N.Y.’s anti-smoking amputee still smokes
—Posted by Tim Nudd |
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What a looser. First, most amputees don't go around making TV commercials drawing attention to themselves, they endure their disability without yelling "hey look at me, I'm disabled." Secondly, his behavior proves that in-spite of tobacco being one of the reasons he lost his leg, it's still a very pleasant vice. And since people like him love suing not-so-big-anymore tobacco, perhaps tobacco should sue him for hypocrisy. However, that won't happen, because tobacco loves freedom.
Posted by: Bobby | Jan 11, 2008 12:01:09 PM
hahahahaha. not-so-big-anymore tobacco? hahahahahahaha. Yeah, maybe they don't have the country in the same brainwashed vice they use to hold over us...but go look at their figures and see how not-so-big they are....
Posted by: BobbyBeater | Jan 11, 2008 12:54:32 PM
Oh BobbyBeater, you really buy into the anti-smoking propaganda? When was the last time you saw a tobacco ad? Most newspapers and magazines ban then, except maybe for the occasional bar tabloid or free press newspaper. When was the last time you heard a pro-tobacco or pro-smoking argument in the media? When was the last time tobacco actually sued somebody instead of being sued? They aren't nearly as big as they once where thanks to all those greedy lawyers. In fact, even the lawyers know that which is why they've started to sue fast food companies, Food is gonna become the next big tobacco.
Posted by: Bobby | Jan 11, 2008 2:18:32 PM
Yes indeedy, the vast majority of adds here are gone. I said we're not in the same vice anymore didn't I? But go ahead and look at sales and usage. I live in California and I am incredibly thankful, the instant I step off a plane almost anywhere else I'm almost choking on all the second hand going around... And thats just in the US! These are international companies. Go take a tour around Europe. Then take a stroll through much of Asia, where cigarettes are unbelievably cheap, even considering the size of people's income. Sure, the tide is turning, especially in some areas. But the tobacco industry is still completely viable, and it still makes its living off of selling a rather harmful substance. If you think the fight has ended, you need to look just a tad beyond you're immediate sphere.
BTW, somehow I think you fail to grasp the full issue here. Referring to your original post... "Secondly, his behavior proves that in-spite of tobacco being one of the reasons he lost his leg, it's still a very pleasant vice." Amazing. Have you forgotten about a little thing called addiction? Sure, tons of people don't quite, even when they declare a desire too, either because they don't really care all that much or they just don't have much willpower. But there is a bunch of chemicals running around in the brain that creates a need in an addict. After a point, its no longer simply a pure question of desire and fortitude, even when you use patches and other quiting supplements...
Posted by: Round2 | Jan 11, 2008 6:18:05 PM
This is sad, but shows just how addictive the nicotine in cigarettes really is. If you can't stop even though your body has been very badly ravaged by smoking, you're really hooked. Governments should be doing more to assist and encourage smokers to quit before they get to this unfortunate state. And employers should also try to help more of their employees break the nicotine addiction before they end up ill.
Posted by: Paul | Jan 11, 2008 10:49:32 PM
maybe he continues to smoke because he's just given up? i think he can still smoke and tell people not to follow his example and that's just fine. he knows from his experience what smoking did to his life and probably wishes he never started, even though he can't stop.
Posted by: m | Jan 12, 2008 2:01:07 AM
I think that even if he hasn't been able to quit, he can still help other people realize how dangerous smoking is. Not being able to quit may even emphasize this.
Posted by: sonya | Jan 13, 2008 12:58:34 AM
i would like to tell people that thought skip is still smoking he used to smoke 3 packs a day up to about 4 months ago but the press doesn't tell that positive FACT !!!! they don't print the fact that he in deed is tring to QUIT !!!! in any of his commercial have you heard him say that he doesn't smoke??? and a alcholic or someone that is addicted to drug's or medication's is no differant then being addicted to the over 4000 chemical's that are in cigarettes!!! they fail to print that as well !!!!!!
Posted by: robin downey | Jan 14, 2008 11:55:58 AM
"Yes indeedy, the vast majority of adds here are gone. I said we're not in the same vice anymore didn't I?"
---Actually, the ad industry used to love tobacco, and fought very hard to keep their right to advertise it on all medium, but that battle was lost, and now they make anti-tobacco ads in a hypocritical display of mea culpa.
"I live in California and I am incredibly thankful, the instant I step off a plane almost anywhere else I'm almost choking on all the second hand going around..."
---Outside air belongs to everyone, not just non-smokers.
