... There’s no “R” in Smoking!
by Sturdy
There are some rumblings that have been quietly making their way around the net in which certain groups are pushing hard for Hollywood to reduce the number of smokers in their films. The answer, according to these groups, is to make images of smoking enough to give a movie an “R” rating. I don’t want to belittle anyone’s feelings about cigarettes or preach to you about how insane certain groups are with forcing their beliefs on others, but I think giving a movie an “R” rating because someone lights up a cigarette is preposterous.
Of course, I understand that smoking cigarettes is bad for you. Is there really anyone out there that doesn’t understand that? We have to suffer through those “truth” commercials in the theater and on our DVD’s and we see/read the warning labels everywhere. It’s not really a secret, and hasn’t been for the past 20 years or so. But when it comes down to it; anyone that chooses to partake in a known, life-threatening activity is accepting a certain amount of risk. Stupid kids will always try to imitate things they see in movies. Should SUPERMAN be rated “R” because some dumbass jumped off a roof, thinking he could fly? No. Although stupid, smoking isn’t illegal and Hollywood shouldn’t burden the responsibility of shielding anyone from an unsafe act.
Is this really why your grandpa smokes?
I also think it has to be taken into context. I don’t think Hollywood has an excessive number of people smoking in movies. I’d love to hear some examples where there’s been a character smoking a cigarette and the act of smoking didn’t fit the character. It’s not like Zac Effron is lighting up between dance numbers in HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL. And in a movie like GREASE, would you try to tell me the Thunderbirds wouldn’t be smoking? I’m clearly not a pro-smoker, but even I have to accept that certain characters, at certain periods in time, smoked.
Slutty Sandy wouldn’t have been the same without a cigarette
I also find it odd that the act of smoking is still such a hot topic that there are people that are pushing Hollywood to change the way they make movies to accommodate it. With nuclear war, terrorist attacks, incurable and fatal diseases, and countless other life-threatening possibilities, why is smoking still a relevant conversation? If someone is still smoking, or starts to smoke at this point in time, there’s really nothing more you can do to stop them, short of making cigarettes illegal.
These commercials get old.
I’m not the MPAA’s biggest fan and I don’t think they act on the best interest of anyone. All of their “rules” and “guidelines” are ambiguous and inconsistent. Although I’d like to see them have some sort of set guidelines, smoking cigarettes shouldn’t be considered. This sets a bad precedent and I wonder where it would stop. Maybe every time a character drives five miles over the speed limit, that should give the movie an “R” rating. Or every time a character drinks a beer, instant “R”. Mandating Hollywood to alter the way they write or film characters in order to push the beliefs of a particular group is bad news for everyone.
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8:29AM on 06/15/2009
For a case in point, just look at the so-called "anti-smoking" ads that the cigarette companies were forced to make after they lost their court case. They made them so that, while they superficially appeared to be against smoking, they made the act look cool and sexy - to say nothing about the forbidden fruit factor that was now involved. Plus, they made the anti-smoking position look bad in the minds of young people by having what appeared to be parents espousing it (because we all know how teenagers love to listen to any advice that their parents give them). As a result, these anti-smoking ads became stealth tobacco commercials targeted at young people - exactly what the court rulings had tried to outlaw. Making smoking into an R-rated activity will have the same effect.