Used as a bug killer by converting the crop to nicotine tartrate, tobacco today is used mostly as a recreational drug using the leaves of the plant. With many tobacco products on the market legally the worst known preventable health diseases on the globe (according to W.H.O.) have developed because of its addictive and carcinogenic properties.
There's a cigarillo tobacco product (pompom) that is created in Jacksonville Florida and shipped world wide. It's a kind of mini cigar with a punch. It's small and fast to smoke and three times more harmful than one cigarette. Is there a benefit from using it? Not really. Only for the manufacturer maybe. Accountants could say there's a good profit margin. So what? Still sales from the product generate government taxes . Maybe that's the link in the chain that cannot be broken?
But the tax income is quickly offset by the huge health care costs. Since the largest number of illnesses is caused by the use of tobacco, even insurance companies demand higher premiums from those who use it personally because the claims generated by them are the highest.
Homo sapiens may be the most innovative yet clearly not the most intelligent in self care. They create harmful drugs, a medical system to try to right that wrong and an insurance system to cover the medical expenses. Then there are political systems that believe in some sort of a smorgasbord of freedom of choice allowing a slow but certain death from tobacco consumption, yet no mercy death for individuals suffering tremendously near the end of disease. Something seems very wrong about choices in this instance.
Today's newer media is adding new support to the use of tobacco products. Social sites like Facebook and You Tube have become places for promoters. For the pom pom product it's already there. Twitter? Likely yes. Seems if a famous celebrity with lots of followers mentions a product by brand name in a tweet then there will be remuneration to them from the brand's company. Fast cash! Any regulation about what may be promoted? Not much.
More media tools in the mix is the allowing of harmful substances to be available via the internet. Shopping over the net has made the product more readily available. Is the cigarillo one item kids would select? Apparently yes because the makers of the product have offered it in a variety of yummy flavours, grape included! Hooking young innocent clients in is what matters to the future of their industry. I question why is the manufacture of tobacco stuff still allowed? Choices? Rights?
Think of this. Our freedom of choice is being manipulated and influenced in so many ways now we hardly notice it's happening. The mind is being controlled more and more by advertisers and marketers. For example:
Will you be watching the $3.1 million commercials at this weekend's football game? You are watching the game right? Perhaps that's because it's been deemed a very big event, a fashionable thing to do and with so many followers. Over the years this event has been groomed to be that way. The media has been a leader of this for many years now. The viewers have followed as conditioned supporters ought to. Some call it loyalty.
So do you question why some companies would put up the huge dollars for a 30 second spot of advertising during the game? Likely not. The advertisers hope for viewer attention by carefully planning their ad. Once watched and rated, the best one will be repeated, all the talk shows will spend days reviewing those commercials and discussing them. This kind of spotlight will certainly help sell a product more quickly and bigger volumes because of the mob mentality most people seem to have. In no time that high cost of the ad is recovered Clever? Maybe?
Thankfully the commercial that will not be created is the one about a tobacco product. No cigarillo spots. That product was banned from those type of ads along with all the tobacco items. Freedom of choice to do so was overridden because of the known very high health risks of that.
Shouldn't there be a tobacco ban on the net as well for the same reason? That's not about to happen. On the net the rules and laws have been very slow in keeping up with all the latest tricks to pull us into markets. Is that intelligent behaviour knowing what we know?
P.S. Being so conditioned to add media props, I originally had a photo of the product packaging in this post until I realized that it would be a visual promotion for it. Darn it's tough to be objective.
I smoked for years in my twenties and early thirties, before I was finally able to give it up. It's very addicting, and I agree with you that it should not be advertised. But I also believe that prohibition does not work. If somebody wants to get ahold of them, they should have a way, even if it kills them. Just my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI've always detested smoke and cigarettes and cigars.
ReplyDeleteI never understood what the appeal was but beyond that the smoke and smell was highly irritating to me. Where I grew up I've read that the percentage of smokers is 98%. You can see I was clearly in the minority. I'm happy that there are so many who now realize that it is terrible for the health but I know that quitting is very, very difficult. Even for a light smoker.
Wonderful, complete post and you are preaching to the choir. I smoked for about 15 years before finally quitting. It is horribly addictive and like Joyful, when I smoked, the majority of people did. It was cool. I hate to think of what I did to people with my second hand smoke.
