Comments on: Never mind the zealots: smoking has a role in film

By: Paraphoenix

Paraphoenix — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

When will governments get serious about the smoking issue. They keep fiddling around the edges to try and shame all of us smokers into giving up and to stop people from taking the filthy (yes I am a smoker and it is filthy) habit.

If governments were really serious about people not smoking or not taking up the habit, they would make the production of cigarettes and sale of cigarettes illegal. The only problem I would have with this is what will they then tax to make up for the hundred's of millions of dollars we smokers pump into the governments coffers.

A lot of Australians would be very unhappy if they could no longer receive subsidised services courtesy of taxes paid by their friendly smokers.

By: Venise Alstergren

Venise Alstergren — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

If governments were as honest as they would have us believe. Ha ha. Ah ha. They would be the first to say(???) “Sorry folks, but your lungs aren’t the least bit of interest to us. We want the excise. So you can all go and f*ck yourselves. We love the fact that there are people out there, just like you, the ones who haven’t been able to give up this filthy habit. Because you are the ones who keep the tobacco industry going. Also, by your very actions , you promote the whole concept of smoking to the next generation. And until you bludgers give up the habit, we haven’t got the remotest interest in cleaning up the industry. However, the moment you all quit smoking will be the moment we will dream up an even more expensive tax.”. Such is the morality of honest Kevin, honest John, honest injun!. Think of the problem this way. Are you telling us, the non-smokers-that if you were to be locked up in a concentration camp and effing well starved of your bloody habit, that you couldn’t stop? I betcha would.

By: fed up

fed up — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

So the neo prohibitionist facists are at it again. Joe Blow can get as smashed all night and day in the pub if he so wishes, then inflict horrific injuries on an innocent in his car or a knife or even fists. Alternatively he can gamble his life away destroying his family in the process while you fuckwits pour resources into persecuting some of the most marginalised people in our society. As a social worker I have lost count of the number of clients who, being quite obviously unable to quit, ( blind half pissed Freddy could tell you as much) are left with no alternative but to forgo food rather than thier only comfort in life, a smoke.
You interfering busy bodies should hang your heads in shame, for Gods sake butt out and mind your own fucking business. Youv’e produced a nation of wimps and obese ones at that, well done!

By: Trevar

Trevar — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Back when morality plays were all the go in Europe and churches were using plays primarily to promote good behaviour, they depicted sinful people in order to demonstrate the consequences of sin. Surely, if we want people to stop smoking, the last thing we should do is hide the smokers! If films are to be used as an ‘ideological state apparatus for promoting health’, then what we need to see in films is characters doing unhealthy things and looking very unhealthy as a result.