"And thats just in the US! These are international companies. Go take a tour around Europe. Then take a stroll through much of Asia, where cigarettes are unbelievably cheap, even considering the size of people's income."
---Well, Europe is increasingly becoming so anti-smoking that people are already buying cigs in the black market to avoid paying $10 for a pack. In asia they like to have a little bit of freedom, unlike America, they don't have a health police, yet.
"Have you forgotten about a little thing called addiction?"
---I did quit smoking for 6 months, using the nicotine inhaler which ironically requires a prescription. Explain that to me, I can get nicotine from a cig without a prescription but I need an expensive prescription to get it without a cig. Yes, addiction exists, so what? Some people are addicted to food, should we ban certain types of food to protect those people from themselves? Should we ban alcohol to keep alcoholics from drinking? Of course not. In a free society, people should be able to choose their vices.
In many prisons they're even banning tobacco. Very smart choice, now they're causing criminals to move into more dangerous drugs, they're creating a lucrative tobacco black market, and they're extending the life expectancy of criminals which costs us taxpayers $20,000 a year.
Robin, they don't have to print everything in their warning labels, and even if they printed everything, not everyone would read it, and even if everyone read it, most people wouldn't care.
Not everyone is obsessed about health. In fact, a lot of models smoke because they know smoking is an appetite suppressant. Neither acting, modeling, or film have taken strong anti-tobacco stances because they make money out of people being thin, not smelling good, or being healthy. Which is ironic since so many Americans bitch that we are too fat. What a fucked up society, you can't smoke and you can't be fat. Seems like a contradiction.
Why not just legalize crack? Then everyone would be thin, and when you're thin, nobody cares if you're health.
Posted by: Bobby | Jan 14, 2008 3:33:03 PM
The New York smoking ads are the most disgusting on television. They have shown actual lung removal in their commercials and post-tracheotomy patients trying not to get their showers ruined by water coming into their stomas. I cannot watch local New York television any more because these spots are almost constant.
Posted by: Dave | Jan 16, 2008 3:05:17 PM
Your tax dollars at work, Dave. Smokers should do the city a favor and buy only black-market cigs. That way the dirty politicians won't be able to waste tobacco taxes on such crap.
Posted by: Bobby | Jan 17, 2008 7:13:27 PM
I have nothing against smokers but it seems kind of stupid to me when they show some moron on the television talking about his DUMB CHOICE to smoke himself stupid.I have to look at the commercial and laugh since it appears that he blames all his problems on smoking when he had the a clear cut choice to...um...I don't know stop smoking? Point is don't cry when something you choose to do bites you in the ass. Especially if it says it will bite you in the ass right from the get go.
Posted by: MrMcfisty | Feb 3, 2008 2:47:26 PM
I have nothing against smokers, but it seems kind of stupid to me when they show some moron on the television talking about his DUMB CHOICE to smoke himself disabled.I have to look at the commercial and laugh since it appears that he blames all his problems on smoking when he had the a clear cut choice to...um...I don't know stop smoking? Point is don't cry when something you choose to do bites you in the ass. Especially if it says it will bite you in the ass right from the get go.
Posted by: MrMcfisty | Feb 3, 2008 2:48:20 PM
sorry about that guys computer froze up before I could revise that comment.
Posted by: MrMcfisty | Feb 3, 2008 2:49:17 PM
sorry about that guys computer froze up before I could revise that comment.
Posted by: MrMcfisty | Feb 3, 2008 2:50:19 PM
How else can you get people to quit smoking? They tried educating, grossing out, pleading... nothing seems to work in the long term. Frankly I think legalizing (making smoking illegal) is the only way to go.
However it has its consequences, reminds me of San Angeles from Demolition Man.
Posted by: Angsuman Chakraborty | Jun 3, 2008 1:24:20 AM
Yep, I've stopped watching NY TV too.
This is NOT what I want to see while I'm trying to relax after a long day of work. I wonder how the other sponsors feel about losing their audience.
Posted by: Cynthia | Jan 27, 2009 7:52:15 AM
I don't buy American cars because Americans don't have any pride. However Asians do.
Cleveland Ohio is the most backward city in the world.
I'm proud to put factory workers out of work so that they can't afford to have too many kids in this overpopulated world, and also so that they can't contribute to inflation.
By not smoking I'm proud to put tobacco farmers out of work. I would rather spend that money in other countries such as England or France.
Everybody who doesn't smoke should be proud of themselves for putting tobacco farmers out of work, and this is the feeling of power and warrior spirit.
Posted by: SPISAK | Sep 24, 2009 10:15:15 AM
