Should Films With Smoking Be Rated R?
SodaHead News
2012/07/15 19:37:35
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Smoking cigarettes is not good for you. It is safe to say many people realize that whether they smoke or not. In states such as New York, it has become harder for people to smoke in public places due to various restrictions. And now, the authors of a study that will appear in the August issue of the journal Pediatrics want to extend restrictions against smoking to the world of cinema.
According to the study, children who watch famous actors smoke in films are significantly more likely to try cigarettes down the road. As such, the suggestion bounced around was that films with cigarette smoking should be rated R. (Currently most are PG-13.) The authors of the study predict that making this change would reduce the proportion of children under 17 who try cigarettes by 18%.
"The movie industry [should] treat smoking like it treats profanity and sex and violence," said the study’s lead author Dr. James D. Sargent, a cancer-prevention specialist and professor of pediatrics at Dartmouth Medical School. "If saying the 'F' word twice gets you an R rating, certainly something as important as smoking should get you an R rating."
Tobacco can lead to health problems, as can the other chemicals found in cigarettes. If you smoke, especially for a long time, you are at great risk for emphysema, lung cancer, among other terrible illnesses. That being said, smoking cigarettes and smoking in general, is a personal choice people make themselves. Millions of Americans choose not to smoke. Millions of others do smoke for reasons specific to them. Whether you think smoking is good or bad, people are still going to make their own personal choices on the matter and there's nothing that can change that--even film ratings.
What do you think SodaHeads? Should films with smoking be rated R?
According to the study, children who watch famous actors smoke in films are significantly more likely to try cigarettes down the road. As such, the suggestion bounced around was that films with cigarette smoking should be rated R. (Currently most are PG-13.) The authors of the study predict that making this change would reduce the proportion of children under 17 who try cigarettes by 18%.
"The movie industry [should] treat smoking like it treats profanity and sex and violence," said the study’s lead author Dr. James D. Sargent, a cancer-prevention specialist and professor of pediatrics at Dartmouth Medical School. "If saying the 'F' word twice gets you an R rating, certainly something as important as smoking should get you an R rating."
Tobacco can lead to health problems, as can the other chemicals found in cigarettes. If you smoke, especially for a long time, you are at great risk for emphysema, lung cancer, among other terrible illnesses. That being said, smoking cigarettes and smoking in general, is a personal choice people make themselves. Millions of Americans choose not to smoke. Millions of others do smoke for reasons specific to them. Whether you think smoking is good or bad, people are still going to make their own personal choices on the matter and there's nothing that can change that--even film ratings.
What do you think SodaHeads? Should films with smoking be rated R?
Read More: http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/10/health/smoking-trigg...
Children may mimic what they see, sure; but that is a far cry from what they are suggesting. I remember pretending to drink whiskey at the saloon when I was playing 'Cowboy' as a kid, I certainly did not rush to try alcohol to mimic them. (I even pretended to smoke cigar which were twigs like Clint Eastwood). But that was as far as the movies influenced any of it. If kids want to try something, there are MANY other factors effecting their desires. Some you can influence, some not. I thought doctors were supposed to be smart. Sure, I can believe a few kids might be influenced by movies, but so might a few serial killers. Are we seriously going to try to become so asinine about behavior prevention especially when we already know this crap doesn't work? (how many R rating kept YOU from seeing a movie you wanted to see when you were a kid? be honest)
But that's just me.
My aunt, who smoked 3 packs a day, said the same thing.
Well, it's not, and a more mature person should be able to handle it better.
And note, this is not "censorship", it's merely rating the movie. R movies are not censored, and neither are X movies, in fact. And this suggestion is supported by a study (read the article), so it's a very logical one. The more I think about it, the more I like it.
I'm not clear why sexual topics *should* be Rated R, while smoking scenes should *not* be. I'm more concerned about the smoking, frankly.
What's next, making eating ice cream in movies "R" because you'll get diabetes if you do? Waste of time.
People are mostly influenced by people around them, i.e friends and family. Seeing a picture of someone on the T.V or movie screen won't make a whole new generation of chain smoking, alcoholic rapists.
Or cussing?
Same with sexual scenes. A child might be confused, or might emulate what is on the screen in inappropriate times or locations. Same with violence. You don't just pull out a gun to solve problems, or even slug someone. In real life, were a person to pull out a gun, it would be a major, major, major incident - something that most of us would never have the opportunity or means to do in life.
Smoking is unhealthy, and has not benefits whatsoever. If it looks cool to smoke on screen, kids might try to emulate that.
If we make that movie "R", then fewer kids would see it, and likely fewer kids would try to emulate the smoking. That's all. For me, it's not a big deal to make a movie "R" instead of PG-13.
No big deal.
And it's not the government doing the rating, it's a voluntary designation by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), which is an independent organization.
And we do indeed decide what to do with our kids, it's just that the rating system gives us some information quickly, in the form of a short designation. We know what a rated-G film is like right away, and what a rated-X (or NC-17 these days) is without even knowing anything about the movie. It's like nutritional labeling on food.