blakjeezis
07-07-2002, 09:43 AM
Put on your belts and tighten your shocks, this is gonna be long and rambling.
By now, we've all seen those super aggravating ads that the government forces the cigarette companies to run. These ads show grown up versions of precocious sit-com kids preaching their holier than thou propaganda about the evils of smoking. On the surface these ads seem pretty well intended, but come with me as we scratch a little deeper.
Recently, the government, once again, raised the taxes on cigarettes. This has pushed the price of a pack to ridiculous levels, the highest I've seen is seven dollars, but I'm sure there are places where it's more. This raised the question in my mind, what would happen if everybody quit smoking? Obviously this is what they, the government and anti-tobacco lobby, are trying to do. By bombarding us with rhetoric and making cigarettes ludicrously expensive, they are trying to get us to stop smoking, but why?
The answer is apparently simple, the government is concerned about our health, right? They don't want us to get sick and die, and cigarettes are major causes in various forms of cancer and both heart disease and lung maladies like emphysema. They're protecting us, yes? Puleeease, the government could give two shits less about our health. Did you know that companies, like Monsanto, a company that has caused more damage than all the tobacco companies combined, are not required to label or test Genetically Engineered food separately from non GE products? I'm talkin' about staples like potatoes and bread from engineered grains. An extremely large percentage of these foods, ON YOUR GROCERY SHELVES, are from GE farms. The FDA has stated that these foods need not be tested or labeled any differently than regular agricultural products, meanwhile tests that do and have shown the dangerous properties of these GE products are quickly hushed up and the scientists discredited and villified. These GE foods are dangerous, deadly even, but no one is making ads about them. I could go into specifics, but this is already long enough. If you want more info on this, or just want to be scared shitless read, "Trust Us, We're Experts" by Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber. It's full of frightening issues beyond genetic engineering, things like chemical dumping and chlorine and lead poisoning. All leading to one big conclusion. The government, by and large, does not care about the health of the general public.
So if it's not our health they're concerned with, what purpose do these ads serve? What other possible reason do they have to try and get us to quit smoking? I can't think of one. Perhaps the ads aren't designed to get us smokers to realise the huge mistake we're making. Perhaps the ads aren't meant for smokers at all. Perhaps the ads are meant for non-smokers.
What? Have you lost your mind? Why would they need to teach non-smokers that smoking is a ridiculous idea? They already know that, that's why they don't smoke. What purpose does portraying tobacco companies as huge, uncaring, evil conglomerates serve? We already know that too. They spent years poisoning the populous, addicting us to their deadly chemicals, and targeting our children, all the while smiling at us and pretending to be our friend.
At this point, I'm sure you're saying, "What the fuck is he talking about?" Stay with me here, we've almost hit paydirt.
Next question. What does the government get from telling us things we already know? Answer, reinforcement. Through the use of these ads, they are able to underscore the idea that tobacco companies are evil and that people who smoke are, basically, stupid. We, the smokers, have basically been reduced to lepers who, in the opinion of the non-smoking population deserve nothing short of ostracization and mockery. It makes us less worthy than non-smoking citizens. The general public doesn't care that we are singled out and treated unfairly by the government. Why should they? We deserve it, we're doing it to ourselves. These ads have created an environment in which th
By now, we've all seen those super aggravating ads that the government forces the cigarette companies to run. These ads show grown up versions of precocious sit-com kids preaching their holier than thou propaganda about the evils of smoking. On the surface these ads seem pretty well intended, but come with me as we scratch a little deeper.
Recently, the government, once again, raised the taxes on cigarettes. This has pushed the price of a pack to ridiculous levels, the highest I've seen is seven dollars, but I'm sure there are places where it's more. This raised the question in my mind, what would happen if everybody quit smoking? Obviously this is what they, the government and anti-tobacco lobby, are trying to do. By bombarding us with rhetoric and making cigarettes ludicrously expensive, they are trying to get us to stop smoking, but why?
The answer is apparently simple, the government is concerned about our health, right? They don't want us to get sick and die, and cigarettes are major causes in various forms of cancer and both heart disease and lung maladies like emphysema. They're protecting us, yes? Puleeease, the government could give two shits less about our health. Did you know that companies, like Monsanto, a company that has caused more damage than all the tobacco companies combined, are not required to label or test Genetically Engineered food separately from non GE products? I'm talkin' about staples like potatoes and bread from engineered grains. An extremely large percentage of these foods, ON YOUR GROCERY SHELVES, are from GE farms. The FDA has stated that these foods need not be tested or labeled any differently than regular agricultural products, meanwhile tests that do and have shown the dangerous properties of these GE products are quickly hushed up and the scientists discredited and villified. These GE foods are dangerous, deadly even, but no one is making ads about them. I could go into specifics, but this is already long enough. If you want more info on this, or just want to be scared shitless read, "Trust Us, We're Experts" by Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber. It's full of frightening issues beyond genetic engineering, things like chemical dumping and chlorine and lead poisoning. All leading to one big conclusion. The government, by and large, does not care about the health of the general public.
So if it's not our health they're concerned with, what purpose do these ads serve? What other possible reason do they have to try and get us to quit smoking? I can't think of one. Perhaps the ads aren't designed to get us smokers to realise the huge mistake we're making. Perhaps the ads aren't meant for smokers at all. Perhaps the ads are meant for non-smokers.
What? Have you lost your mind? Why would they need to teach non-smokers that smoking is a ridiculous idea? They already know that, that's why they don't smoke. What purpose does portraying tobacco companies as huge, uncaring, evil conglomerates serve? We already know that too. They spent years poisoning the populous, addicting us to their deadly chemicals, and targeting our children, all the while smiling at us and pretending to be our friend.
At this point, I'm sure you're saying, "What the fuck is he talking about?" Stay with me here, we've almost hit paydirt.
Next question. What does the government get from telling us things we already know? Answer, reinforcement. Through the use of these ads, they are able to underscore the idea that tobacco companies are evil and that people who smoke are, basically, stupid. We, the smokers, have basically been reduced to lepers who, in the opinion of the non-smoking population deserve nothing short of ostracization and mockery. It makes us less worthy than non-smoking citizens. The general public doesn't care that we are singled out and treated unfairly by the government. Why should they? We deserve it, we're doing it to ourselves. These ads have created an environment in which th