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| BrendanMcKillip.com brendan mckillip's daily journal |
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daily journal
Are We A Nation of Lemmings? A news story today reports that the attorneys general from 32 states have sent a letter to the major movie studios asking them to begin running an anti-smoking public service announcement on all new DVDs. The attorney generals from these states are concerned about how viewing on-screen smoking habits are influencing people to pick up the habit for themselves. Ridiculous you say? How does watching David Strathairn smoke for two hours through Good Night and Good Luck make anyone want to smoke? A new study released by the Dartmouth Medical School found that "38 of every 100 (adolescents) who tried smoking did so because of their exposure to smoking in movies." It was this study that prompted the attorney generals from those 32 states to organize and shoot off their angry little letter. Frankly I would be less concerned about how much smoking is depicted on the silver screen, and more concerned about the 38 kids who apparently can't conjure an original thought in their head. They smoke because they saw a lot of people in the movies smoking? That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. I've watched a lit of people jump off the side of building, only to land in a pool/waiting helicopter/motorcycle/speeding truck - but I'm not jumping off the side of any building. Hell, I don't even have to be so extreme in my example. I've seen a lot of people drink whisky straight from a bottle in movies, but I don't walk around with a bottle of Jack slung at my hip and ready to be tipped back. Maybe there should be less time spent trying to warn and regulate, and more time educating and mentoring kids to think for themselves. To observe and evaluate. I think that would be a better use of time than paying to film and distribute another silly PSA. posted by Brendan | 11:18 PM | permanent link |
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