WingColors

People smoke.

Banning it from films--family or otherwise--is distorting reality. That may be fine for a fantasy film, fiction, etc. But not if you're trying to show a realistic story.

It may be none of your characters smoke, or the area they live in has it banned. That's fine, but banning it because smoking is bad for you is simply idiotic.

Do you think smoking should be banned in adult films, or are companies like Miramax and Touchstone just joining the 'politically correct' bandwagon without giving it much thought?

Hell no. Who cares if people smoke in movies, like Ozone said, it distorts reality. I'd like to see the stats on movies with smokers and the negative impact is has on viewers. I highly doubt people picked up smoking because they saw it in some movies.

The only movies I would like to see a reduce in "smoking" stars, would be marketed towards young pre-teen aged kids in which smoking is shown in a "see how COOL we are" sort of way.

People smoke in real life so an outright ban is unrealistic but don't push it on kids.

Hell, it pisses me off that my mother-in-law makes her 11 year old daughter fetch her smokes for her one cigarette at a time. Watching the girl walk outside with a stick between her fingers like she's smoking it makes me furious.

In my opinion smoking is a disgusting habit and I don't like it when people smoke near me... however I think removing it from films and tv is taking it a bit far.

I agree 100% with removing it from shows aimed at children but adults will likely have made the decision to smoke (or not) a long time ago and are unlikely to be influenced by some "celebrity" in a film.

Haha the smoking-guy from X-Files wouldn't have had the same air about him if he kept nipping outside for an unseen cigarette.

But smoking has been used as a device to make somebody seem cool in the past. It's a cliché in Film-Noire. The problem with all of these things is it really only shows the positive effects of smoking (looking cool) and not the terminal COPD/cancer 40 years later on.

This film would have sucked.

Oli: That was a good pun (intended or otherwise) on the Smoking Man, and "the air about him".

The Smoking Man eventually did die from cancer.

I smoke, way too much, I would love to quit but time and again find myself falling back into it. If I see someone smoking in a movie, I often want to have a cigarette myself, particularly if I like the character...

That said, I think Disney is certainly within their limits to state this to companies they own. It sounds like they simply suggested toning it back, not banning it outright. Miramax makes a lot of movies that I can't see them not having cigarettes in.

If the government were to come up with a law like this though, similar to the one banning most forms of advertising for cigarette companies, then I'd think they went to far. Sure, I realize that cigarette co's market teens almost exclusively, but I say either ban cigarette smoking all together, or don't put these ridiculous rules around it that aren't imposed on other businesses.

Again, I hate smoking and wouldn't mind it if the government made it illegal, like they've done for far less dangerous drugs like reefer, but if they are going to continue to make a buttload of profits on taxes, lobbying, etc. then they should think twice about imposing tariffs...

Hmm...maybe a little off topic. Sorry. :)

@Rich: Hah! I think some of the point may have been lost were that movie to be smoke free.

Or perhaps it would've been Thank You for Not Smoking in Movies.

This movie also would've been lacking, maybe even only half as good...

That's ridiculous!!

What are they going to do next? Relate violence to movies and ban explosions and gun fights from them because it promotes violence and gun deaths?

Seriously. I don't like smoking one bit but come on, it's a show.

I don't smoke and don't like people smoking around me, but I tried when I was a teenager like most people. Teenagers are curious about things that they see others do. These habits come from parents, family, peers more than from movies.

I think better they just ban the cigarette companies.

To ban things which happen in real life in movies is not a good idea. They start with smoking who knows what it will be next.

I think they should just make it so it doesn't look "cool" so the kids won't start because their favorite actor smokes in a movie.
I know that kids will smoke, but I do think a bunch of them only do it because they see it on TV or whatnot... I also know the biggest influence is the parents and it should start in the home if the parents don't want the kids to smoke.
I've lost too many people in my life to lung problems due to smoking... it truly amazes me that people smoke when they know it has a really good chance of killing you.
I think Disney family type movies are fine to get rid of smoking scenes. It would be unrealistic to stop it in other movies.

(I also think the cigarette companies should not be sued for someone getting cancer from smoking. Just like the McD's hot coffee law suit.) :shakes head:

Banning real life from any media is a mistake. People smoke, drink, do drugs,commit crimes, and make mistakes.

Why don't we ban all of these things so that we can lve in a world that resembles Pleasantville where everything and everyone is swell?

All smokers have rights as long as they don't offend or destroy others in the process.

@Healthyguy: Hoorah you're being a bigot over here too.... well done at least you are consistent.

Smoking in movies is just free advertising for the cigarette industry. They are literally getting away with murder.

You know what else is free advertising in movies? The clothes that are warn, cars that are shown, phones that people use. Smoking is apart of life, whether you like it or not. Who cares of people smoke, just don't pay attention to it. If it's not your body that the smoke is going in to, then don't worry about it.

People smoke because they hate themselves.

Oh sit on your fist. I'm fed up of your dribble.

Is violence in movies telling people that it's okay? Drugs an advert for drugs? You're an idiot.

I have a feeling we have ourselves a bigoted troll in our midst!

I personally despise smoking, I think it's nasty... but it's not my right to tell you that you can't smoke. (I WILL raise hell if I'm in a tight space and you're smoking AT me)

I know people like HealthyGuy who raise hell when I have a beer because I'm "polluting my body"... PLEASE...

I LOL'd. Thanks HealthyGuy. Methinks your health doesn't extend to mental.

^^And I LOL'd at Ozone.^^

I know people like HealthyGuy who raise hell when I have a beer because I'm "polluting my body"... PLEASE...

You know, my boyfriend's doctor told him last week to continue drinking beer, as it ameliorates his high blood pressure. Ameliorate — now that's a word that's clearly too big for a dumb smoker to know.

Nice GIF HealthyGuy. I was going to delete his response but since so many people responded afterwards I guess I'll keep it up.

The gif probably got burnt by the cig butts he's smoking as he types this - troll's aren't known for not being hypocrites. If you smoke a cig I'll give ya a link lol.

I think the issue that needs focusing on here isn't the unhealthy effects of smoking (and all issues - political, social, etc etc - connected) but rather the depiction of real life in art. Ozone42's and JPhill's answers at the top of the thread were, to me, spot on.

If art cannot depict real life in a realistic manner it'll be hard to drive home a message in a film, and commentary on social issues would be ... stilted, at best.

This argument reminds me of reader objections to Stephen King's liberal use of expletives. His defense was that he was writing about common, middle class people, and from what he knows about the common middle class is that they use f*** more than they use fluff when accidentally hit by a hammer.