ReplyDeleteamen to all of this and add alcohol to the stupid homo sapiens. one of our teens was found dead, the cause? the new thing is to soak tampons in the alcohol of your choice and insert and get drunk and your parents can't smell it on you. alcohol is just as bad as tobacco or worse, the use of it murders the innocent every day every hour every minute,
ReplyDeleteIt's always astounding to see what we humans will come up with that can harm us! How did we get so warped? I have missed visiting you and send you lots of hugs!
ReplyDeleteHats off to you for tackling such a controversially hot topic! I am fortunate to live in a country that was one of the world firsts to ban all smoking in public places. At the time, it was met with a mighty outcry but the law was nevertheless enforced. I grew up at a time when everyone smoked. My Dad was ahead of his time in that he detested smoking and would not permit anyone to smoke in our home or car, ever! He eventually had No Smoking signs made to display at home, in the car and at work. People regarded him as unreasonable. I consequently inherited his distaste as did my sister and when I got married, my non-smoking husband and I enforced those same rules. My Fil was a pipe smoker and had been for more than 50 years, but he respected our wishes and eventually gave up smoking at the age of 70. He is still very much alive at 95. You write exceedingly well and present an entirely sensible argument.
ReplyDeleteGreat post.
ReplyDeletePerhaps, it's just where I live, but I thought smoking was something of the past. I don't know anyone who smokes anymore nor do I smell smoke outside buildings where they are allowed to smoke.
I didn't know cigarellos were worse than the regular, either.
I love your profile picture. A very good picture of you.
An excellent post, Kleinste Motte. There are far too many young people smoking again in this country although a middle-class smoker is almost a pariah now.
ReplyDeleteAdvertising has a lot to answer for but ultimately it's education which makes the difference. Are there anti-smoking ads? Probably not.
You had me from the first line: "The fact that homo sapiens may have free choice and are considered to be the most intelligent species on earth is questionable." I laughed out loud at that. So beautifully understated. I missed joining in on the fad of cigarette smoking when young & am so glad I did. Mom smoked a long time, but ultimately went cold turkey--so proud of her accomplishing that. Thank you for stopping by PD. Very glad to get to know you, Kleinste Motte (and do I take it from that, there's a bit of German heritage? If so, me, too, though a couple generations back).
ReplyDeleteI live in Oklahoma where they only just today banned smoking in state buildings. Having moved here from northern California I was shocked at the number of people who still smoke, or chew, here. It is very much a part of the culture and they tend to think of it as protecting their individual rights. Very sad really.
ReplyDeleteI've never smoked accept when I was kid and we would sneak out into the woods and smoke the cigs we stole from my neighbors mom. But I have to admit I love the smell of second hand cigar, pipe, and cigarette smoke.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry, you have persuaded me to give pompoms a particularly wide berth, even if I had been tempted in the first place. But I reserve my right to have one decent Havana cigar on my birthday.
ReplyDeleteA great article, hope someone reading it will stop smoking after reading the entire article. Abe went from cigarettes to a pipe when our last child was born, she didn't like the smell on him from the cigarettes. Then when he had major surgery in 1996, he gave up the pipe. Hasn't touched it since. But the cigarettes had all ready done damage, now he's on oxygen almost all the time, day and night. My Grandfather died from lung cancer, brought on from smoking, a sister-in-law about four years ago, lung cancer and now my brother, her husband has been told he has the same thing she had. Small cell carcinoma of the lung. He still smokes, so why he's going through chemo and radiation is beyond me, that should be reserved for the people that really want to fight it and would give up smoking to do so. I understand cigarettes are very expensive, so i have no idea how people can afford to purchase them, especially if they smoke a pack or more a day. Hope the concert you went to was everything you expected and more.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post, Heidi. My Daddy smoked for 50 years and he died from Emphysema (caused by his smoking). For that reason, I have never smoked...
ReplyDeleteI don't pay much attention to the commercials on TV... What scares me is our Government controlling us here in our country.. They think that "Father Knows Best" ---and because of that, they think they can make the rules which we follow.... Scary!!!!
Hugs,
Betsy
Dear Kleinste Motte,
ReplyDeleteFor several months, I've followed your blog on photographs, not realizing that you had a second blog. I'm so glad that I've discovered it.
This is an excellent posting in which you courageously share your views on smoking. It brings up the whole area of government regulation and health care. Also the question of the Internet and what can be shown on it. These questions are complex and I don't begin to know the answers. But I respect someone like you who wants to bring the subject into the light of day.
Peace.
I forgot to mention, I like your new profile photo.
ReplyDelete