Essay, Research Paper: Cigertte Companies

For decades cigarette companies in America have claimed
millions of lives, and continue doing so. Smoking cigarettes
causes cancer in the mouth, lung, esophagus, kidney, pancreas,
bladder and heart disease. Even though clearly stated on the
cigarette packs Surgeon Generals Warning: Smoking causes lung
cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and may complicate pregnancy,
yet billions of people still ignore the warning and light up.
Smoking cigarettes creates an image making the individual look
cool, sophisticated and tough. This image is sold in advertising
and hooks millions.
Smoking cigarettes looks cool. For instance,the majority of
the kids who smoke are some way or another pressured by their
friends who smoke. Smoking is just another way of making friends
and hanging-out with the in-group. Many times advertising
focuses on looking cool. Take, for example, the Joe Camel
billboards we were so use to seeing in New York and elsewhere.
What Joe Camel did was totally desensitize the kids by being a
cool cartoon character. And when the kids saw his cool, leather
jacket and sunglasses,the kids copied Joe Camel. The kid s point
of view is, if Joe Camel smokes cigarettes and nothing s wrong
with him, then the kid will start smoking too.
Another misconception is that cigarettes make the smokers
look sophisticated. Teenagers look up to successful adults and
imitate them. For example, the adult is good looking, making
good money, drives a nice car and smokes cigarettes, he or she
looks sophisticated. I believe being sophisticated means having
power, status and wealth. Smoking cigarettes is not
sophistication it s suffocation. Many commercials use to show
affluent, well dressed people at a party talking intelligently
and smoking. I have no idea how cigarettes are supposed to make
an individual look sophisticated. When I see a person smoking, I
don t think much of it because it s an everyday thing.
For years we have been watching tough guys like Clint
Eastwood, Robert Dinero, Marlene Brando and many others light up
cigarettes in their movies. Sure! smoking makes the actors look
tough in their roles, but what about the negative effect of
smoking. Don t the actors realize what smoking is doing to their
health. And teenagers who watch their movies, perceive the actors
being tough and cool. It sure made the Marlboro Man look rugged
in his portray of a tough cowboy; eventually he died of emphysema
a few year s ago!
Now take for example the Clint Eastwood in his western
movies. In his role as a good guy, Eastwood carries a gun in one
hand and a cigarette in his mouth. Teenagers get an image that
smoking makes them look cool and tough. Personally smoking
doesn t make person look cool, sophisticated or tough, it just
make s them look stupid! Don t you agree?