Open Forum Friday: Does Smoking in Movies Really Influence Kids?
Looks like the anti-smoking lobby groups are back at it again this summer, once again applying pressure on the MPAA to serve up harsher ratings on movies that depict images of smoking on screen. Back in 2007, the MPAA announced that they would be placing a greater significance on smoking in films, but apparently that wasn’t enough. The American Medical Association Alliance, along with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the California Youth Advocacy Network, are starting a petition to earn any movie an automatic R-rating if it has smoking in it. What’s more they’ve started a public campaign to draw attention to the movies that are the biggest offenders this summer. Am I crazy, or is this getting to be a little bit much?
I should point out that I don’t smoke, and I’ve been pretty supportive of a lot of the laws that have been banning smoking in public places to protect non-smokers like myself from second-hand smoke. But it seems to me that the lobby groups are running out of battles here. Are they really going to try and eradicate smoking from pop culture completely? There are tons of classic characters over the years who have used smoking as a character trait, and I honestly would hate to lose that. Besides, I think parents and peers are a lot more influential to young people who start smoking than, for example, seeing Hugh Jackman chomp on a cigar in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
They claim that studies say “up to half of all new smoking by teenagers can be attributed to smoking in movies”, but that seems awfully exaggerated to me. Then again, I’m not a parent, so maybe I’m not as sensitive to the issue. What do you think? Is there too much smoking in PG-13 movies today? Should smoking be removed from film as much as possible, or is there a genuine artistic justification for it? Give us your thoughts here on Open Forum Friday.
Comments (19)
It would be funny if, after watching Wolvie Origins, teenagers began smoking cigars instead of cigarettes.
“What is this? 1929?”
“Wolverine smoked cigars!”
“Did he also have a smoking jacket?”
But I agree. I think parents and peers have more weight than actors and actresses. I believe Malcolm Gladwell made a good point on parent-peer smoking influence, but I can’t remember what it was and the book (I wanna say The Tipping Point, but it might be another one of his books) isn’t nearby. If anybody knows what I’m talking about, hit us up with some knowledge.
Posted by Mike D on May 29th, 2009What’s next, ban kids from having friends so they don’t submit to peer pressure. I am a smoker, but the ban on smoking in public places does not bother me in the slightest. i agree that people should not have to breathe my second hand smoke, yet since an almost worldwide blanket ban on smoking in public has been instituted i feel these lobby groups have just found another bandwagon to jump on. It is also irritating that these people seem to be saying that all teenagers behave in a “monkey see, monkey do” manner, and mindlessly start smoking because they see an actor in a film doing the same. if you start looking through films to censor anything teenagers may copy, what would we have left to watch. If all the kids that go to see “Up” over the next few days attach balloons to their houses and float away….I will stand corrected.
sorry for the rambling rant!
Paul
Posted by Paul on May 29th, 2009Of course it influences kids, but who gives a shit? Isn’t that what parents are for? Movies and media in general influence us all.
Posted by Phil G on May 29th, 2009I’m gonna have to say yes, yes it does.
I don’t smoke, I’m actually pretty anti-smoking and was so from a very little age when a family friend died from lung cancer. And still I remember thinking smoking looked kinda cool, despite that. All the cool guys on the screen did it.
I don’t care if they smoke on the big screen, though. I don’t see why a character shouldn’t smoke. They are his lungs to ruin, haha.
Posted by Renton on May 29th, 2009this is a serious issue guys!!! I saw Pineapple Express and I’ve not been able to stop smoking!!! written at 420 chicago time
Posted by rus in chicago on May 29th, 2009Movies may play a role in this but I must ask the question what percentage does it? I mean there are so many other avenues for promoting smoking. Actually looking at advertising 101 even negative ads on smoking can promote smoking. In fact I never even noticed smoking in movies until the anti smoking push in ads came out. I must say Gandalf makes me want to smoke a pipe just as much as I want to walk around with a big staff or cane.
Posted by BigHungry on May 29th, 2009Yes, it may influence kids. It is however the parents’ responsibility to teach their kids how harmful it is. How many pg-13 action movies have one character killing another one? Surely murdering someone deserves more of a restriction than smoking. And yet all kids aren’t killing each other after seeing a violent action movie. That’s because of the parents. Kids are a resiliant bunch. They can probably watch and understand a lot more stuff than we give them credit for as long as parents are there to explain to them what’s happening on screen.
