Smoking ban - 18 rating on movies

[BDF]

How stupid:

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/smoking-films-mean-18-rating-233620485.html

Epically stupid. I don't think I need to explain.

[Invert]

Even if it's being treated the same as sex and violence, there's no way it'd be restricted to 18s. Have you seen how laxed the certificates are getting, especially in regards to violence and swearing. A report might say that they should, but at the end of the day, its the BBFC that will decide on the certificates, and I don't see them desiring to destroy the film industry of the UK.

As mentionned in the article, smoking does add realism in some films, and also, as other countries, like the USA, won't have this ban, or even more importantly actually, 'world cinema', aren't going to cut it out. So we'll either have a lot more cuts (and in some films, impossible cuts to be made), or everything will be an 18, and the cinema business will just collapse.

Then again, our current Government are twats, and might decide to force such a rule, but from what I can tell, the Government do tend to leave it to the BBFC.

[Gymnophoria]

"I have an age rating now?"

One word: Stupid.

[Rainbow Dash]

lolwut? Has anyone watched The Inbetweeners Movie? How on earth did that pass as a 15? but smoking is worse than saying the c word over and over, frontal nudity and violence? sureeeeeeeee.

What about in every-day-life? should we blindfold -18s whenever a person smokes?

and what about Eastenders? will Dot Cotton have to stop smoking as it's on before watershed?

[MegaMadness]

That seems really silly.

[Ammonsa]

This is stupid and if they think it's going to stop kids smoking they are stupid as well.

[OMFG!You'reActuallySmart!]

It's as though some people (not all though) have gone bonkers with worrying, "oh no, my child saw some guy puffing away like a chimney, now he'll smoke every day for the rest of his life, get lung cancer and DIE!!! I know, I'll blindfold him so he won't see anything else bad... crap, he just saw that guy get punched, now he'll be a ruthless thug, why god, WHYYYYYYY!?!?!"

Smoking adds realism, however, minors (i.e. 17 years old and younger) aren't blank slates that are going to copy every single thing they see. If they are to restrict movies with smoking to an 18 rating, they should do the exact same for all illegal drugs, alcohol, abusing prescription drugs and using certain legal herbs. Certain movies shouldn't feature sex, extreme violence and drug use, such as Barney or Teletubies, although they already make you wonder if you're high seeing a purple dinosaur with kids or oompa-loompas dressed in coloured jump suits. Hmm, since they cause that effect, let's ban them too!