anti-smoking funeral stunt

Like many retired people facing old age, Hetty has started reading death notices and she was particularly annoyed by the funeral arrangements of one old gentleman who sullied the solemn occasion of his funeral with a ridiculous anti-smoking propaganda stunt.

"Apparently Dick Whittamore, 85, wanted an anti-smoking message to be displayed at his funeral parade and by his grave as a warning to others," says Hetty, "but as the old codger died of a heart attack, not lung cancer or emphysema – and his earlier request for strippergram girls at his funeral was dropped as being inappropriate - I cannot understand why the anti-smoking placards 'Smoking Killed Me' were not deemed similarly ridiculous by the funeral directors."

"This anti-smoking stunt is not only tacky but it's also misleading advertising," says Hetty. "And, because the old guy lived ten years beyond the UK average male life expectancy he was actually advertising smoking as being a good thing!”

"Obviously the old codger was a rabid anti-smoking nut -- even to the point of having the placards printed in the same typeface as the health warnings on cigarette packets," sighs Hetty, "but why his hatred of smoking was allowed to be publicized in this inappropriate manner is beyond my comprehension and it's very likely that the funeral directors had to be rabid anti-smoking nuts too in order to permit it."

"Mr Whittamore's cause of death on February 16 2010 was recorded as a heart attack, not lung cancer or emphysema," says Hetty, "and this anti-smoking stunt is not only tacky but it's also misleading advertising."

"So what if he was a heavy smoker in his youth and developed emphysema later in life," says Hetty. "Most people in his age-group, 85 plus, smoked heavily or were exposed to heavy smokers, and some developed emphysema later in life and some didn't."

"Apparently Mr Whittamore ran a printing shop for almost 50 years -- and was also an assistant manager of a theatre -- so he had a flair for publicity and drama and was also exposed to dangerous chemicals in his work which may have caused his emphysema," adds Hetty. "So, to blame his later ill health on a smoking habit he had as a lad is stretching it a bit far."

"Let's face it, the old guy lived ten years beyond the UK average male life expectancy – an exceptional innings – and was well known as a 'character'," says Hetty. "If he sincerely wanted to warn people against smoking, which I believe he did, then he did not succeed in this task as well as he succeeded at drawing attention to himself after death (which, I believe, was his main objective)."

"God help us all if ASH applauds anti-smoking funeral stunts like this," sighs Hetty. "Even if you really did die of a smoking related disease, especially long before your allotted three score and ten years, it's still extremely tacky to sully a solemn occasion such as a funeral with anti-smoking propaganda."

"We all die of something, and it's ridiculous to state in your will that you want advertised what you 'think' killed you before you even know what did kill you," laughs Hetty. "Would the placards still have been displayed even if Mr Whittamore had been killed by a bus?"

"Somehow, I think Mr Whittamore was so anti-smoking that he would have insisted on having his 'smoking killed me' placards displayed no matter what killed him - justifying this anomaly, I presume, with whatever nonsense his ilk usually comes up with -- which, I suppose, is the same sort of nonsense his ilk claim we smokers use to justify continuing to smoke!"

"Anyway, RIP old man, and bear in mind that if your heart had not packed in you might have lived another 10 plus years but not in the comfort of your home, with a mobility wheelchair to scoot around in, but in some horrible nursing home dribbling from all orifices."