Just Say No to Tobacco

See how that rhymes? It totally does. Today's hot topic from CNN is smoking. Apparently the American Medical Association Alliance has had enough. They are calling for all movies that depict characters smoking to be rated R. The reasoning is that apparently there is a study that shows that seeing these images inspires teenagers to start smoking. The actual article is much more clear if you prefer facts over vagueness. As much as I will acknowledge that smoking is yucky, and that I wish my friends would not do it (and yes I know it's hard to quit and I'm not getting all Judgey McJudgerson here, I just worry about you), I'm not sure this is the right approach. In conversations I've had with friends about why they starting smoking, usually the answer has something to do with the fact that all their other friends were doing it and it sounded good at the time. Of course, there may be deeper psychological factors that they can't fully pinpoint. Maybe they DO just want to be Sandy so they can hook their Danny.

Think of the movies and shows we loved back in the day that totally promoted smoking:

1. Alice in Wonderland

2. Newsies

3. Footloose (because Bad Boys smoke)

4. Pretty in Pink (because Bad Boys smoke in the hallways of high school)

5. The Odd Couple

6. The Flinstones

7. I Love Lucy (to keep your man happy).

8. The Muppets

9. The A-Team

And, by the way, guess what you are all getting for Christmas.

Not to discount the value in not portraying smoking in a positive light on screen, because I'm sure there is value there, but I think possibly it has a wee bit less to do with what we see on screen, and more with the messages we get at home. K and I were talking about how we watched a lot of the above shows, but we also got the message that smoking is yucky, and that we don't do that. I think parents really do have a lot of power to shape the opinions of their wee ones. I had no idea when I was little that people turn to cigarettes when they are stressed, because of something the nicotine does when you are addicted, er whatever. I just knew it smelled yucky and was bad for you. Also that Mom frowned on pulling the butts one might find in the street apart, and that inside the butts, there was a weird cotton substance. What is that, anyways?

On the other hand, I know kids/adults whose parents smoke who will NEVER smoke having watched their parents go through the struggle of trying to quit over and over, and the health issues, and I know people whose parents abhor smoking who are chain smokers. So there you have it. I guess my point is, kids, don't smoke. Apparently my neighbor missed that memo because I smell smoke wafting through my window right now. So much for that "non-smoking" building.