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Avatar’s Black Spot:”black Lung” Rating for Promoting Smoking
In the midst of achieving the shattering records out there, Avatar was given a “black lung” rating for delivering pro-smoking messages. Apparently, Dr. Grace Augustine’s character played by Ms. Weaver involving a controversial issue when she was seen smoking a cigarette in several scenes of 3D Avatar movie while attempting to save the Pandora planet in the 22nd century.
Since Avatar’s box office movie was released few weeks ago, it has received many reviews and ratings; however, Avatar was rated by SceneSmoking.org. as “black lung” for promoting smoking along with the review which can be read at SceneSmoking.org.
In James Cameron’s Avatar movie, Dr. Grace Augustine, played by Sigourney Weaver has become a controversial character who is seen to be an influential role model for teenagers. Dr. Grace Augustine was a tough-talking, swear-like-a-sailor scientist, who was clearly seen chewing up Marlboros. She was seen smoking on-screen after coming out of her mind transporting machine. I was pissed off to see how Dr. Grace Augustine behaved rude in several scenes, besides showing how she didn’t care much about her human body, reflecting a negative impact to the real community in our world today.
It was really a JOKE to see scenes in which an ENVIRONMENTAL scientist, Dr. Grace Augustine, craving lovingly on a cigarette while working to save the Pandora planet in the 22nd century. Having caught up with these controversial scenes, director of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco, Stanton A. Glantz said, “This is like someone just put a bunch of plutonium in the water supply.” He insisted that his Smoke Free Movies initiative would soon come out swinging with an informational campaign aimed especially to oppose pro-smoking messages in Avatar.
As an environmentalist, I view smoking as a filthy habit. Therefore, I won’t support any role-model characters that smoke in the movies. In regards to smoking in movies, the Centers for Disease Control have outlined tobacco as a causal factor in teens smoking initiation. In most cases, smoking in movies has a very powerful influential effect among teens more so than advertising, regardless of whether their parents smoke or not. Often, teens from non-smoker families have four times the chance to initiate to smoke after being exposed to characters who smoked in the movies. This is particularly significant from the main characters in Twilight, who were seen smoking in several scenes which have initiated the desire for teens to smoke as they think smoking would probably make them look COOLER or MORE ACCEPTED by their peers.
The portrayal of characters in movies whether as to be sexy, rebellious, fun, powerful or wealthy can indirectly deliver a message to encourage people to smoke, particularly the use of tobacco among teens. The extensive use of tobacco in movies suggesting that smoking is a social norm, and thus when more young people see the characters smoking on-screen, the more likely they are to smoke in life.
Since Avatar movie is the hit 3D science fiction fantasy movie, more young people will watch this movie every day, making it the most influential platform to encourage many teens to smoke. When more big stars smoke on-screen, they’ve glamorized the children for the use of tobacco, but undermine the message about the damage either from smoking or from breathing in second-hand smoke.
Besides Avatar, Sony Pictures “Did You Hear About the Morgans?” and “The Fantastic Mr. Fox”, the Weinstein Company’s “Nine”, Warner Brothers’ “Sherlock Holmes” and “The Blind Side”, were similarly awarded with “Black Lung” ratings for promoting tobacco use, according to the Times, even though they carried a rating of PG-13 or PG from the film industry’s Classification and Rating Administration.
You might also like my other movie reviews:
- Avatar: unveiling its stunning hidden messages
- Why Sherlock Holmes movie is one of the worst ever movies?
- The world will never be the same if you see through the eyes of Forest Gump
You can read more of my content at LiteSeek. Take care and have a good day!
25 Comments
There is no doubt that smoking is a very destructive habit. Your support for non-smoking role models is admirable.
Good points Chan! Wonder if the maker of the movie got money for showing the Dr. Grace Augustine character smoking in several scenes? The film cost a fortune to make and it’s very possible money changed hands about this.
I enjoyed the movie but never thought of this angle. You are absolutely right.
Thought provoking Chan. I agree with you.
I must admit I was surprised to see her smoking in the film. Good article.
Excellent, Chan. Great article, very well said. I agree hundred percent with your point of view. Thanks for sharing!
