If you are reading this blog, you are probably an avid smoker. If I am correct, let me ask you this: when did you start smoking? More so, how did you start? What enticed you to smoke?
Different people would certainly have varying answers to the questions above but I am sure that there is quite a number of adult smokers today who, in one way or another, found smoking appealing because of something they saw in the movies. Now I am not saying that Hollywood or the entertainment industry in general is to blame. However, you have to admit that they do have a great degree of influence.
Anyway, California governor and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger has voiced his strong opinion on the issue. According to The Press Association:
Cigar-loving Arnold Schwarzenegger says children need to be warned often about the dangers of smoking, but Hollywood should not feel pressured to ban cigarettes and cigars from films aimed at youngsters.
Despite research that shows big-screen scenes of tobacco use can tempt kids to light up, the Terminator star-turned California governor said film-makers needed artistic freedom, particularly in historical settings.
He scoffed at the notion that someone would play Winston Churchill without his trademark stogie in hand.
“I personally don’t believe that we should erase cigarettes in movies. I don’t believe that we should erase it when someone smokes a cigar in a movie. I think that we should remind people and kids all the time about the dangers of smoking,” the Republican governor said. “To suddenly tell actors not to smoke a cigarette in a movie when they portray a character is ludicrous. I think this is going too far.”
I agree with him. Children should be taught at home and in schools about the dangers of smoking. After all, they should not get their “education†from movies alone.
What’s your take on this?