Fight big tobacco not smokers!
Becky is angry that the tobacco controllers say they are fighting a war against Big Tobacco, not smokers, but it is smokers – not Big Tobacco – who are being hammered.
“It is cruel to blame cigarette smokers because 90% of us became addicted to tobacco long before the age of responsibility,” says Becky, “and that makes us the victims of tobacco industry marketing practices – and now we are the victims of greedy governments wanting our tobacco tax dollars.”
“I agree that the government tobacco controllers should make it difficult for young people to take up the habit, but I wish they would stop making themselves look good at the expense of making us look evil.”
“There are some tobacco controllers who do urge a more industry-oriented approach and show genuine empathy for addicted smokers,” says Becky, “but most of them are unscientific moral zealots, publicity seekers or control freaks wanting to regulate all human activity.”
“The very term ‘smoking’ inherently blames the victim,” says Becky. “They should use the term ‘tobacco products’ to make it plain that their war is against Big Tobacco, not us – and yet no matter what the official line is, all government anti-smoking campaigns have centered on individual smokers because their aim has been to win votes for re-election rather than to seriously to affect tobacco sales.”
“There was even a guy called Repace who introduced the idea of smokers’ breath being ‘hazardous’ to nonsmokers,” laughs Becky. “Of course this, and the concept of ‘third hand smoke’, has no foundation in reality.”
“Tobacco companies are not being punished – they are still making profits – but smokers are continually being punished through taxation and the removal of smoking-permitted areas,” says Becky. “All references to smoking and smokers are negative and we have been demonized as ‘nicotine addicts’ – but since many of us are also ‘caffeine addicts’ I don’t mind that so much.”
“Now that ex-smoker York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, has finally won his campaign to institute smoking bans in parks it should be pointed out that he achieved that goal not by punishing his wealthy mates in Big Tobacco but by nasty social pressure being applied to us,” says Becky. “He actually encouraged the harassment of smokers by saying that non-smokers should glare at smokers when passing them in the street!”
“The tobacco industry can no longer advertise its products, but it is still legally allowed to sell them,” says Becky. “That leaves smokers as the fall-guys, and since everyone in public health has been brainwashed into anti-smoking hate behavior, we are extremely vulnerable.”
“Tobacco controllers think they are smart to associate smoking with worse behaviors such as spitting in public places, or throwing urine and feces out of windows,” says Becky, “and their attempts to infantilize smoking - by saying it is like sucking on a pacifier - are really pathetic.”
“They say that smoking is a personal choice,” says Becky, “but those of us who find it most difficult to quit generally got hooked when we had no adult rational judgment to make that choice.”
“Honestly, if just a fraction of the hate smokers receive is directed at any other social group it would attract immediate condemnation.”
Read more by Becky on this issue:
Labels: anti-smoking, Big Tobacco, Michael Bloomberg, Repace, smoking, tobacco controllers, war against smoking
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