This week, we ask: Should films featuring smoking automatically be given an 18 rating?
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NO: The Case Against - This is not censorship - it is intimidation and bullying
by Neil Rafferty, spokesman for Forest, the smokers' rights group . . .
I've seen the anti-smoking extremists up close, so naturally I'm a bit cynical when they say it's all about "the children".
When a film receives an 18 certificate, it excludes not only youngsters but many adults who don't like excessive violence and strong language. That's why film- makers like 15 certificates, because it says, "this is entertainment for grown-ups, but it doesn't go too far".
The extremists know that by slapping an 18 certificate on smoking scenes, more and more film-makers will just stop showing smoking altogether until cinema will depict a world in which smoking does not exis. This is not just censorship - it is intimidation and bullying.
And, if this was to become a reality, how long before scenes of excessive drinking or consumption of fast food are given the 18 certificate "to protect the children"?
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