Censorship Priorities

[deckardcanine]

People have asked why American censors
Are lighter on violent acts than on sex
And, likewise, American ratings boards mostly
Give only pornography ratings like X.

I get why we ask, because violence probably
Causes more trouble than sex in RL.
The former’s destructive by nature; the latter,
While risky, is likely to end rather well.

I thought of a possible answer: We know
On some level that violence shown on a screen
Is not so authentic; the actors or stunt doubles
Rarely get injured in footage we’ve seen.

By contrast, when actors are naked on camera,
It’s almost assured what we’re seeing is real.
This factor depends on the medium, yes,
But I still think my theory has certain appeal.