Whatching it today it's hard to believe that it could've ever been used to steer someone away from marijuana use.
2006-06-12 00:41:36 · 7 answers · asked by Stoned Bosco 3 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Theater & Acting
Yeah, it was taken very seriously. It played a fairly large part in the criminalization of marijuana.
I concur, that it's hard to believe nowadays that anyone could believe that stuff, but back then no one really knew anything about marijuana. Therefore, if they saw someone smoke it and then jump out a window in the movie, they figured that must be how it makes you act because that's what they saw in the film.
William Randolf Heart, the lumber baron, didn't help the cause any either. He had a lot of ties to the government as well as the logging industry. It's a widely known fact that hemp is more effective than wood for making paper products, but Mr. Hearst's financial interests did not lie with the hempping industry, therefore he did everything in his power to make it illegal (In effect shutting out the competition.)
2006-06-12 00:48:00 · answer #1 · answered by The Proof Is In The Pudding 3 · 3⤊ 1⤋
It was indeed MEANT to be taken seriously. There were all sorts of simularly over-the-top anti-drug propaganda items out at the time, some were mere exploitation, but 'Tell Your Children'/'Reefer Madness' was made by a church and was meant to be educational (or something like educational) and I know several older folks who believe that marijuana has the capability to make anyone who takes it go insane and commit wild, animalistic criminal acts in the same manner as portrayed in the film. Sad, isn't it?
2006-06-12 01:01:18 · answer #2 · answered by belleofchernobyl 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It was taken with severe seriousness. That what makes it so funny today. People honestly had no idea what pot smoking actually did, so the overwrought acting style made it stupid.
2006-06-12 01:18:26 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Consider it as the Just Say No! campaign of 1938, only Nancy Reagan didn't spearhead this one. ;) They took it seriously.
2006-06-12 00:45:56 · answer #4 · answered by magnamamma 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. It steered ppl TO pot! All those types of movies promote drug use!
2006-06-12 00:45:28 · answer #5 · answered by Kitten 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
yes it was taken seriously......and should be because after you watch it---you realize you smoka da weed you could kill someone.......just kidding...but barely remember the movie
2006-06-12 00:44:39 · answer #6 · answered by Jack Kerouac 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
the people it was aimed at didn't take it seriously, they laughed
2006-06-12 00:45:48 · answer #7 · answered by howard the duq 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