In a dusty basement in Soho Square, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has been poring over a new report. The regulatory body that decides the UK age ratings for film and TV is making adjustments, based on the findings of a study it commissioned about on-screen depictions of racist language and behaviour. Certain tropes will in future warrant higher age ratings. Specifically, films containing the N-word will automatically receive a 12 rating unless there are significant mitigating circumstances; where, for example, “historical racist language” is deemed to be appropriately contextualised.
Older films that contain racism won’t be cancelled, or worse, edited to remove it – but there are still concerning glimmers of the BBFC’s history as the official, paternalistic censor that shine through in its new rules.
Source: The British film board’s racism rule change smacks of paternalism | Simran Hans | The Guardian