This is an article about my work from a 1987 publication in Communist Czechoslovakia. To really understand it, you have to read CONJURELLA, my account of my family's (and my own) unwilling participation in the JFK assassination, posted at: http://www.morethanconquerors.simplenet.com/MCF/conjurel.htm >From THE DEMOCRATIC JOURNALIST Volume XXXIV No. 7-8, July-August 1987 Monthly of the International Organization of Journalists, published in English, French, Russian and Spanish. Circulated in 165 countries. Chief Editor: Rudolf Prevratil Editor: Karel Hejc Address: Rooseveltova 18, 160 00 Prague 6, Czechoslovakia (The following article is signed M.M., and is accompanied by a cartoon denoted "Drawing by Martin Marek". The article goes on to discuss works by myself, T. Casey Brennan.) YOUTH AND MASS MEDIA Smoking and Advertisements in Mass Media/36 Are smokers the only real heroes? Certainly not in life. But what about the movies, television or adventure stories? It is almost impossible to provide precise statistics but the truth is that examples where the main hero of an exciting story reaches for a cigarette or a cigar in decisive moments, or has a cigarette dangling from his lips while he calmly solves a difficult situation, are, to say the least, not rare. It is, simply, a stereotype that is never missing from a scenario and is always used very suggestively to influence an audience. Some might say - but it doesn't matter, in the end smoking or not smoking is a personal affair. Of course it is, but the influence of some media, for instance, television, in creating attitudes and habits especially in adolescents, is exceptionally strong, and this has been proved by many sociological and psychological surveys. What good is it if, in a number of countries, cigarette advertising is curbed while indirect promotion of smoking has practically no limits. Film and television heroes who smoke clearly have a greater influence on the value-orientation of teen-agers than the loudly proclaimed Barnum-like advertisements of tobacco firms. The problem which for years now has been the subject of an anti-smoking drive by doctors, teachers and psychologists in many Western countries does not concern only films and television but also, for instance, "comics" for children. The country where this problem is especially urgent is the United States. For years, the USA has held the leading place in a list of countries with the greatest consumption of tobacco products per person. Manufacturers of tobacco and cigarettes in the United States traditionally form an influential pressure group and the big anti-smoking campaign has so far met with only marginal success. What is interesting, however, is that the seriousness of the situation and the danger involved in indirect promotion of smoking is beginning to be realized by some publishers and writers of stories for children and youth. For example, the author of a number of comic texts, T. Casey Brennan, began a campaign with his friends several years ago called: Cartoon heroes needn't smoke! "The important thing," said Brennan, "is protecting children. Comic books have a lot of influence on children. When a comic book hero is shown smoking, it's like subliminal cigarette advertising." Brennan's group has appealed to a number of public figures, Congressmen, publicists and journalists in the USA and abroad urging their support. The bulletin of the World Health Organization called WORLD HEALTH carries information about this movement which is still relatively small. Only the future will tell whether such a campaign will bring about any substantial improvement in the situation. But it certainly deserves attention. -- MM (Note: The issues of WHO's WORLD HEALTH magazine discussing my work are October 1983, page 30, and January-February 1986, page 9. They are easily obtainable at any University public health library, or UN office.) ===== http://www.morethanconquerors.simplenet.com/MCF/victm-hm.htm#Brennan http://www.ozemail.com.au/~realoto/eqv3c.html http://www.videogasm.com http://www.konformist.com/mkkafe/tcasey/tcasey.htm http://www.wynd.org/tcb.html http://www.sentex.net/~dvanhorn/tcasey/tcasey.html http://www.16ton.com/colo/tcb.htm http://www.davestevens.com/ds_harri.htm http://www.vampifan.com/other/htmls/other.html http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Cafe/2544/arq.htm __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send instant messages & get email alerts with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com/ <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html <A HREF="http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
