The Prowler
Anti-smoking ads just blowing smokeThursday, March 22, 2012 By Briana Reilly
After a series of educational ads that target smokers were released by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), viewers have complained that they’re too graphic. These ads, intending to educate Americans about the dangers of smoking, show interviews with smokers who have lost limbs due to their smoking habits. Basically, it’s a scare tactic; these are the types of ads that are proven to be most effective in sending a message to the targeted audience. Overall, these advertisements, while seemingly necessary to some, are, in fact, rather pointless. Most people are already aware of the risks of smoking, yet they insist on lighting up anyway. Every time they light a cigarette, they’re aware of the health risks: heart disease, lung cancer, and, as made clear by these ads, the loss of limbs. These are the very people who resent the government for imposing certain controls on their lives: the government shouldn’t take away the right for people to kill themselves via their “smokes.” In addition, the question that comes to mind after seeing the ads is “Why aren’t there drinking ads being shown, too?” After all, drinkers aren’t the only victims there; 10,830 people were killed by drunk drivers in 2009. Actually, come to think of it, since heart disease is the number one killer of Americans, why aren’t there graphic pictures of open heart surgery being placed in McDonalds hamburger wrappers? Since people are already aware of the risks, the money used to make these ads could have been better spent on helping people pay for costly cessation aids. |