Sincerely,
Hugo
ironic indeed…thanks Chan for the info
I guess I was so caught up in the movie I didn’t think much about her smoking. I have to agree smoking is a terrible habit and one which my husband and I don’t do. Excellent review and quite thought provoking.
Chan, interesting observation. We just watched, Daybreakers, and I swear the tobacco industry must have funded the making of the movie.
Clay
Great thought! well-written piece..so true..smoking is terrible..lol..Thanks for sharing this great work. cheers
8)
Yeah, I noticed it too when we watched the movie. Great article, Chan. Happy New Year!
Important issue raised by you. Smoking is threatening our lives. I don’t think it is good if a popular film promoting this habit.
I can see the objection to smoking but I can see why Grace smokes too. Grace is a strong woman character. And, in our culture, a strong woman is often taken to mean a “manly woman”. And smoking is a quick way of conveying strength/manliness.
Maybe if this was a Na’avi film, there would have been a different cultural clue as to Grace’s character. But since this was a Western film.. oh well.
Regards,
Inna
Though provoking article Chan..You have great points here.
I thought that Sigourney Weaver (Dr. Grace Augustine) was just portraying her rule as a tight-pressured scientist. And, One way to enhance her role was to portray her being tough one.
Why would people make an issue out of nothing? Gosh. It was just a movie. It doesn’t mean that Sigourney Weaver is a smoker herself.
Are the people nuts? Or they were just jealous because Avatar gained a lot of recognitions and worth a billions????
This is a fascinating article. I really enjoyed reading it.
Great Post…I enjoyed it…
Chan being a non smoker and having studied the impact of tobacco on our health, I tend to be up in arms about those who “glamorize” smoking. It sends negative messages to our youth. They are striving to find their place and we need to give them all the positive influence we can.
Very well done review my friend. I don’t smoke as well so will you please pass me the ashtray? Just kidding. I still have to wait here in UK since it had been two weeks that the tickets for Avatar was sold out.
I certainly don’t think seeing characters smoking adds much from a plot / story point of view, so surprised it’s still happening in such a modern production – thanks for highlighting it!
A thought-provoking article to be sure, but there comes a time when we really have to ask ourselves, how much ‘protection’ of children’s ‘impressionable’ minds is too much??
There are thousands of issues other than just smoking which we could slander in just about every movie out there if we are truly wanting to ‘protect’ our children from harmful messages, but the reality is that if we removed all of these ‘potentially harmful’ things from our movies and television, we might as well stop watching because there would be nothing to see.
What about the fighting scenes in every action movie out there? Is that not promoting violence to young children? Acts of stupidity and carelessness? That counts out just about every cartoon ever made. Better remove all of the ‘flying and running and jumping from great heights’ scenes as well – they might promote young children to try jumping off the roof of their house. While we’re getting down to business we might as well remove any romance scenes – wouldn’t want to encourage kids to be promiscuous. Of course drinking is out – that’s a no-brainer. Never again should a movie show anyone consuming any of the following, potato crisps, fries, sugary drinks of any kind, sausages, pies, doughnuts, fast food…. or anything other than vegetables, lean meat, and whole-grains… oh and drinking only water. We certainly wouldn’t want to encourage unhealthy eating.
You know, while we’re at it, we might as well just take away any free choice that kids might have. After all, we wouldn’t want them to learn how to make their own choices, now would we?
Fascinating read.
Nice share friend. SMOKING KILLS…………………..
This is really great, Chan. I haven’t seen Avatar yet so I didn’t know she smoked in the movie. It does send a bad message to impressionable people. Thanks for letting us know about it.
I think that Sigourney’s character had to smoke. It shows the dual thinking when it comes to human nature. She didn’t smoke while she was in her avatar but when she was human again she was weak and could not survive the shot maybe because she didn’t honor her body and didn’t respect eywa when she was dying and thinking of taking samples. Even though her intentions where good, her behavior was about the knowledge and nothing more.
This shows you how contaminated we are as humans and how respectful you become when you start to feel the connection between all things around you.
Anyone thinking about EYWA and YAWEH?