Recently I read an article in the Sacramento newspaper, from the Associated Press, with the following headline: "Alcohol and tobacco prevalent in 'G' movies." The article goes on to describe a study done recently that counted the number of times characters in G-rated animated feature movies show characters "using or abusing" alcohol. Apparently some people are concerned that the movies "do not portray the long-term consequences of using tobacco and alcohol." And apparently the aforementioned "use and abuse" of alcohol includes the portrayal of characters who have "hiccups, staggering, or flushed faces" and detective mice characters imitating Sherlock Holmes with a pipe.

Can you believe a bunch of social "scientists" wasted their time counting the seconds Cruella de Ville was smoking her long-stemmed cigarette in "101 Dalmatians"? Gosh, just think of all the DOGNAPPING that movie could have caused kids to imitate! And how about that witch in "Snow White?" Man, I can't even count the number of kids who have poisoned someone with an apple because of what they saw in THAT movie. I can't imagine why on earth they've never made a Disney movie of Sherlock Holms slowly and painfully dying of lung cancer. And god know hiccups and flushed faces ought to be treated as evidence of public drunkenness, even if those signs probably go over the heads of 90% of all children under 8! Why oh why won't somebody please think of the children?!

It amazes me how stupid people think kids are. Just because kids see one, or even fifty instances of a cartoon character smoking, do these idiots think this won't be overridden by the thousands of media images inundating kids that smoking is evil evil evil and deadly? True, lots of kids smoke. But do they really think kids are smoking because they saw Disney characters doing it, so it must be ok? Fuck no. They're doing it because there's imitating older kids who they think are cool. Not mice with pipes, for heaven's sake.

It just bugs the heck out of me when people attempt to find a simple solution for a problem and hit on the lamest thing they can think of as the culprit. Why do kids smoke and drink? Because they're bored and angry and rebellious and desperate for peer approval and so forth? NO! They do it because Evil Media Told Them To! Apparently parents are helpless to fight this, except by organizing and writing letters to the movie companies telling them how irresponsible they are for showing such things in their movies. Nevermind that smoking and drinking are actually LEGAL. Certainly no kids have ever seen their parents smoke or drink, I know I certainly NEVER did. Oh, except maybee at parties. Or during the divorce. Or when they were upset.... I know the smoking and drinking I did under 18 and 21 were strictly because cartoon characters told me it was ok.

Sometimes I think not only is this country turning out a bunch of mush-brains, but we ALREADY HAVE and they're already reproducing! Not only that, they're filling up research teams in social sciences divisions at universities! Apparently the Harvard School of Public Health has a wee bit too much time on it's hands! And don't even get me started on the National Institute on Media and the Family.

What is wrong with people that they can't take a little responsibility for talking to their kids about the world around them? If their kid sees a whore on the street, are they afraid that their kid is going to run out and start turning tricks to supplement their allowance? Are their children so stupid that they can't be expected to exercise a little judgement and critical thinking? Must we legislate away anything that isn't child-safe? What kind of scary world would that be? Oh yeah, one with a republican president and the moral majority in control. Well, excuse me while I go rent some anime porn and have a drink and smoke, while those are still legal activities... I might not have much time left.