Avatar was one of the most talked about movies of the year. The movie itself combined political, theological, and racial beliefs with a touch of romance. If anything, you would expect criticism from the many controversial topics the film presents. Of course, a group of activists were outraged -- at the movie rating, that is.

Non-smoking activist groups are angered that Avatar is not rated R simply for one line by Sigourney Weaver: "Where's my d--- cigarette?" These groups -- such as the Center for Tobacco Control Research -- are against anything to do with tobacco. In fact, the non-smoking activists believe that any movie that includes any instances of smoking -- be it the character just having a cigar hanging from his mouth, or even asking for one -- should be rated R. That way, the rate of underage smoking would decrease, because if the kids' favorite celebrities don't smoke, they won't either. According to the American Medical Association Alliance, teenagers pick up smoking habits due to the big screen. If we get rid of smoking in the movies, then kids won't smoke. In plain words, kids today are simply nothing but mindless followers of their big-screen idols and will imitate anything and everything they do.

Do they think kids today are that stupid?

If movie ratings had to be changed to R due to smoking scenes, many of the movies out today and from the past would be rated R. Even old and famous Disney movies such as Mulan or Pocohantas have characters smoking. Besides, Pocohantas was based on the colonization of Jamestown, where tobacco itself was major cash crop. Would it really be wise to change the ratings of movies like these to R just because of smoking? I'm pretty sure that when kids watch movies like Pocohantas or Avatar, they're more amazed at the graphics and effects rather than the smoking references.

Also, tobacco awareness programs were created for a reason. Alief students remember marching down to the gym, cafeteria, or auditorium each year from the time they were kindergarteners until they reached middle school to listen to people from programs such as D.A.R.E. warning about smoking and its effects. The speakers would bring actual pictures of blackened lungs and true stories of people who smoked. Images and stories like that will stay etched on a child's mind, reducing his curiosity about smoking a cigarette. That's why I'm pretty sure that when a kid goes to the movies and there's a scene with his favorite character holding a cigarette in his mouth, he's probably thinking, "Oh no, smoking is bad!" In saying that, I believe a more likely reason teenagers would smoke is because of the influence of parents other adults around them most of the time.

Do activists like the D.A.R.E. program really believe children are stupid enough to imitate anything and everything actors do? My favorite movie of all time is Ocean's Eleven, because the cast of characters includes George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Bernie Mac and Matt Damon. In the movie, the characters create elaborate plans to rob three casinos. Do you see me planning a bank robbery? No. Few 15- or 16-year-olds plan to rob a casino. There are no high school junior girls wreaking havoc all over their school over a "burn book" like the scenes from Mean Girls, at least not to the degree the movie portrays; otherwise, it'd be on the news.

People enjoy those movies; they laugh at the scenes and the plots, but they don't imitate everything their favorite actors do. Tobacco awareness programs already include reasons why smoking isn't cool in order to prevent teenagers from lighting up a cigarette, so most children should know better than to copy an actor they see on screen smoking.

Now, I'm not saying that smoking is not bad. It's a habit that I disapprove of greatly. I don't like the smell, and I don't like how it stains your teeth yellow. However, I do think that if the anti-smoke activists really want to do something about cigarette-smoke and tobacco habits, they should do something more productive like charity events or donations to keep tobacco awareness programs going, instead of being sensitive to Hollywood's movie choices.