Posted by Matt on May 29th, 2009I think this is taking it too far. To require an R-rating for a cigarette smoking character seems pretty ridiculous to me. I dont think it has anything to do with being a parent and there are worse things in PG-13’s than this. I think that smoking in movies has largely decreased since society has recognized that it is unhealthy and I would say that the amount of smokers within movies are relative to that of the population, if not less.
Posted by Nick on May 29th, 2009My grandfather used to say that if you didn’t smoke, then you weren’t a man. Nevertheless, my father ignored his advice, and taught me the important lesson that you shouldn’t always listen to your parents.
Personally, having grown up when men used to smoke in movies all the time, I’ve always thought that smoking is cool. Nowadays, there are no real men in the movies.
Real men die young.
(Do I need to mention that I don’t smoke and that I’m old?)
Posted by Reed Farrington on May 29th, 2009After reading this article, I have an urge to smoke now. >P
Posted by Tomas on May 29th, 2009Hmmm … and eating an ice cream cone can lead to Type II Diabetes. Everything is bad for you. I wouldn’t say I’ve seen too many recent portrayls of smoking as being anything other than a nasty vice of flawed anti-heroes or a prop for bad guys. Then again Sherlock Holmes is coming out soon and I bet that’ll make all the kids want to shoot up morphine and practice inductive thinking whilst smoking a pipe on their way to the opium dens.
Posted by Ian on May 30th, 2009http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/5423098/The-Simpsons-promotes-smoking.html
Funny a couple days after this article a group attacks The Simpsons for promoting smoking, saying that even though the show paints it negatively, depicting it at all is somehow encouragement.
I suppose by that logic they should just stop running ‘dont drink and drive’ ads, right?
Posted by Goon on June 2nd, 2009Here’s my bias; I work for the anti-tobacco side. Having said that, I must admit I was at first skeptical when we started working on this. Once I read the Sargent study out of Dartmouth and published in the Lancet, I realized that what we are doing is exactly what some of you have proposed; giving parents more power to influence their children’s behavior. If they can use the rating system to protect their children, then we will save 60,000 lives. And remember, tobacco companies have historically paid off film makers and actors because they know that the best commercial is one that you don’t even realize you are watching. Check out the smokefreemovies website.
Posted by Diane M. on June 2nd, 2009“Tobacco companies have historically paid off film makers and actors because they know that the best commercial is one that you don’t even realize you are watching.”
But these days I am hard pressed to think of any modern character on TV or movies that smokes that is seen as a hero or cool. The best example I can think of is Doc Cottle on Battlestar Galactica, which is more for comic effect.
I generally have a beef with the anti-smoking lobby because some of the things they’ve resorted to are downright bullying, they get way too much funding vs. other more urgent awareness groups like breast cancer, and because they’re the good guys they’re able to get away with a lot of downright lying in advertising and brochures because to correct them makes you look like some paid off undercover lobbyist for the tobacco industry, or some chainsmoker in denial.
On top of all of this, the more clout given the idea that ’seeing smoking = starting smoking’ just fuels every other annoying group that wants to blame video games for violence, blame porn for rape and violence, blame horror movies for murder, or any other group actively absolving any personal responsibility from anyone, turning everyone into victims, and ultimately trying to remove peoples choices.
Posted by Goon on June 2nd, 2009I wonder how many kids some of these people think started smoking because of Cruella de Ville?
Posted by Goon on June 2nd, 2009Just wanted to say hello all. This is my first post.
I expect to learn a lot here.
Posted by AQUACTATH on September 16th, 2009Hiya
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Very well constructed
In fact I have been searching for this for months
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Great effort keep up the good work !
John
@ Goon
Posted by Itchy-Finger on October 13th, 2009I hear ya, I watch porn all the time and never have gotten raped.
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/new_anti_smoking_ads_warn_teens
Good timing for this nice piece of satire to pop up. Check it.
Posted by Goon on October 13th, 2009Leave a Reply