Yippee-ki-yay - Smoking.

In my day, we we're allowed to save the world whilst smoking.

In our lecture we discussed how awesome, people who smoke look whilst doing the act. Whether it be in movies or in real life.

I'm interested in the movie industries changing approach to smoking. A little over 15 years ago alot mainstream movies would have their main character pinned as a smoker. Nowadays however, smoking is a rarity in the movies. Mainly because studios don't want to be accused of promoting a deadly addiction to a new generation. For years smoking was seen as the cool thing to do. Action movie's main characters were often seen with a gun in their hand and a smoke in they're mouthing, spitting out one memorable line after another. Famously the John Maclane character in Die Hard used his ciggarette lighter as a weapon whilst delivering the legendary line "Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker". Now, smoking is a dying habbit, atleast in the movies. When was the last time you saw Bond smoke a ciggarette?

Whilst smoking is a dangerous habbit, why do movie bosses view smoking with so much negativity? If it is a fear that people will see their on screen hero's smoking and think it will make them look cool so take it up themselves is stupid. Whilst their on screen hero's may have stopped smoking, but their real heroes, their parents and family, people they look up too may still do and that might be enough for them to pick up the habbit.

With smoking gone, what will noir film makers use to represent a phallus? Because people walking around eating banana's all the time will look stupid.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1708289.stm