Summary Of Substance Abuse In The Film Fievel Goes West
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Portrayal of Substance Abuse in the Film Fievel Goes West: An American Tail The growing exposure that children have to substance abuse, especially tobacco and alcohol use, can only have the outcome of increasing the likelihood of children growing up to become substance abusers themselves according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. In their Policy Statement about Children, Adolescences, Substance Abuse, and the Media the American Academy of Pediatrics (or AAP) claims motion pictures and popular television shows have a considerable amount of substance abuse in them, and these depictions have generally positive attitudes toward legal drug use, and since they are not considered advertising they are not likely to be overly scrutinized (Children, 2013).…show more content… However, the AAP feels that it is the exposure and acceptance of these scenes that pose a greater risk to children than illegal drug use does (Children, 2013). Since the younger a child is when they begin to experiment with these legal drugs the more damage they will sustain physically, and the more likely they are to turn to other substances for experimentation (Children, 2013). Since children mirror what they see if they are watching positive imagery in association with tobacco or alcohol use then they will become more likely to try it themselves. One example of this type of positive imagery can be found in the popular animated children's movie Fievel Goes West: An American Tail. The next few pages will be dedicated to highlighting how the positive images of alcohol and tobacco use in the movie fits the warnings found in the American Academy of Pediatrics's Policy Statement about Children, Adolescences, Substance Abuse, and the Media. In addition, they will discuss how these legal drugs actually effect the person using