Posted on 07/06/2006 7:13:58 PM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist
Believes 'Cars' Gives Kids The Wrong Message About Racing Trains
(CBS) -- Is Disney's hit movie "Cars" spinning its wheels when it comes to safety?
CBS 2 West Suburban Bureau Chief Mike Puccinelli reports on the fight to put the brakes on a scene in the blockbuster animated picture about a fast talking rookie racer named Lightning McQueen.
"As I'm sitting there, I couldn't believe it because this is a red car. My daughter was killed in a red car," said Lanny Wilson with the DuPage Railroad Safety Council.
His 14-year-old daughter, Lauren, was killed in a collision 12 years ago when her brother chose to race a train and lost. It was a split-second decision that forever changed his family.
"I don't want this kind of nightmare, this kind of tragedy to happen to other families, especially if we can do something to prevent it," Wilson said.
He believes editing out the train race scene from the DVD version of the film will prevent from other young people from making fatal, split-second decisions.
The president of the Illinois State Medical Society agrees and wants the scene cut from future versions of the film.
"You give children that kind of a message: It cool, it is good to try to go and beat a train. It is the wrong message," Dr. Peter Eupierre said.
In a statement, Disney officials say: "Lightning McQueen's poor judgment in outrunning the train reveals his reckless and thoughtless behavior and is certainly not glorified."
Officials won't say if they're considering editing out the controversial scene.
Until they do, Wilson vows to continue to fight in Lauren's name.
"You never get over it. You just cope and try to go on," he said.
And if a driver is a functioning alcoholic who doesn't appear to be affected by his drinking, but blows over a .10 - are you willing to let him go?
MADD keeps trying to lower the BAC in the statutes - from .10 to .08 and impaired from .05 down. And the reading alone can justify the conviction, under the statute, without the swerving, etc. [A roadblock for ALL traffic can do the job].
We were smarter? Have you noticed the lack of common sense lately? I never wanted to particularly emulate the music that I listened to but there certainly is a rap/thug culture now. We have 8 yr olds dressing like Britney Spears. And they are learning from TV, not Mom & Dad. Our culture has changed. Kids aren't being taught logic and common sense anymore.
he has a point after watching cheech and chongs next movie the first thing i did is by cocain from space aliens and snort it all at once and launched myself into outer space just like they did because once you see something animated in a movie you have no self control you have to do whatever it is you see in animated movies whether you want to or not . /s
Isn't this the same type of moral authority that Cindy Sheehan claims (and that David Letterman claimed on her behalf w/ O'Reilly)?
Wile Coyote served with subpoena just inches from Roosevelt's nose, details at 11:00...
That's what you're teaching kids in a learning environment. The movies are a recreation. It's like playtime...something fun to go out and do. When kids play games, be it cops and robbers or what have you, they themselves emulate violence and dangerous or precarious situations. Because that's exciting, and that's what playing or "adventure" is all about.
My point, though, was that since kids don't actually drive cars, there really shouldn't be too much of a worry of them trying to do what the cars do in the movie.
This puzzles me. Where does this connect to the article?
The fear seems to be that children are going to mimic what they see in the movie by actually trying to beat trains in races on railroad tracks. I'm wondering what the children are doing at railroad tracks unattended in the first place.
No. For him it was warning bells. And ironic ones at that.
To me it seemed like a "double-issue"...meaning that he was concerned about two things at once: the safety of others, and his own personal grief. Here's his quote from the article: "As I'm sitting there, I couldn't believe it because this is a red car. My daughter was killed in a red car,"...what does it being a RED car have to do with anything?
That might be credible if some "car" actually got smashed in the film trying it.
How is this different from using actors and camera operators?
True, but some of that should be built-in to at least some degree. An 8 year-old dresses like Britney Spears, but that's because she doesn't know much about sexuality. She doesn't realize that she's degrading herself or could be turning on some old pedophile pervert.
Watching dangerous or exciting situations in movies or TV is different, because kids have at least a slightly better understanding of danger. They know that there is such a thing as death, and that the character COULD be hurt or killed (that's what makes it exciting). So, depending on the kid, I would think there would be less of an inclination to actually try what they see.
This whole thing sounds just like those who complain about TV shows like Jackass showing people doing really stupid things.
It can be a fine line at times, but somewhere on that line there is a place for personal responsiblity and common sense.
Pray you never loose a child, because you'll never get over it.
So I guess this means we shouldn't be allowed to see the scene in the original Superman movie where Clark Kent outraces a train.
Ideally.
There was a lot of fast driving in that movie too. As I recall, many people have died from driving way too fast. They should get rid of all the scenes where cars drive too fast, including all of the race scenes. A lot of good NASCAR drivers have died due to driving fast on racetracks.
You are correct, except for one small detail... his kid played chicken with a train and lost. Suicide by train.
I am SICK of self righteous fools who are unable to deal with their losses imposing their grief and stupidity on the rest of us.
This is just another example of PC thugs trying to impose their "vision" on the rest of, he should just stay away from the movie, not buy the video, and STFU!
I feel the same way about "roadside memorials", they are tolerable if taken down after a reasonable time, like one week.
But these crybabies who want to keep them up permanently, often with public money or endless donations that could be used to help THE LIVING, disgust me.
Tragedy is a part of living, it happens, deal with it, and if you cant, KEEP IT TO YOURSELF!
Note to Lanny Wilson:
The Earth orbits the Sun, each revolving on its own axis.
The earth and the sun, as well as the rest of the planets in our solar system, revolve around the center of our Milky Way galaxy.
The Milky Way galaxy is part of a larger group of galaxies known as the Local Group.
The Local Group, along with other galaxy groups, orbits a singular point at the center universe.
Unfortunatey Mr. Wilson, that singular point is noyyergyjrm, up...iou
blue cars aren't safe either
You are correct, except for one small detail... his kid played chicken with a train and lost. Suicide by train.
Speaking of "small details", you got yours wrong -- "his kid", the dead one, wasn't driving the car, she was a passenger.
Bingo!
He's a victim, and we can't argue with him or we are denying the validity of his pain.
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