THE JOURNAL OF THE CAUCUS: ARCHIVE

We've Done Some Thinking


On Sunday, September 5, 1982, a drunk driver plowed into a car containing Mary Martin, Janet Gaynor, Paul Gregory and Ben Washer. Ms. Martin was badly injured, Ms. Gaynor is still in the hospital, Mr. Washer was killed. Another statistic was added to the 25,400 traffic deaths per year due to misuse of alcohol in this country.

There are probably a few among us who have not had some personal experience with this kind of tragedy. There are probably few who do not have, at the very least, some knowledge of the tragic waste of youth, talent, ambition, health, love, support, or just plain right to live caused by the misuse of alcohol.

We, of the Caucus for Producers, Writers & Directors, have done some thinking. Have any of us as members of the creative community in Hollywood unwittingly glorified the casual use of alcohol in one of our projects? Have we written it as macho? Directed it as cute? Produced it as an accepted way of life? In short, are we subliminally putting a label of "perfectly okay" on alcohol related behavior and selling it to the American people?... The answer we fear is yes.

Alcohol is the number one drug of choice in the United States. The consequences of its misuse are not cute, macho or acceptable. Psychologists Warren Brood and James R. De Foo, have done a number of studies concerning the effects of the media on alcohol abuse, and in the past have worked with a number of our colleagues in an advisory capacity. They have made the following suggestions which we ask you to join us in considering.

  1. Try not to glamorize the drinking or serving of alcohol as a sophisticated or an adult pursuit.
  2. Avoid showing the use of alcohol gratuitously in those cases when another beverage might be easily and fittingly substituted.
  3. Try not to show drinking alcohol as an activity which is so "normal" that everyone must indulge. Allow characters a chance to refuse an alcoholic drink by including non-alcoholic alternatives.
  4. Try not to show excessive drinking without consequences, or with only pleasant consequences.
  5. Demonstrate that there are no miraculous recoveries from alcoholism; normally, it is a most difficult task.
  6. Don't associate drinking alcohol with macho pursuits in such a way that heavy drinking is a requirement for proving one's self as a man.
  7. Portray the reaction of others to heavy alcohol drinking, especially when it may be a criticism.