Tom and Jerry In Trouble For Smoking

[Saurgrist]

Originally Posted by Reuters

They chase each other at high speed wielding axes and hammers. But the famous cartoon duo of Tom and Jerry are in trouble for smoking on screen.

Media regulator Ofcom received a complaint from a viewer who took offence at two episodes involving smoking.

In one, "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 other, "Tennis Chumps", Tom's opponent in a match smokes a large cigar.

In a bulletin posted online, Ofcom noted "concerns that smoking on television may normalise smoking", and said that the Turner company, licensee for Boomerang which aired the cartoons, had agreed to edit some smoking scenes out of Tom and Jerry.

"The licensee has ... proposed editing any scenes or references in the series where smoking appeared to be condoned, acceptable, glamorised or where it might encourage imitation," Ofcom said, adding that "Texas Tom" was one such example.

But it would not cut all smoking scenes, it added.

Ofcom said it recognised smoking was more generally accepted when cartoons were produced in the 1940s, 50s and 60s, but noted that the threshhold for including such scenes when the audience is predominately young should be high.

This is ridiculous. This was a show I loved as a kid, and it shouldn't be criticized because the character smoked a cigarette or a cigar. I am not a smoker and I would never be, but I do not care if a cartoon character smokes...

Look at the TV shows out there for kids now, depicting people taking drugs, having sex, and extreme violence... and they are complaining about smoking? Too many people take offense to everything to get attention, and in my opinion, it's about time to quit that act.

How do you all feel?

[Rocol]

I totally agree with your comments Saurgrist, if the smoking scenes are deemed to be usuitable for kids, what about the scenes of ' Cartoon Violence ' , and as you say, there are many kids programs now which simulate much worse things, and in more gory detail

I always say this mate, if they don't like a program, they can always change channels or switch it off .. no-one is forcing them to watch it ;)

[TGLucario]

i agree rocol.....most kids TV shows now days have too much violence....when i was a kid (in the good ol 90's) ya didnt c much violence on TV's even kids shows ya dont...nowdays ya do & its tottaly sicken me :O

[Arwen]

OMG what a pathetic complaint as everyone has said cartoons like that well most of us grew up on and at no point when i watched those cartoons did i ever contemplate picking up a ciggy and smoking it,thats completly ubsurd