity. Every point has been done away with and emphasized on the screen. In 1968 they did away with this code and enforced a new rating system for movies, still in force today - G, PG, R, and X which was replaced by NC-17. Not only in the movie industry, but television, books, and social media are full of everything that was once banned. It's a wonderful thing when a movie comes out that doesn't have all those things once banned by the motion picture industry. They've fallen a long way when the Shape of Water can win Best Picture while good wholesome movies aren't recognized or considered by the motion picture industry. Resource information - List information found on Wikipedia.