We usually monopolize readers of this blog by forcing them to read our own ramblings.
But once in a while we come across someone else’s that we think is worth pointing to – and here is one today.
The poster is well known on a number of messageboards as “Johannes (pronounced Yo)” and we hope he doesn’t mind our referring you to his wistful recollections of the good old days – and we hope Tampa, who runs the messageboard in question, doesn’t mind the link either.
You go, Johannes (pronounced Yo)

What a shame.
Yesterday, as we were reviewing mainstream videos with smoking scenes for the upcoming issue of Smoke Signals, we paused to blog a beautifully-written diatribe against the anti-smoking zealots who repeatedly con the media into publishing the same story over and over again, claiming that there is more on-screen smoking in mainstream movies than ever.
However, the server company was doing maintenance work (which they said would be completed well before we wrote the entry) – and our Pulitzer-worthy rant was lost forever into the ether.
There’s no way we could re-compose such an incredible piece of prose.
Suffice it to say that the main points were:
- there is NOT more smoking in mainstream movies than ever – we watch a ton of them every month specifically looking for smoking, and we would love to see the anti’s REAL evidence.
- scenes that they *claim* are smoking scenes are usually just shots of a character holding a cigarette to establish something about the character (that they’re evil, perhaps?)
- Waxman, Reiner and the rest of that crowd, as well as the media that’s complicit in publishing completely untrue “facts” – should STOP LYING. If they want to make their case against smoking, so be it. But if it’s a valid case, there should be no reason to lie in order to make it.
Sorry you couldn’t see the original piece – we were very proud of it