Smoking in movies encourages
Many studies have linked smoking on the big screen with increased adolescent smoking, but this is the first to assess children before they take up the habit and track them over time.
Some experts say the study provides the strongest evidence to date that smoking depicted in movies encourages adolescents to start smoking. Others remain unconvinced.
I think there are more movies that depict violence than smoking – - is this the cause of all the violence in the world?
If this study is fact (and I don’t think for a moment that it is) then anything depicted in a movie encourages youth – - so here once again it isn’t about people be they 15 or 85 to take personal responsibility – - it’s about passing the buck. It isn’t about people who have free choice to make the right choice, but rather about them not being able to think on their own and being followers.
Is this study stating that today’s youth, the future of this world, are a group of non-thinking followers? Pity.
June 10, 2003 - 10:00 AM on June 10th, 2003
People given the idea of doing something are more likely to do it than those who aren’t given the idea. It is just really hard to track that. Plus, just because a person is responsible for their own actions doesn’t mean that a person can’t receive the idea from elsewhere and then decide to do the same thing. It’s not a one or the other, it is both sides that are responsible.
The blur and arguments stem from degree of responsibility of both sides. Those who truly recognize responsibility don’t pass the buck on how the other is responsible. The unfortunately thing is that those who lack responsibility are inherently the ones that will speak up protesting claiming “look what s/he did to me”. Whereas the truly responsible are busy doing things instead of complaining and grabbing attention with complaints.
June 10, 2003 - 11:19 AM on June 10th, 2003
Well, heck, if there was any credibility whatsoever in this particular study, you’d think that teens during the thirties and forties would be smoking up a storm considering the number of folks lighting up in those films, wouldn’t you? I mean, even Jimmy Stewart, terribly squeaky-clean even by the Hollywood standards of those days, was known to have lit up on occasion, and no one thought anything of it!
June 10, 2003 - 11:55 AM on June 10th, 2003
I think what they mean is because of the power of suggestion. if you are of the age to make this decision and you have a good upbringing you probably wouldn’t smoke. Now peer pressure on the other hand is an incredibly powerful force when it comes to people making some seriously stupid mistakes…
oh well, there are some places in the movies when I have seen people light up and for no reason at all, but just to show them lighting up. re-watch the first ghost busters and count how many times in the movie they light up right in the middle of their conversation, it’s like their trying to MAKE you see them smoking… weird.
June 10, 2003 - 12:32 PM on June 10th, 2003
I find it hard to believe that you can easily catagorize movies into smoking and non-smoking. It’s far more likely that kids that don’t smoke are turned off by the smoking in the movies and the rest don’ t notice it.
June 10, 2003 - 02:43 PM on June 10th, 2003
I am waiting for Ted Turner to use CGI to remove cigarettes from all of the classic movies while he is colorizing them.
June 10, 2003 - 03:57 PM on June 10th, 2003
Peer pressure certainly is more to blame for influencing people to start smoking than movies. Movies only act as advertising does which is that advertisers figure they tell you something enough times, you’ll start thinking it and thinking about it (see people smoking enough, it has an effect).
June 10, 2003 - 06:08 PM on June 10th, 2003
When are people going to stop blaming everyone and everything else and take some responsibility for thier actions. “It’s Mcdonalds fault for making those burgers so tasty”, “It’s the gun makers fault because some psycho killed a bus load of people”, “Its video games fault for making my kid violent”, “Joe Camel made my teen smoke”. This kind of attitude makes people actually believe they are not responsible for thier actions and its ok to do what they want without regard to the consequences. Actions have reactions, but unfortunately today it is usually a lawsuit.
June 12, 2003 - 04:06 PM on June 12th, 2003
That’s right. It’s all about personal responsibility. But we have to remember- personal responsibility is not politically correct. At least it wasn’t when Clinton was in office.