Keeping up with the Jones'/ Who Manages Ratings?

So lately, I've been wondering about a lot of things...just thoughts circling around my head.

One thing I've wondered about is who the Jones' are. Does anyone know the Jones'? Because, without knowing them, it's kind of hard to justify spending time, money and resources trying to keep up with them. I can honestly say that I know a lot of fantastic people, but I have no desire to keep up with any of them. I'm perfectly content walking my own path and wish them well along their path. So, if I know all these people that are so great and yet not people I want to keep up with, why would the Jones' be worth any time and energy at all? I think most people know this...it's not some new revelation I'm having here, yet it's funny how it can creep in, slowly and often in ways not easily detected. The impact this underlying view has is really pretty far-reaching. It affects/impacts so much of what we do, so many aspects of our lives. We all experience it...there's no way to completely remove this tendency from the human experience, in my opinion. What we need to do is recognize it as a powerful force that we need to identify and control in our lives. Diffuse it. I don't know...just something I'm thinking about...

Something else I've been wondering about lately, as I consider more intensively the media and its impact on my family and the values we are trying to instill in our kids, is who are these people that I have entrusted to ascertain whether a movie or video game is suitable for my kids? What criteria are they using as they determine what rating to put on a movie or video game and do these criteria mesh with my own personal standards? More often than not, I'd have to say no...the amount of sexuality and violence in our media is absolutely astounding, and the impact this has on our children (and us) is without measure. The structure that is created, in part by these images in our media, creates a framework that works against so many of our efforts as parents as we try to instill values that reflect modesty, respect for self and others, personal responsibility and accountability, the ability to communicate to negotiate problems, inner beauty and a sense of self worth based on who our children are as people rather than what the world tells them is important. So, who are these people that are deciding that one movie is appropriate for 17 year olds and another is appropriate for 13 year old. And, what exactly are they evaluating? I think they miss the mark an awful lot. I respect that these ratings are in place to assist us as parents and not do our jobs for us, don't get me wrong. Too often though, it's easy, as parents in a busy world, to be lulled into passivity and let these standards stand on their own. And, let's face it, I don't care how vigilant you are, we're desensitized in a lot of ways, too. We don't often recognize the gravity of these messages either, and, really what that means for us and our view of the world is significant as well. I guess my thought here is less about censorship and more about identifying who the social "gatekeepers" are...are the people we choose to assess the "appropriateness" of material really qualified to do so? Why? What criteria do they need to meet...in other words, why should I trust them?