Tom and Jerry Must Quit Smoking

[RavenMad2099]

Here is the link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14452732/

Turner Broadcasting is scouring more than 1,500 classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons, including old favorites Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones and Scooby-Doo, to edit out scenes that glamorize smoking.


The review was triggered by a complaint to British media regulator Ofcom by one viewer who took offence to two episodes of Tom and Jerry shown on the Boomerang channel, part of Turner Broadcasting which itself belongs to Time Warner Inc.

In the first, “Texas Tom”, the hapless cat Tom tries to impress a feline female by rolling a cigarette, lighting it and smoking it with one hand. In the second, “Tennis Chumps”, Tom’s opponent in a match smokes a large cigar.

Akindele said cartoons would only be modified “where smoking could be deemed to be cool or glamorized”, and that scenes where a villain was featured with a cigarette or cigar would not necessarily be cut. “These are historic cartoons, they were made well over 50 years ago in a different time and different place,” she added. “Our audience is children and we don’t want to be irresponsible.”
…so let me get this straight: the rampant violence in Tom & Jerry cartoons is acceptable, but smoking is not? For the sake of argument, let’s say that kids are impressionable enough to imitate what they see on a cartoon. What is more immediately threatening to their health: smoking a cigarette or bashing someone over the head with a frying pan? PUH-leeeze!!!

This isn’t the first time a classic cartoon has been mangled like this. I’ll never forgive Turner for hacking old Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck cartoons to edit out violence. The Rabbit Season/Duck Season episode was practically unwatchable. After all, we can’t have Elmer Fudd blow the beak clean off of Daffy’s face with a shotgun!!!

What’s next? Leaving all but 30 seconds of a Three Stooges film on the cutting room floor? The violence was part of the gag, and I have never bought into the notion that children are that impressionable. I grew up watching this stuff, and I didn’t suffer from delusions that I could fall off a cliff and live to tell the tale.

BTW…the reason I bolded that one particular sentence from the story was to show that Turner isn’t above pushing a PC agenda with his editing. They will continue to allow smoking in cartoons so long as the villain is the only one who smokes. Holy Waterworld, Batman!!! I guess Mommy and Daddy are evil people!

For crying out loud, leave the classics alone!!! If a cartoon is deemed inappropriate for children, so be it….save it for Adult Swim.

[Losac]

This PC society makes me sick sometimes. The "moral majority" will continue to take their big erasers to history and modify it to their liking just to save the children.

[FellsPointRaven]

What gets me about this is that the complaint from ONE overtly sensitive pussy can launch a full scale investigation and lead to the ruination of some classic cartoons.

It's funny because I'm listening to the BBC Radio 1 breakfast show online right now, and about two minutes after reading this thread, it was reported on the news. The DJ weighed in with the exact same point as above regarding violence being acceptable, while smoking is not.

Today's society depresses me.

[RavensInBrazil]

I don't think people think much before they do anything...they just follow the PC manual blindly or something

I guess it's what happens when a society doesn't have much else to worry about :/

[Admin Steve]

Darn it. I'll never forget how I learned how to let a stick of dynamite explode in my hand. It was from watching Roadrunner and the dynamite came from the 'Acme Dynamite Company'.

Now generations of kids will be denied knowledge essential for their development.

Fast forward 30 years - South Park episodes will be about 2 minutes long :)

[Dusty728]

It's a wonder any of us lived!
Cartoon violence and smoking, riding in tuck beds and in all vehicles without our seatbelts on, people speaking out against something the government was doing. etc etc.
Thank god kids today don't have worry about thinking because someone will do it for them. :261695:

[Drkraven]

Give me a break! My kids have commented on it, but they know when the the cartoons were made it was not known how horrible smoking was for you.

[Admin Steve]

This PC society makes me sick sometimes. The "moral majority" will continue to take their big erasers to history and modify it to their liking just to save the children.

It's less about the 'moral majority' and more about avoiding future litigation.

IMO of course :)

[12thRaven]

It's a wonder any of us lived!
Cartoon violence and smoking, riding in tuck beds and in all vehicles without our seatbelts on.... :261695:

This reminds me of the Jeff Foxworthy routine where he notes that he grew up in the time when it wasn't a big deal if kids weren't buckled in - and how they are literally harnessed and buckled in now. He asks, "All I want to know is when did kids get to be better than everyone else? I mean, when did they get to be too good to not go through the windshield with the rest of the family?" :laugh:

As far as the cartoons go, it's typical of today's culture and mindset. We're ashamed of some of the things in our nation's history, so we change those things to assuage our collective sense of guilt. Yes, to those of us with functioning brains in our heads, it's irritating - and to some of us actually a little scary. Point well taken about today's kids not being pressed to think because someone is right there to do it for them. Unfortunately, that applies to many adults too. I head back to the "old site" now and then and look at some of the off the wall stuff that is being posted and say to myself, "Good God - these people can breed and vote, and there's nothing to stop them from doing either."

[Greg]

The "moral majority" will continue to take their big erasers to history and modify it to their liking just to save the children.
I think you are confusing these people with the original Moral Majority, this wouldn't be something they pushed. They would be more concerned with sex on TV.


"Good God - these people can breed and vote, and there's nothing to stop them from doing either."
There is the whole registering-to-vote thing, but with motor voter and all of that shit it is terribly easy. But then you have to get off your ass to get to the voting booth so there are some obstacles to weed out the lowest of the bunch. Though the state Democrats are doing all they can to lower those barriers.

[Losac]

I think you are confusing these people with the original Moral Majority, this wouldn't be something they pushed. They would be more concerned with sex on TV.
Either way, I'm happy to be part of the minority then, like Green Day said.

Give me sex, violence, and cartoon characters smoking! :thumbup:

[Bez513]

PC is bullsh*t....this is a free country and we should be able to speak our minds!

[gooselovechild]

Interestingly enough, Ted Turner decided that Speedy Gonzalez portrayed every negative stereotype of Mexicans, so he forbade them from ever being aired...all the while owning a baseball team called the Atlanta Braves.

While I don't personally find the team name to be insensitive (although the foam tomahawks were quite tacky), plenty of folks did, and still do. But never once has Turner addressed this hypocritical stance.

Apparently even PC has it's limitations.