Just after George II Fraudulency removes funding for the tobacco lawsuits from his budget, we find out more about how tobacco was marketed to the poor and other communities. I must admit, it's impressive. I mean, the part about marketing to gays, everyone pretty much already knew. (Although not that it was part of something called "Project SCUM." How very special of them!) But can you imagine the type of mind it takes to deliberately market cigarettes to the homeless and very poor? Can you imagine the thought processes? "These people have little or no money. Therefore, we should do everything we can to make sure that they spend their money on a product that will kill them just that much faster! It'll get a few homeless off the streets permanently and everyone will be happier!"
That said, I have never ever EVER understood the smoking rates among gay men. Marketing be damned; for 20 years now, we've understood the effects of cigarettes quite clearly. At some point, the conscious thought "Hey, they're trying to sell me cancer!" ought to have set in. Many gay men are some of the most body-conscious people around; they eat right, they exercise ... and they smoke like chimneys. I just do not get it.
Copyright © 2001, Iain Jackson, after-words.org
[Archives: 2001 and after]
Archives before February 5, 2001
Search entries:
12/19/2001: vive la france
12/19/2001: princess, redux
12/19/2001: yemen and rumsfeld
12/18/2001: you're NOT in the army now
12/18/2001: interesting donation
12/18/2001: shame on winn dixie, indeed
12/18/2001: saudi princess
12/17/2001: new resolve
12/17/2001: a victim of the attack ... yeah, right
12/17/2001: polluters ho!