Comments on: Hollywood ‘teen-smoking’ stance

By: C. Wyatt

C. Wyatt — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 15:34:48 +0000

Interesting. At stake in this discussion is what we (society) accept as our norm. In the 1950's it was acceptable and legal to discriminate against minorites. Now, however, because of civil rights proptests the societal norm has moved away from outright discrimination.

Similarly, there were other behaviors in movies and television that were not seen; i.e sex and violence. I doubt anybody would disagree that both are far more prevalent in 2008 than in 1948.

What happens to us (society) is that we gradually accept as normal those things that are continually before us. So that eventually, what was unacceptable becomes accepatable.

Smoking has become unaccepatable in the public mind. With continued pressure, Hollywood will eventually reflect the changing public perception of smoking, and there will be less of it.

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Thu, 17 May 2007 12:19:27 +0000

Hollywood, in some form or another, depicts almost every illegal act imaginable on screen. Sometimes the perpetrators get what’s coming to them, sometimes they don’t.

Every act, that is, EXCEPT file sharing.

In fact, the ONLY movie that I can recall that was produced by an MPAA studio that included file sharing in the plot was The Italian Job, and even then it was only referencing the former Napster, and thus referring to music piracy and not movie piracy. At no point in any movie has Hollywood, infamous for glamorizing mass murders and heavy drug use, done the same for movie piracy. Never.

If anything, this indicates that the MPAA is well aware of how impressionable some people can be, and they don’t want to take any risks, lest they reinforce the perceived coolness of file sharing. While I generally subscribe to the idea that it is the usually the uneducated and easily impressionable person who believes that stuff portrayed on the movie screen is usually the same as it is in reality (even if it is on a few rare occasions), I find this Hollywood move particularly interesting.

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Thu, 17 May 2007 00:28:26 +0000

Maybe not.

Not everyone uses english as their first language on the
WORLDWIDE web.

So what ?

I understood his/her point perfectly well, so the misspellings
did not in anyway detract from the post.

Spelling/grammer-nazi tactics are simply another form of
ad-hominem .. ie .. if you can’t properly refute the point,
attack the poster.

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Wed, 16 May 2007 23:07:48 +0000

English much?

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Wed, 16 May 2007 19:25:45 +0000

I could not bring myself the finsh TFA. but, at what point did it becoume every one leses problem? Somkeing is bad for you. we all know that and have known that since the 1950!! just like over eating, being promiscuous, and drinking. these are your choiceses. you know the consiquesis going in the results are on your own head.

/I am guilty of some of the vices
// is my problem no one elses

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Wed, 16 May 2007 18:32:03 +0000

I disagree. Movies are the only place where smoking is sexy. In real life it’s stinky and gross and indicative of a drug addict. Media never influenced me to smoke. I don’t really have a problem with it. I’ll parent my own kids, thanks.