For the kind of sludge they sell and the way they sell it, however, they deserve contempt. I don't equate violent games or television shows or lyrics with tobacco, which literally injures and kills people when used as intended. But the entertainment companies' assurances that they haven't been trying to sell their sludge to kids are in the same category as the tobacco executives' lies. The claims defied common sense in both cases. If the Joe Camel campaign was truly aimed at persuading adults to switch brands, then I'm Joe's nephew.
Some adults do enjoy so-called entertainment that's little more than a vehicle for carnage.
But teenagers are a major part of the market for this stuff. When there's money to be made, smart business people will find a way to make it. The entertainment industry is full of smart people. The Hollywood studio heads seem to be lying fairly low after the FTC report. But their lobbying mouthpiece, Jack Valenti, put some clever spin on the news, telling the Los Angeles Times that if violent entertainment led to crime, the crime rate should be going up.