Stupid Ratings

Imagine you're 12 years old again and you really want to go an see a film you've been dying to see for months. The rating is 'To Be Confirmed' and you still hold the hope that it will be rated 12A, just so you can go and see it. But, alas your hopes is dashed when it is given a 15 rating. This repeatedly happened to me, but I never realised how lenient the British Board of Film Classification's (BBFC) rating system was.
A PG film that is supposed to be suitable for children aged 8 and older can contain sex and drugs references. It can also contain moderate violence, but it has to be justified by the content (e.g. fantasy). A 12 film can contain discreet sexual activity. 15 films are allowed to contain hard drugs and; 18 films can contain real sex and strong violence.
There is also an R18 rating. I didn't even know the UK had this rating. Films with these ratings can only be shown in ADULT cinemas.
What annoys me is how do you decide what is moderate and what is mild? That means something different to everyone. It depends where you've grown up and how you've been raised. No two people have the exact same view of what is moderate and mild. For this reason I'd be scared to have the responsibility of deciding because of all those parents complaining as the PG they took their children is too violent or the language was too strong. I commend those that do, I wouldn't want to fight off all those parents.
Personally, I've been watching 18 films at home since I was about 12. My parents didn't mind because they knew that I'd have to watch them at some point as film was my career choice.The fact I've seen them hasn't badly affected my personality, but I can understand why they have to rate films. It could probably affect someone badly; teaching children swear words. I was just grateful for the 12A rating.