Cameron: Smoking Cigarettes in Avatar Comments on Obsessive Gamers

[DeadAccountMoveAlong]

As unintelligent and piss poor as the writing in that film was, I don't believe anything that deep occurred in terms of symbolism. He pulled that answer out of his ass just for the sake of getting attention, because we all know using "video games" in an interview, especially negatively, will get you noticed.

 

[CymTyr]

I would like to think that people and young adults are smart enough to decide for themselves whether or not they want to smoke. I chose to start smoking a long time ago. Do I regret it? Yes. Do I still do it? Yes.

I would love to see the day when they try to totally outlaw smoking. The percentage of smokers would rise up dramatically overnight, and the black market would make people billions of dollars, just like during Prohibition.

If you don't like people who smoke, that's fine, I can respect that. But you have no right to tell me I can't smoke cigarettes. I've had firsthand experience with people who developed lung cancer and were never exposed to cigarette smoke, so blame the cigarettes all you want, but the pollution causes as much cancer as tobacco does. When you see people die that have never smoked cigarettes it dawns on you that there's more to the story than "OMFG TOBACCO IS BAD GRR"

As far as gamers who don't take care of themselves, it's a given. Some people lack any sort of self-restraint.

 

[omegawyrm]

Calling bullshit on that one Cameron.

If anyone is a role model in the film, it's Grace. She's a strong, intelligent woman who displays more compassion and understanding than almost anyone else in the film. What negatives is she incurring by spending time in her Avatar body that Cameron claims to represent an online or gaming persona? If smoking is the only one, that is by far the smallest issue at stake in the movie's world.

And she's not an aspirational role model to children? She's shown to be a great mother figure IN THE DAMN MOVIE. She acted as a schoolteacher to a ton of the alien kids and they clearly adore her, and cling to her every time they see her and she cares for them equally in turn.

Also, we're supposed to see spending time in an Avatar as a negative thing? I might have been reading this wrong, but I'm pretty sure the audience was supposed to think that the main character spending enough time in his Avatar to learn the ways of another culture, integrate with them, and therefore save the WHOLE PLANET was a good thing.

 

[Klepa]

First off, I smoke.

Secondly, I guess they're going apeshit about smoking in movies, because movies were one of the main culprits in making smoking "cool" in america, back in the 50's. So I kind of see where they're coming from, but still consider them a bunch of morons.

Someone should also tell James Cameron that making a sci-fi movie with state of the art special effects, and bashing on the genres core demographic, is not a good idea.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Anti-anything groups will look at anything they can see that goes against their beliefs, and turn it into something terrible. This is nothing new, and something that'll never change.

Agreed. It's the same level of authoritarianism that spawns PETA in this age, and the Crusades in earlier times.

"WE are the ones that tell YOU what to do."

Perhaps they should take a look at Woody Allen's film Sleeper where he wakes up in the future and finds that smoking and chocolate fudge cake have been found to be beneficial.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Smoking is good for you.

Just ask John McClane, he survives everything.

 

[Capo Taco]

Cameron's a dick.
Don't blame us because you don't have the balls to tell the anti-smoking groups that teens should be smart enough to make their own judgements and not copy a cfictional character.

He's not blaming us. He's blaming one character.

 

[brunothepig]

First off, I don't care if Cameron was just trying to switch the attack to gamers, or if he intended to have that message from the start. Either way, FUCK OFF. Trust me, we don't care all that much about our games characters. Hell, I just threw the prince of Persia of a cliff for giggles. Secondly, have a little more faith in children, and how is Sigourney Weaver a role model for children?

 

[funguy2121]

I think the anti-smoking groups just commented on Avatar because of its huge success and they want to try and steal some of the limelight and money.

Warp Speed, Mister. Ditto the Hell out of this. It's the biggest movie of the year and these douches just wanted the people at the ironically named Truth.com to notice them.

 

[funguy2121]

Yea doesn't every teen wanna be a 50 year-old looking, wrinkle infested scientist that fails at create relationships?

Somebody help me, I've been infested by living wrinkles and they're causing me to fail at create relationships!

I propose that the Escapist institutes a grammar test upon registration.

I do agree with those of you who said it was a quick cop-out to get the "Truth" crazies off his back, but I wouldn't quite call it "throwing us under the bus." If you spend too much time on the internet or playing games, you should be able to handle it when someone tells you so.

 

[MrSnugglesworth]

C'mon! People are murdered and raped in teen movies, and most of the time it's made to look cool.

so... like Twilight?

Murdered I guess...


Is there rape in Twilight?


I've never read beyond the first book. I'd have no idea.

 

[Cpt_Oblivious]

Cameron's a dick.
Don't blame us because you don't have the balls to tell the anti-smoking groups that teens should be smart enough to make their own judgements and not copy a cfictional character.

I think you kinda missed what he was saying. It really didn't have anything to do with smoking like the interest group was saying, more like obsessive gaming.

My point is that it doesn't bear any relevance to the movie and that he shouldn't point the blame on obsessive gamers to appease anti-smoking groups. We get enough hate as it is.

Cameron's a dick.
Don't blame us because you don't have the balls to tell the anti-smoking groups that teens should be smart enough to make their own judgements and not copy a cfictional character.

He's not blaming us. He's blaming one character.

He's calling gamers obsessive with addictive personalities to please anti-smoking groups.

 

[Eatbrainz]

What the sam-hell does smoking have to do with games?!

Besides, it's not like we dont know what smoking can do to us, we dont need to be CONSTANTLY reminded.

 

[rokkolpo]

i can't remember smoking in avatar.

oh yeah...i was watching THE MOVIE at the time!

 

[orangebandguy]

If people want to smoke LET THEM.

Of course Cameron uses us as a scapegoat, easier to lay the blame on someone else.

 

[Lonan]

so in Cameron's eyes all we do is smoke,drink and do drugs while gaming??

He was just referencing people who don't take care of their real bodies.

 

[Asehujiko]

I can't decide who i need to dislike more. Cameron for being a protectionist ass against other media or the moral watchdogs for being retards.

 

[Dereks]

this movie receives way too much attention. Definitely much more than it deserves. And this creates such kind of weird comments about it.