Movies blatantly promote smoking
It’s easy to make fun of people who blame Hollywood for everything. After all, movies are merely entertainment. They’re a business that makes money. But since they’re a business, why not hold them to normal business standards? For example, it’s almost universally considered bad form for a business to sell a product that kills its own customers or their kids.
Unfortunately, scientific evidence now indicates that movie studios are doing massive harm. While it’s the tobacco industry whose products kill 438,000 Americans a year, it’s exposure to smoking in Hollywood movies that generates 390,000 new smokers a year to replace them. We believe the movie studios account for so many future deaths because 75 percent of all movies since 1999 have included smoking. Tobacco is featured in three quarters of PG-13 movies, the kinds teens see the most. Studies have shown that kids 10-14 who see the most movies with smoking are three times as likely to start smoking as kids. Nonsmokers’ children may be the most vulnerable; they’re four times as likely to start smoking after watching smoking on screen. R-rating the smoking in feature films is the best solution. So treat tobacco, which kills 438,000 Americans a year, as seriously as the Motion Picture Association of America now treats four-letter words that kill no one.
ó Lamonte Bell
Salisbury
Disappointed
I would like to voice how disappointed I am in the Post’s coverage of the Faith Fourth of July activities. Sure, they covered in detail, like every year, the annual parade and beauty queen winners. Whatever, that’s fine.
What I am really upset about is how the Faith Idol contest was just left out all together. Oh, I guess there wasn’t enough room because of the massive front page article with color pictures of the Apple Ugly winner! Let us all read about the “professional eater” named “Mouth of the South” who could down 17 Apple Uglies! Now there is some talent!
So, I will announce that my lovely and very talented niece, Megan Braun, won the title of Faith Idol for the 12 and under age group. She sang “Our Song” by Taylor Swift.
All of the contestants and winners deserve to be recognized because they all are talented. I’m sorry, but I am not a reporter, and I didn’t get the other contestants’ and winners’ names.
ó Leah Wetmore-Durham
Salisbury