What's the deal with smoking?

Smoking cuts for classic cartoons after UK complaint | Entertainment | Entertainment News | Reuters.com

Ok, what's going on with the world? In the article from news agency Reuters linked above, Turner Broadcasting is said to be in the process of finding out which of the cartoons in its library contain "glamourizing" depictions of smoking and smokers. What the hell?

I understand that it could be, and I stress on the could auxiliary, that it may interest some children to smoke if sometimes one their favourite characters appears smoking in a "glamorous" fashion. But to suppress episodes or to edit them in favour of one complaint from an overly concerned adult, who wouldn't surprise me if he really believes spinach does in fact make you superhuman.

"-The regulator's latest news bulletin stated that a viewer, who was not identified, had complained about two smoking scenes on "Tom and Jerry," saying they "were not appropriate in a cartoon aimed at children."- "

The problem with this sort of reasoning is that in a seemingly arbitrary way we take for granted that what we see influences what we do, who we are and possibly how we want to die. Ok, it might be obvious to some people, but these matters are quite tricky and require careful study. Just think about it, how many people alive today are smokers and watched Tom & Jerry cartoons when young? Certainly not all of them, why is that? Perhaps the reason behind this bizarre occurrence is that we are not automatons.

So lets say that whatever we watch as kids we are now. What about the violence in Tom & Jerry? Isn't that more destructive and socially reproachable? And the Mexican stereotyping in Speedy Gonzalez cartoons? (Apparently something was done about this already.)

The thing is, that after all, we will not be able to laugh at anything for or creating any sort of character, believable or not, because someone's sensibility might be at stake, or because some other superior being is sure that manipulation inside cartoons are the evil of this world. I'm sure that he or she has never ever watched Fox News lately, or the commercials for that matter.

By the way, on a somewhat similar note, have any of you read an article on how you were able to tell who was evil and who was not in the series 24 just by noticing what computer the character used? Of course Apple for the heroes and any PC for the villains.