The Glade 4.0

I am not a smoker. I have no problems with people who smoke. Well, the only problem I have with smokers are the ones who treat the world as their personal ashtray (but I have this same problem with any people who litter).

I don't know about you guys, but there exists on the radio and tv where I live the "Truth" advertisements whose goal is to get people to quit smoking. I don't smoke, and yet even I find these commercials heavy-handed and tasteless. Yeah, insult people and force your message down their throats. That will make them listen to what you have to say with an open mind.

This post is my rant about cigarette ads. Any posts about similarities to religion can be made in another thread (though my feelings about that are probably similar). Thank you.

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Les Zombis et les Loups-Garous!

Actualy, I'm right there with you, although the one's tickin' me off arent the TRUTH adds, but the ones that feel the need to tell you all these wonderfull "new" findings about the horrible things smoking will do to you with wonderfully over-graphic visual aids.

John (my man) smokes. I wish he would stop. I dont believe you can "make" a smoker quit, but you can support them in every way possible when they make the decision to do so.

These adds are acting like nobody who smokes has a clue it could be *gasp* bad for them! Yeah, patronize the smokers, thats the way to do it!

John taught Highschool Chemistry. He knows how bad it is for him. I make sure to remind him every so many weeks/months that I am there for him when he wants to try to quit again. I hope he takes me up on it one day, but getting pushy tends to push people towards what you want them to stop more often than not. (or so I have experienced/noticed)

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I would hope that in this day and age that everyone understands the dangers of smoking. Yet, we continually hear about people saying, "I didn't know it was THAT dangerous."

Until such time as people develop some pride again, and view ignorance as something to be embarrassed about, I don't see those ads changing much.

Being in healthcare, on a unit that was once primarily respiratory, I've told my smoking friends not to expect me to ever wipe their butts when they wind up on my unit with COPD, but that's where I've drawn the line at trying to influence their behavior. It's one of those old hoary jokes good friends have that are expected every so often. In the end, a smoker (or any addict for that matter) has to want to quit enough to quit for themselves.

My best friend smokes, as does his wife. Every so often one or both of them will try to quit, usually for financial reasons but also for her pregnancy and a recent health scare, but they keep going back to it because they "enjoy it so much". Bottom line is they don't want to quit enough to stay nonsmokers. It's their choice, though.

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Women are from Hoboken, men are from Trenton. ~ Jimmy Kimmel

I don't smoke, I never have, and think it's a filthy habit (although I'm pretty much in favor of letting people smoke if they want to and letting the problem of smoking eventually fix itself ).

That said, Truth.com makes me want to start smoking just to spite them.

I agree that Truth.com goes for the over the top shock value, but it doesn't bother me.

I don't smoke and I don't care for the smell. Smoking is not allowed in my house or in my vehicles, but if someone wants to go outside for a smoke, I don't mind. This includes the mother-in-law, standing outside in 6 inches of snow in below freezing temperatures (and she is a nice lady and I like her, but I don't want the smell in the house).

The thing that really irritates me is people who dump their cigarette butts any place they want, including flicking them out the window when driving down the road. It really makes me want to follow them home and dump my trash all over their yard or better yet pick up several dozen nasty butts from outside a restuarant and flick them back in the window of their car.

I got to do a lot of "fun" nasty stuff in my military days, but policing butts ranks as one of my least favorite (right next to scrubbing the common urinals).

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Gorse

When she was in 7th Grade, my daughter came home with this stupid health class electronic "cigarette pack" (kind of like the electronic babies in child rearing classes) that she had to "smoke" whenever it beeped by speaking phrases like "smoking is bad for you" (there were about 6 things it would accept) into it for 30 seconds or so.

Not only did it go off at all hours, even the midle of the night, but the entire thing was just an exercise in "smoking is bad mmmkay?" type "education".

At the end was a parental evaluation of the activity. I wrote a few paragraphs back, basically saying that the "cigarette packs" were a waste of money, and that it is ineffective to try to program children not to smoke. My daughter's teacher evidentl told her that she has an "interesting" dad.

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"Hysterical children shrieking about right-wing anything need to go sit in the corner and be quiet while the adults are talking."

You Rock.

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I prefer to think of them as "Fighting evil in another dimension"

Smoking is clearly enjoyable, and it takes lots of effort to not do enjoyable things. For example, I am writing this instead of writing documentation for work. I doubt that most people smoke because of a "chemical addiction". I think they simply enjoy it. Try to convince people to give up television and use the time to work out, and you'll have the same results. People know that cigarettes are bad for them. The message doesn't have to be repeated a million times.

Don't be fooled. The Truth.com people don't give a flying **** about the health of smokers. They aren't trying to stop smoking at all, they just have a hard-on for Big Tobacco. They find it morally offensive that a company is making a profit.

