|
|
Culture and Society: Let Us Now Praise Joe Camel
March 5, 2003
Few recent political crusades have captivated both the politically correct left and the Hollywood community (if you forgive the Moose for redundancy here) like that of the anti-smoking crusade. A notable feature of this crusade was the death of the cartoon character Joe Camel. The cartoon character, commonly seen in magazines read by adults, was claimed to be the cause for younger children taking up cigarette smoking.
If this age of celebrity voyeurism can apply to even non-celebrities like The Moose, The Moose will disclose here. I do not smoke myself but regard the decision of adults to smoke one that should be their own. One who knows the health risks associated with smoking and still decides to take on that risk has every right to do it. But The Moose is very much concerned with the very real and legitimate issues of how pop culture and infotainment media impact and influence those young people who unfortunately make the unwise decision to take up cigarette smoking.
It is both fashionable and politically correct to be against smoking and seek to ban smoking in bars and restaurants and other public accommodations. Marching in lockstep with the politically correct agenda, the Hollywood elite toes the party line on this issue. While completing some online research on another issue The Moose found a most provocative website - the "celebrity smoking list" at the website www.smokingsides.com. The site claims to be one offering views on both sides of the whole smokers right v. anti-smoking debate.
Keeping in mind Hollywood's official endorsement of the anti-smoking agenda The Moose was quite interested (can't say surprised) to find just how many in the entertainment communities themselves partake in the same evil weed they condemn officially. You too might be surprised how many of your favorite celebrity entertainers or actresses or the like have their publicists issuing official denials while they sneak off to chain-smoke a few Marlboro Reds out of public view. The Moose remembers all too well the obvious example of Hillary Rodham Clinton's anti-smoking stance while Chelsea was witnessed smoking on many occasions.
The celebrity smoking list includes virtually every well-known female celebrity among entertainers and athletes and even includes links to pictures to document their claims of who has been puffing away. Links for motion pictures that depict smoking are also included. This all got The Moose thinking. More than 70 percent of public identifies as non-smokers or ex-smokers. American society becomes more predominantly non-smoking every year. But not in Hollywood. It's clear that the in the unreal world of movies almost everyone smokes. It's as if Big Tobacco has the motion picture industry entirely bought and paid for because almost every most depicts smoking. Movies glorify smoking and The Moose sees that reaching many more teenagers, showing them a positive image of smoking, than Joe Camel every did. And to ponder the sheer hypocrisy of it. The very people who made it a priority to ban harmless old Joe Camel are doing more to glorify and promote smoking to teenagers in the movie theaters than Joe Camel could ever dream of doing.
The Moose says it's time for a change. How about BRINGING BACK Joe Camel and having Hollywood voluntarily agreeing to completely stop the glorification of smoking in movies, and even BAN smoking in motion pictures. The anti-smoking crusade has ended the Virginia Slims sponsorship of professional tennis tournaments and may stop the NASCAR championship from being called the Winston Cup.
The Hollywood crowd marches in lockstep with this movement while most among that crowd smoke like chimneys. You can view that list yourself if you don't believe The Moose. Perhaps The Moose shouldn't overreact to the obvious hypocrisy of this community. Madonna once wrote a letter to a then young Gwyneth Paltrow to urge her to stop smoking but has been seen publicly puffing away herself. Fans of many sitcom stars have seen their idols smoking off-camera and think it's the coolest thing that they smoke. It's bad enough that marijuana smoking is now thought to be more "cool" than ever before among teenagers. Hollywood can cast Tonya Harding and Anna Kournikova in movies playing characters that smoke like chimneys on screen, which is no different than what most in this entertainment community do off-screen. That is, if the smoking list site is to viewed as credible. And the Moose thinks it is. Why don't the two previously aforementioned celebrities model for advertisement for Virginia Slims? Why not also bring back the Marlboro Man? And Joe Camel. That would be more honest, and certainly less inconsistent. The Moose can no longer take this hypocrisy. The Moose is feeling very much like former Congressman Jim Traficant at the moment. Beam me up mister speaker.
(for some reason The Moose is reminded of the song "Shredding the Document" by John Hiatt.)
Previously from The Moose
Government Reform: Terms Limits Redux - the Old Religion Lives
The Bull
Moose Archives
| |
| |
