OK, the title of this article is a bit of a hyperbole. But it's true that movies, and the media in general, inspires a lot of damaging behavior by portraying them as cool. There's yet to be a movie glorifying ritual suicide in the U.S (Japan, however, is another matter), but smoking is something that the good guys do all the time, and with style too.

A recent study was released connecting youth picking up smoking with their movie idols, but I could have told you that without needing to conduct any research. It's tragic how much influence the entertainment industry has on how a young person develop their values and ideals, how how little responsibility they take on promoting healthier lifestyles. While stars elegantly let tendrils of smoke trail from their mouths on screen, tar and rat poison fill the lungs of teens who don't know better.

I guess I should be thankful that things like knife-juggling isn't becoming popularized through things we watch...yet.