Not that I ever complain about anything...
But this has been driving me crazy for a long time. I was on my way to watch my nephew wrestle in a tournament this morning when I hear a PSA (public service announcement) from the anti-smoking campaign The Truth. It was extremely thought provoking as they all are. HOWEVER – The Truth is primarily sponsored and funded by the tobacco industry. I am not saying the opinions expressed aren't valid because of this fact, as we all know what is said in their ads is (pardon the pun) the truth. My problem lies is the sheer hypocrisy of their position.
This year, the parent company for Phillip Morris, Altria Group Inc. will rake in about $97,854,000,000 in sales, two thirds of this being from tobacco sales. These are the people who want us to believe their message that smoking is bad. Simply put, if their convictions and moral compass were pointing in the right direction, the only logical recourse based on the given knowledge would be to stop making tobacco products. To advocate non-smoking then make a fortune on tobacco sales is as hypocritical as if Hitler had been a practicing Rabbi.
I am as big an anti-smoking person as anyone. I grew up with a smoker father and I couldn't even watch TV in the same room as him. Thankfully he quit many years ago. When discussing smoking, I am always reminded of the field trip I took to the local firehouse back when I was a kid. One of the big mantras that was touted was "if there is a fire, stay low to the floor, underneath the smoke, as the smoke can get into your lungs and kill you..." OK, point taken. So why breath the shit VOLUNTARILY?
I know things aren't going to change anytime soon. We have seen a decline in this country in cigarette sales, and we continue to apply heavy sales taxes. I just wish those who fund and support anti-smoking campaigns such as "The Truth" were entirely committed to the true demise of the product.
posted by Roger C. @ 1/13/2007 11:43:00 PM
3 Comments:
Those PSAs you cite that are so magnanimously sponsored by the the tobacco companies? They are a result of a court order as part of federal tobacco settlements, the result of class-action lawsuits against the tobacco companies.
These same settlements resulted in the removal of tobacco's sports-related marketing and advertising, advertising in outdoor media (billboards, etc.), and advertising in print media likely to be viewed by minors.
By no means are the tobacco companies doing this voluntarily. In fact, just as we are continuing to see a decline in smoking in this country -- largely due to the restictions placed on tobacco advertising practices -- the big tobacco companies have proceeded to market and sell their products to children in third-world countries.
'Cause face it: they gotta make up that lost revenue somewhere.
Big T's response to your complaints?: 'We now agree that smoking is potentially harmful, potentially dangerous and even potentially fatal. The "potentially" is because smoking is not a 100% harmful/dangerous/fatal practice. (Who doesn't have an elderly relative who smoked like a chimney and lived to 85? I had several.)
That said, smoking is still LEGAL. Like drinking. If you are an adult and you CHOOSE to participate in a risky hobby/habit, we're happy to sell the tobacco to you. We'd rather you didn't smoke, but it is both legal and voluntary. Some people BASE jump or skydive. Some people race vehicles at dangerous speeds. Some people are aerobatics pilots. Some are deep sea divers. Some climb tall mountains without supplemental oxygen. Some handle poisonous snakes in church. Some drive trucks on thin ice so they can go fiching. Some raise bees. Some tame lions. Some wrestle alligators. Some swim with sharks or stingrays. Some fight one another in a ring. Mankind is a species easily addicted to a lot of substances. Tobacco is one. Alcohol is another. Adrenaline is a third choice and it can be immediately fatal. Whatever floats your boat. As long as it's legal, we're in.'
As I have said before, exactly what jedesign said, the truth campaign was part of the settlements. Apart from one's personally problem with hypocrisy, there's nothing wrong with the company sponsoring PSAs that discourage use of their products. If the ads speak truth, and if the message gets through to some people and they chose not to smoke, then that overwhelmingly outweighs the hypocrisy thing.
Besides, those ads are saturated with very powerful sumbliminals that encourage current smokers to double up!
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