Cheap cigarettes myth?
Recently the wife and I were walking through the streets of Manhattan towards Madison Square Garden. As I was tying to convince her that attending the Big East tournament was actually a good investment (I was unsuccessful for those curious) I noticed an advertisement on the side of a bus. The ad read “Restrict Smoking To R-rated Movies.”
For those of you who have either forgotten about or just never heard of this topic, here is a brief summary. A few years back a study concluded that teens who watched R-rated movies were more likely to drink and smoke cigarettes than teens who did not. Thus the movement started to restrict smoking to R-rated movies only so that American teens would be saved from the perils of smoking.
It is amazing to me how a group of people can take one thing and turn it into something completely different. Even more incredible is when that group is able to recruit even more people to their cause. If the study were to actually be carefully scrutinized one would find that only white teens who had been exposed to R-rated movies were more likely to drink and smoke, not all teenagers.
Restricting the act of smoking in film to only R-rated movies is one of the most misguided and utterly stupid ideas I have heard of in quite some time. This plan has so many holes in not only the implementation but the reasoning of it. There are a couple of these flaws that stand out at me.
First of all I believe restricting smoking to only R-rated movies should just be a first step? Why stop there? Alcohol, after all, is a very real danger to young Americans. Since a person has to be the age of 21 to consume alcoholic beverages I believe that all images of alcohol should only be in places or movies that can be seen exclusively by individuals 21 or over. If it is legal for somebody under 21 to be in an establishment there had better be nothing to do with alcoholic beverages there.
Obviously this is a ridiculous notion. Truth be told it is no more absurd that restricting smoking to R-rated movies. Obviously there are going to be sights of one kind or another depicting alcohol to people underage, whether those sights be in magazines, television, movies, or even store windows. I don't quite know how to break this to the geniuses who concocted this brilliant scheme, but teenagers watch R-rated movies. Just because smoking would be restricted to those films will not keep teens from seeing the images. Whether they can get into an R-rated movie or just catch a movie on HBO teens will find a way to see them.
Unfortunately for the parents looking for an easy way out, the world is much more difficult than that. If you want your kids to not see images of smoking it's going to have to be up to you. I know parenting is a hard job but relegating parenting duties to any kind of committee is just pathetic.
Besides, perhaps it is the job of the parents to make sure their kids aren't so easily influenced by what they see. I would like to see a study that compares teens who have been educated by their parents about smoking and drinking to teens that have not. It may sound cliché but I have faith that when teens are educated by their parents about these sort of things the teens will not be as likely to experience problems with smoking, drinking, or drugs.
It's always easy to blame somebody else when it comes to our kids. Blaming movies for teens starting to smoke is like blaming Superman for kids trying to fly by jumping off roofs. If parents were to explain that humans just can't fly their kids will probably not try to do it. Instead of taking the time to complain about something like this parents need to take action. Have a discussion with your kids and explain to them that the actor in the movie is just portraying a character. Chances are that actor probably doesn't even smoke in his real life. Having a dialogue with teens is the first step to keep them from smoking.
People know they should quit smoking, but more fail than succeed because of their nicotine dependency addiction.
Nicotine protects tobacco plant's from being eaten by insects. It's a toxin that, drop for drop, is more lethal than strychnine or diamondback rattlesnake venom, and three times more deadly than arsenic!
Within ten seconds of that inhaled puff, nicotine arrives at the brain's reward pathways and generates that “ahhhh” reward sensation. Nicotine also activates the body's adrenaline, mood and impulsive releases. Just one “hit” of nicotine and within seconds, 50 percent of the brain is occupied by nicotine. The brain records the dopamine experience and soon begs for more.
Some say the only way to quit smoking is by total abstinence. But, whether it's sex, alcohol or nicotine, abstinence does not really work. This is when you need to call in the heavy artillery: E-cigarettes.
Quit Smoking Plan for E-Cigarette Users
Start by using high nicotine level cartridges, and set a date to switch completely from regular cigarettes to E-cigarettes.
On day 1 of E-cigarette usage, smoke only 7-10 real cigarettes and use the E-cig the rest of the time.
Subtract one traditional cigarette from your daily allowance and continue using your E-cigarette.
On Day 10, you should be down to just 1 regular cigarette!
By the time you reach Day 11, you'll be smoking just your E-cigarette.
Use the high strength cartridge (or whatever level you're accustomed to) on Days 11-17.
On Day 18 switch to the medium or low strength cartridge.
Continue smoking the medium (or low) nicotine cartridges for 7 days.
On Day 25, switch to the zero nicotine cartridges.
You'll still have the visual benefits of smoking, but you'll no longer be filling your lungs, brain and blood stream with the poisonous tar and chemicals in real cigarettes.
E-Cigarettes help you win the battle and quit smoking without suffering through anxiety, withdrawal, and mood swing attacks. And, if you decide you want to continue blowing smoke, you can. The zero-nicotine cartridges provide all the attributes and visuals about smoking without any harmful effects to your body.
Major League Manager Dies
James Gammon—the manager from Major League and a lot of other stuff—died over the weekend after a long battle with cancer. Everybody smoke a pack of Marlboro Reds and talk like him in his honor.
Thank you for your continued support of Deadspin. See you tomorrow morning.
Send an email to David Matthews, the author of this post, at david@deadspin.com.
billboard after improvement
billboard before improvement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 27, 2010
San Francisco
The Billboard Liberation Front (BLF) is honored to announce a new marketing partnership with Philip Morris (PM) that finally brings together the rugged sense of American independence with your most important choice as a consumer: your death. The message of “My Life. My Death. My Choice.” informs and empowers the consumer to choose, as their god given right, how they want to die. Philip Morris brings this message to the consumer to remind them that some rights are inalienable in life as they are in death.
“We’ve always said that the only two things in life that are unavoidable are death and taxes,” commented Michael E. Szymanczyk, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Philip Morris. “This campaign drives home that message where, if you are gonna die, might as well do it on your terms. Just like our Marlboro Men did.” According to Patrick B. Smelt, Chief of Marketing, “This bold message of independence and demanding life and death on your terms fits with the current zeitgeist of anti-establishmentarianism and post-post-modern rage at the repressive state demanding a healthier you and your environment.”
The BLF was honored to accept this exciting challenge. “We have no comment on President Obama’s health care reform, but many consumer of Philip Morris’s products do. We felt that this campaign picks up on a widespread rage that some nameless, faceless bureaucrat might give them cheaper health care, preventative treatment, and maybe deny them the sweet release we are all seeking,” said Rico T. Spoons, BLF Director of Offense as he idly drew a razorblade across his wrists. “This oppressive political climate and fascist approach towards health raises the comforting question of ‘how will you end it all?’ I like to think that we are just giving some poor folks a reminder that Philip Morris will always be there to help kill you.”
All former Marlboro Men, Wayne McLaren, David McLean and Dick Hammer, were unavailable for comment due to their rugged, manly choice of death by lung cancer.
The improvement can be viewed on Howard at Van Ness in San Francisco.
Tags: cigarettes