Smoking 'bad as swearing' in film

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/3497294.stm

Movies which feature actors smoking should be given adult ratings, according to a US study. A report issued by the University of California suggested smoking should be treated in the same way as swearing.

Professor Stanton Glantz called on films such as Seabiscuit and Chicago to be given adult ratings because they include smoking. He wants film-makers and studios to consider the influence that featuring smoking in films can have on children.

"No one is saying there should never be any smoking in the movies," said Professor Glantz.

"What we're simply asking for is that smoking be treated by Hollywood as seriously as it treats offensive language."

I guess kids dont need to know about them anyway...

Doesn't Cruella DeVille smoke in that. Whoops, oh well, didnt like the movie anyway. BTW, Rob Reiner is leading the fight on this.

...and I dont.

Ratings are just an excuse for parents to not watch movies w/ their kids. They want "safe" movies that they can park their kids in front of "without having to worry about it." Sorry, but they need to START "worrying about it" and take some interest.

Parents need to get more involved- that will help more than subtle censorship...

Besides, what is COOLER than Bogey & Bacall lighting up in the opening sequence of "The Big Sleep"???...

NT

John Travolta lights up and smokes like a demon in every movie he's in, and loads of kids in the early teen years watch and think how cool it looks. I think they should just ban all the smoking scenes in movies that kids will go to. Adults can deal with it, not impressionable kids.

But offensive language shouldn't be taken seriously either.

Nor should violence or sex.

Most other cultures are able to handle these things rather easily. We cannot because we are constantly trying to hide these things from kids instead of teaching them how to deal with it.