NC-17 is losing some of its taboo qualities, with major studios agreeing to release films with the once-dreaded rating, and newspapers readily airing ads for them. True, video stores still won’t stock them, but they will stock “unrated” versions of R-rated films which include NC-17-worthy footage. So what does it all mean? Are we a more permissive society than we were a decade ago? Are studios less risk-averse? Is Western civilization knuckling under to the dark forces of deviant morality? Or is it just possible that Hollywood has decided that there’s very little point in having a rating that you can’t use?