it strikes me as being odd that the settlement money has to be used for PSA's, considering it basically says 'smoking will rot your shit bad' on the pack here in america, last i recall in your lovely canada, they even had dead babies and black lungs stamped on the packs.
i don't see what the issue is with the advertising. every industry does this, from cars to toys to booze to pills. whoopie. i assume the same people who equate product with advertised happiness are the same people who buy things from telemarketers and send their life savings to nigerian princes. i really don't care if they get rid of the advertising or whatnot, but if a person is able to make a conscious choice to go to a store, count out money and exchange it for a pack of cigarettes that tells you they're going to kill you on the box, why should anyone feel bad? yes, i smoke. *shrug*. by the way, i actually found an interesting article in the DC liberal free-mag about how a bunch of 'activists' were trying to get the bars/restaurants in the city to go smoke-free, and most of them laughed in their faces saying something to the effect of 'people who smoke are a great piece of our business. people who smoke tend to enjoy life more, and drink/eat more.' not trying to nitpick an old thread, but if i can find it at home, i'll post it. --d. -----Original Message----- From: Dana Tierney [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2003 10:22 PM To: CF-Community Subject: Re: And we Americans are sue happy? sure. And so were we all when they were selling over the counter medications that contained mercury and morphine. Responsibility is one thing. Enough information to make an informed decision is another. I don't blame anyone but myself for the fact that I smoked as long as I did, but there is no question that advertising affected that decision and, having seen the internal marketing memos, I can assure you that the advertising is deliberately and cynically geared, not to providing enough information, but to selling cigarettes, and this at great expense to the public coffer. All those people dying of lung cancer and emphesyma eventually run out of money, depending on how heroic the measures taken on their behalf might be. My favorite use of the money from the tobacco settlement is for PSAs presenting the effects of smoking. At least it balances out the information available a little. Dana Nagy, Daniel J writes: > what does that have to do with it? > > we're all responsible for our own bodies, not corporations or the > government. > > --d. > > -----Original Message----- > From: Dana Tierney [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2003 10:20 AM > To: CF-Community > Subject: Re: And we Americans are sue happy? > > > You CAN be. Does this mean nobody ever get sick from smoking? > > Dana > > > Heald, Tim writes: > > > I smoke a lot, when I was still on active duty in the Army I both smoked > and > > dipped (mainly in the field to stay awake), I still ran, climbed, jumped > out > > of airplanes and so forth. You can be a totally healthy smoker. Hell I > am > > still in much better shape than anyone else I am friends with, other than > > Crit. > > > > Timothy Heald > > Information Systems Specialist > > Overseas Security Advisory Council > > U.S. Department of State > > 571.345.2235 > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Dana Tierney [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2003 10:00 AM > > To: CF-Community > > Subject: Re: And we Americans are sue happy? > > > > > > There's some truth to this. However, after spending a year indexing the RJ > > Renolds documents, it seems to me that a very large advertising budget was > > spent convincing people that it wasn't really so. Think about all those > > cigarette ads showing healthy people engaged in rock climbing or whatever > > with a cigarette in their hand. That was deliberate. Liquor ads similarly > > portray drinking as the thing to do in a social setting. I very rarely > > drink either, but I notice that people who notice me ordering coke in a > > setting where everyone else is drinking generally assume I have a > "drinking > > problem" rather than that I just don't care to drink. Tells me drinking is > > still seen by many folks as the thing to do, probably in large part due to > > advertising. Now do I have to do it just because it is seen by some people > > as the thing to do? No, of course not. Do some people go with the flow? I > > am sure.... > > > > Dana > > > > > > Phillip B writes: > > > > > > In the 50's and 60's, nobody knew it was bad for them, so it was > "sexy" > > > > > > > > > > This bothers me. My Grandfather heard smoking was bad some time during > the > > > 50's. He told me he was plowing a field when he heard on the radio it > was > > > bad for you. At that moment he put out his cigarette and pitched the > rest > > > and never smoked again. > > > > > > People have known for a _long_ time that smoking and drinking were bad > for > > > you. The problem is it was fashionable to do it. If you think back to > old > > > black and white films you will see how they were used as devices to make > a > > > point in the film. The result of that was people wanted to mimic the > > people > > > on screen. People are influenced in the way they dress, smoke, > > vacation.... > > > The list goes on and on. I am not blaming Hollywood. I am saying that it > > has > > > an influence in what we do. > > > > > > People suing for alcohol and cigarettes really bother me. I stared > smoking > > > and drinking when I was in 5th grade. I still drink once in a while and > > will > > > never smoke again. Did I know smoking was bad? Yes. Did I know drinking > > was > > > bad? Yes. Will I sue some one for my choices? No. I made the decision to > > do > > > it and I accept what ever may happen to me. > > > > > > If more people would quit blaming others for their misfortune, the world > > > would be a better place. God isn't punishing me. The neighbor didn't > make > > > his dog poop in my yard. My parents didn't make me need glasses. They > just > > > happened. We need to suck it up and deal with it. > > > > > > I'll be quite now. :) > > > > > > Phillip B. > > > > > > www.LoungeRoyale.com > > > www.FillWorks.com > > > > > > > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?forumid=5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?method=subscribe&forumid=5 Get the mailserver that powers this list at http://www.coolfusion.com Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5
