A coalition of advocacy organizations, led by the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, is asking the Motion Picture Association of American (MPAA) to stop advertising movies rated PG-13 to young children.

Last week, the Federal Trade Commission urged the MPAA to reconsider their guidelines on where and how PG-13 movies are advertised and marketed.

Trouble is, the MPAA doesn’t have any guidelines.

The advocacy organizations, including Parents for Ethical Marketing, would like to restrict advertising PG-13 movies during children’s TV shows, prohibit fast-food toy giveaways aimed at young children for PG-13 movies, and insure that any toys based on a movie are sold with an age recommendation consistent with the film’s rating.

Cheryl Lanza, a rep from the United Church of Christ, Inc., who also signed the request, says:

It is distressing that the industry response to parental concerns about media content is almost always to place the full burden on parents. These industry members essentially offer parents a Hobson’s choice: either expose your children to content that you find unacceptable, or withdraw your children from popular culture.  This serves no one. We all benefit with more mutual communication and understanding, not less.

Agree? Contact Dan Glickman, MPAA Chair and CEO, by calling (202) 293-1966 or faxing (202) 296-7410.

The letter to the MPAA was also signed by:

Action Coalition for Media Education
Alliance for Childhood
Benton Foundation
Center for a New American Dream
Center for SCREEN-TIME Awareness
Commercial Alert
Concerned Educators Allied for a Safe Environment (CEASE)
Dads and Daughters
Hardy Girls Healthy Women
Industry Ears
Kids Can Make a Difference
The Motherhood Project
National Institute on Media and the Family
Obligation, Inc.
Parents Television Council
Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children’s Entertainment (TRUCE)

Speaking of unethical marketing to children, looks like New Line Cinema is using the evil powers of marketing to promote the atheist agenda in ”The Golden Compass.”

Based on the first book in Philip Pullmans’ trilogy, His Dark Materials, “The Golden Compass” is the story of a young, orphaned girl who sets out on an epic journey to find her best friend who has been kidnapped. If you want the whole story, you can find the movie synopsis here.

The trilogy has been compared to the Harry Potter series, but as the New York Times pointed out, Pullman’s books are “actually brainier and better written.”

The trilogy was recommended to us by a friend while I was lamenting my then-eight-year-old’s reading “problem:” finding suitable books for her developmental age that are written at a higher-than-her-age reading level. (I found that Fantasy books have been the best solution.)

I read the books first, in preparation discuss any questions she might have about the content.

I fell in love with them. And so did she.

That’s why I find it so difficult to accept the criticism that the story is promoting atheism to children. The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights has gone so far to publish a response, “The Golden Compass: Agenda Unmasked” (electronic copies available for $5).

The Catholic League isn’t so concerned about the movie itself, as it is not the most offensive in the trilogy, but according to William Donohue, president of The Catholic League:

It’s a deceitful, stealth campaign . . . the film is bait for the books: unsuspecting parents who take their children to see the movie may feel impelled to buy the three books as a Christmas present.

Kind of odd for atheist-loving folks to buy Christmas presents, but whatever.

I can safely tell you that reading the books will not cause your children to embrace the atheist lifestyle. The books are not about atheism, they are about the dangers associated with power in organized religion. (I can see why this makes Catholics nervous.) And my daughter saw no religious symbolism whatsoever; rather, she saw it as the struggle between good and evil, “like most books are.”

Pullman says:

I think the qualities that the books celebrate are those such as kindness, love, courage and courtesy, too. And intellectual curiosity. All these good things. And the qualities that the books attack are cold-heartedness, tyranny, close-mindedness, cruelty, the things that we all agree are bad things. 

What bothers me is that there will be parents and children who will not be exposed to this wonderful story, because they are taking advice from people who haven’t even read the books. 

And I don’t think parents can be “tricked” into buying anything. It’s children who are tricked. And I have to say, I’d rather have my kids tricked into buying well-written, imaginative books, than, say, a “Bee Movie” Xbox game, a “Bee Movie” rolling luggage case, ”Bee Movie” Fruit by the Foot value pack, ”Bee Movie” Happy Meals, a “Bee Movie” digital watch set, a “Bee Movie” pencil bag, or a ”Bee Movie” 2008 wall calendar.

Now that’s some stealth marketing I can get angry about.