Is it just me hating the horrible smoking related disease publicity

Mercenary Keyboard Warrior · 28 Dec 2012 at 23:39

The latest adverts literally sicken me, I don't like watching them and as smokers are now a minority I don't frankly see why I should have to keep seeing a message aimed at a minority.

IMO smokers should be allowed to smoke, if they have to be forced to see propaganda then make it compulsory to hold a "smokers card" maybe distributed from GPs annually, and take that opportunity to force the messages across.

IMO they are stupid enough to smoke they are probably too stupid to understand the message anyway, or rely on the "I know a smoker who lived to 100 yet my neighbour who was a fitness freak died at 45" type circumstancial "proof" that smoking isn't dangerous.

robgmun · 28 Dec 2012 at 23:39

Yes its just you

StriderX · 28 Dec 2012 at 23:43

Who said anything about CURRENT smokers?

This is mostly aimed at teenagers in reality, not that it will mean much.

PardonTheWait · 28 Dec 2012 at 23:45

People who smoke aren't stupid, they're just doing something stupid.

Anything that makes less people smoke, or makes less people take up smoking, is a good thing.

I smoke. I'm personally for any law or movement that restricts peoples' right to smoke where they want, makes it more expensive, or makes it more awkward to smoke.

I've given up several times, once for over a year, and if it was made illegal tomorrow a big part of me (well, several parts including my lungs) would rejoice.

Bear in mind that these adverts or whatever that offend your delicate sensibilities are aimed at trying to stop people dying a horrible slow death, and that can't possibly be a bad thing.

[FnG]magnolia · 28 Dec 2012 at 23:48

People who smoke aren't stupid, they're just doing something stupid.

Amen to that.

Castiel · 29 Dec 2012 at 00:02

I agree with the OP in regard to the adverts...As a non-smoker why should I or members of my family be grossed out by an advertisement I have no warning over. If it were a news report or other material a warning would precede the images, giving you the choice to watch or not. I realise that may defeat the object, however it is unlikely that these adverts will deter current smokers and if it is Children they are aimed at then show them in schools with the education reinforcement to back them up.

StriderX · 29 Dec 2012 at 00:10

Castiel said:
I agree with the OP in regard to the adverts...As a non-smoker why should I or members of my family be grossed out by an advertisement I have no warning over. If it were a news report or other material a warning would precede the images, giving you the choice to watch or not. I realise that may defeat the object, however it is unlikely that these adverts will deter current smokers and if it is Children they are aimed at then show them in schools with the education reinforcement to back them up.

They already do, this is for compounding that and perhaps it helps that non-smokers see it, it makes them hate it more and stigmatise folks that do smoke.

JayMax · 29 Dec 2012 at 00:17

Wow, I'm totally surprised at the response here. I saw the new 'hard hitting, no bones made advert'. A guy smoking, and it bulges a tumour type thing?

Ermmmm, I don't get it, I don't get how this advert is meant to be disgusting - I've seen many far worse!

Castiel · 29 Dec 2012 at 00:28

StriderX said:
They already do, this is for compounding that and perhaps it helps that non-smokers see it, it makes them hate it more and stigmatise folks that do smoke.

I don't hate smokers, nor do I feel like stigmatising them because of an intentionally gross advert. I simply do not want to see such images on TV without warning, particularly when I am eating or watching with my children. Such images should be preceded with a warning or shown to smokers in some other way.

As for whether people have seen 'far worse', that really isn't the point...I have seen far worse, but that doesn't mean I wish to see it again and again. The people these adverts are aimed at will not be swayed by them anyway and there are other ways of educating children. If there is such a need to stop smoking that they require such images to be shown on per-watershed TV, Cinemas and on billboards then maybe they should legislate against smoking instead.

[FnG]magnolia · 29 Dec 2012 at 00:30

A different theme perhaps but in similar vein.

Broken Hope · 29 Dec 2012 at 00:34

PardonTheWait said:
I've given up several times, once for over a year, and if it was made illegal tomorrow a big part of me (well, several parts including my lungs) would rejoice.

As a non-smoker, what I don't understand is, if you gave up for over a year, what made you start up again? By then there is no chemical addiction or anything like that, surely?

[FnG]magnolia · 29 Dec 2012 at 00:35

Because we romanticise the things we can't enjoy anymore.

arctine · 29 Dec 2012 at 00:35

[FnG]magnolia;23449072 said:
A different theme perhaps but in similar vein.

Stop the thread a minute..... What the hell is that accent?

Castiel · 29 Dec 2012 at 00:36

[FnG]magnolia;23449072 said:
A different theme perhaps but in similar vein.

That is ok, there is no unnecessary shocking or disgusting imagery, only a well thought out and high impact message.

[FnG]magnolia · 29 Dec 2012 at 00:44

arctine said:
Stop the thread a minute..... What the hell is that accent?

It's how many Pacific Islanders and Maori talk. For what it's worth, the advert won many awards and there have been fewer deaths on the road this year than last.

Anyway, we were talking about smoklng, sorry.

PardonTheWait · 29 Dec 2012 at 00:45

Broken Hope said:
As a non-smoker, what I don't understand is, if you gave up for over a year, what made you start up again? By then there is no chemical addiction or anything like that, surely?

The fact that for many people including me, it really is a case of one cigarette starting the whole thing again.

Once I'd smoked one, while drunk, it took a couple of months for me to be 'a smoker' again.

It's a chain and every cigarette is a link in the chain. Once it's linked back up again, for me, I have to break the chain again. There might be a very long gap at first, but the fact is it's there again and I have to start at square one. I do know lots of people who can have one every now and then and it never gets any worse but really it's still the chain thing, it's just that they're a long way apart so it never becomes a thing.

The chemical addiction itself isn't very strong - you won't find a cigarette smoker for example waking up in the middle of the night because their body needs a cigarette. It's just a nagging feeling and your brain will do a bang up job of rationalising that into a 'need' for a cigarette. But mostly, it's your brain doing it, not your body. However the brain's pretty much in charge of all the other doodads which is what makes it hard to quit.

smelly_legend · 29 Dec 2012 at 00:51

I think the advert may be working then.

twist3d0n3 · 29 Dec 2012 at 00:56

arctine said:
Stop the thread a minute..... What the hell is that accent?

same as this

SexyGreyFox · 29 Dec 2012 at 01:06

robgmun said:
Yes its just you

Me as well.
I'm a non smoker and never smoked but I think these adverts are a complete waste of time because a smoker will find every excuse under the sun to carry on.
I used to facilitate smoking awareness classes at the NHS for teenagers and they didn't have any impact at all.
The only thing that made them sit up was taking a picture and running it through ageing software to see what they would look like smoking v non smoking in 20 years time.

Posh · 29 Dec 2012 at 01:08

im all for anything that makes smoking and drinking harder to do.

I think they should both be highly ramped up in price.

While I dearly love the latter

id greatly accept drinking booze less to feel I live in a society that isn't packed full of drunken anti social idiots.