May 22, 2003
Smoking Hot!
It's become vogue to smoke again. More so than ever before, it seems.
Ravenwood brought up something that Greg and I had discussed the other night. Maripat also weighs in on the topic.
If you've been watching ER lately, you'd have seen Abby, Luka, and Carter lighting up. I'm not even bothering with guest stars or minor characters. I'm talking main characters.
On Friends, Chandler's battled smoking and even tried to hide it from Monica.
These aren't kids who get caught with cigarettes. These are all adults who make the decision to smoke. So, there's not some major moral to the story about the evils of smoking.
With the resurgence of smoking on television I've started to wonder what's behind it. Do you think it's backlash against the PC Police? Or, are television shows attempting to be more realistic? A little of both?
Just curious.
Posted by DaGoddess at May 22, 2003 12:25 AMI saw a news article on Drudgereport.com about Nicole Kidman lighting up at the Cannes Film Festival. The article talked about her responsibility to the young fans and that she shouldn't light up in front of the cameras like she did. It's a shame that the young viewers don't have a mind of their own.
-Joe
Posted by: Joe at May 22, 2003 02:16 PMI'm hoping for the reality edge.
It's scary though how many kids are picking up smoking.
I wonder if the sense of fatalism, 'the world is doomed,
we're not going to make it anyways' has a hand in it.
maybe, i'm being a little too cynical. heh?
munin,
I remember talking to my then 17 year old nephew about five years ago and he stated that he didn't expect to live past 35. I asked him why he believed that and he said that he was expecting a nuclear war and/or a major ecological disaster due to the collapse of the ozone layer. He was convinced that we were all going to die. I asked him why and he said that's what they were learning in school and that's what was always in the news.
He and I had a very serious discussion after that, particularly in regards to the prospects of global nuclear war. We hit on the environment as well. We talked about the need to be able to evaluate informational inputs from the media as well as from his teachers and/or other authority figures. He felt a lot better about his chances afterwards.
Bright kid - Mostly B's in high school.
Posted by: yak at May 22, 2003 07:45 PMmunin,
I remember talking to my then 17 year old nephew about five years ago and he stated that he didn't expect to live past 35. I asked him why he believed that and he said that he was expecting a nuclear war and/or a major ecological disaster due to the collapse of the ozone layer. He was convinced that we were all going to die. I asked him why and he said that's what they were learning in school and that's what was always in the news.
He and I had a very serious discussion after that, particularly in regards to the prospects of global nuclear war. We hit on the environment as well. We talked about the need to be able to evaluate informational inputs from the media as well as from his teachers and/or other authority figures. He felt a lot better about his chances afterwards.
Bright kid - Mostly B's in high school.
Posted by: yak at May 22, 2003 07:46 PMSmoking beats the heck out of nicorette, but I am committed to not smoking anymore...
If smoking wasn't so bad for you, I'd be the baddest ass smoker in the world, but your body gives you the signals of how bad it is...
Posted by: carl at May 22, 2003 08:25 PMMaybe they should show people dying of lung cancer on tv. Hollywood has always promoted smoking. I suppose the tobacco companies give them a lot of money.
Posted by: sugarmama at May 23, 2003 02:17 PMi bought a pack last week, but i haven't actually smoked any of them yet. i started when i was 11 and quit in college. around 19, i guess. when dinosaurs roamed the earth. in my case, it's just stress, but with the 'state of the world' (whatever that means) right now, maybe that's everyone else's reason, too. doesn't exactly feel like we're going to have to wait for cancer.
Posted by: tanya at May 24, 2003 02:26 PMThe health issues surrounding smoking are different from the political ones.
As far as health is concerned, Americans are in nearly as much medical peril from being overweight as they are from smoking.
The politics have to do with state governments using the perceived "deep pockets" of the tobacco companies to scam money off of them. (And the money has a habit of disappearing.)
Other than requiring warning labels, the government should stay out of the tobacco issue.
And it's not the worst vice ever invented; showing it every now and again on TV and the movies is fine.
Posted by: Little Miss Attila at May 26, 2003 02:40 PMThe health issues surrounding smoking are different from the political ones.
As far as health is concerned, Americans are in nearly as much medical peril from being overweight as they are from smoking.
The politics have to do with state governments using the perceived "deep pockets" of the tobacco companies to scam money off of them. (And the money has a habit of disappearing.)
Other than requiring warning labels, the government should stay out of the tobacco issue.
And it's not the worst vice ever invented; showing it every now and again on TV and the movies is fine.
Posted by: Little Miss Attila at May 26, 2003 02:40 PMi've been meaning to take up smoking for years and just never found the time.
my doctor says if i don't start soon, i'll be too old.
i guess it's like anything else worthwhile,
you just have to make the time for it.