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Buckle your pants or they might fall down.

Most of the people advertising don't give a flying arse about the health of smokers. Most interesting thing lately being the range of quit smoking products available from the big pharma companies which are going head to head with the big tobacco companies. It's just interesting to see people who oppose big tobacco for their 'methods's head exploading when you point out to them that big pharmas are equally as evil.

Personally for me, such scares does nothing... as it stands now the only thing that will make me quit is having a child.

As a former smoker... I wholeheartedly agree.

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Darksiege
Traveller, Calé, Whisperer
Lead me not into temptation; for I know a shortcut

*passes out fags... * come.. join the party... /hides horns...

Amusingly, cigarettes are heavily advertised in the LGBTQQI venues here in the States.

However, if having a child is the only thing that will get you to stop smoking, I'll be glad to to help. Should I come to you or would you like to visit California again?

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The U. S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself. B. Franklin

"A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone." -- Tyrion Lannister, A Game of Thrones

Not the type to get knocked up without my consent hehe... Instead find me a nice boy I could take home to mum, who have a stable job and have enough savings to buy me a nice ring.

Unfortunately kids are just not my thing atm, eventually maybe I'll see them as cute, but atm I just see them as annoyingly loud mobile distractions who I could give back to mum to handle.

People like me are the reason why Kevin Rudd gave that speech. I'm trying to avoid it for as long as I can, I admire the courage of mothers who have the patience to actually put up with babies...

My biggest peeve about targeting the tobacco industry is that they use the excuse that the ads "target" children, as if mere advertisements should be considered coercion or duress forcing kids to buy cigs. If that's the case, we might as well start banging out kids in a giant orgy now, get working on the 'Batin channel and rename Fuddruckers to **** (see the movie Idiocracy), cause I'm giving up hope if that's the case.

Now, kids are impressionable, so even if we assume that the ads have the power to coerce kids into using their products, isn't the responsibility of the parent to protect their impressionable kids?

Personally, if I caught my kid smoking, I'd smack him for wasting his money on cigs rather than booze, condoms or pot. I don't care what people choose for their vices, but I'll be damned if my kids spend perfectly good hash cash on cigs. I'd sooner buy them a hookah and an assortment of shisha.

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"It's real, grew up in trife life, the times of white lines
The hype vice, murderous nighttimes and knife fights invite crimes" - Nasir Jones

Truth.com ads annoy me.

Some of the responses here make me glad those ads are active, and vocal.

Sunrise, sunset.

I wouldn't have done anything without your consent Lydiaa? You should know me better than that. However, there are lots of nice Chinese boys over here that your Mum would find acceptable. How does she feel about American Born Chinese? I have the feeling that nice Chinese boys aren't really what you are looking for, no matter how big their bank accounts. You still need/want the bad boys that can pretend to be nice for mom, don't you? Bad news, they are usually broke or running from the law, felony style.
.

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The U. S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself. B. Franklin

"A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone." -- Tyrion Lannister, A Game of Thrones

ops, not what I meant... just that I'm aware of protection and would never have an oops moment. I know you're a gentleman Michael /huggles

You are right though, I'm a sucker for bad boys gone good, but than really which girl isn't until she starts to get cynical about love... *shakes fist at hollywood*

I'll get there though, and plus Michael, I've always had a soft spot for european boys... /huggles

More than that. It's really just a way to justify more tobacco taxes to "discourage smoking". Of course they know people are still going to smoke; the point is just to keep the gravy train of tax dollars going. Ironically, tobacco taxation are one of the biggest taxes ont he poor there is.

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"Hysterical children shrieking about right-wing anything need to go sit in the corner and be quiet while the adults are talking."

And here I always thought lotteries were the biggest tax on the poor...

Hence "one of the biggest". The lottery, at least, has the possibility of winning and doesn't play on an addiction (well, usually)

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"Hysterical children shrieking about right-wing anything need to go sit in the corner and be quiet while the adults are talking."

Problem gambling is a growing addictive behavior. We've got a small branch dedicated to working on that issue.

Yet we still license casinos, because most people can handle gambling. Yeah, most people choose not to gamble, that is how we handle it. As Elmarnieh said in another thread, the solution isn't always in the middle. You don't have to choose to be maimed to escape being killed.

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The U. S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself. B. Franklin

"A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone." -- Tyrion Lannister, A Game of Thrones

Jigsaw would disagree with you there Michael.

Still have to see one of those movies. From what I understand my daughter has seen the last couple of them first weekend of release.

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The U. S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself. B. Franklin

"A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone." -- Tyrion Lannister, A Game of Thrones