By Harshil Jani Let’s begin with a simple experiment. Click both links below, watch and read them both, and then take a moment to reflect.
Which link do you feel led you away from smoking more? This thread or this new commercial by truthorange? If you picked the first one, then I applaud you.
But the second one is what I’m here to talk about. I am setting my targets on these types of ads - you know the kind. The kind that, despite the organization receiving excess funding and support, lacks the quality and care in their commercials that could truly make a difference.
The Truthorange organization is a prime example, and with their latest commercial, we truly hit rock bottom. Firstly, these commercials don’t even bother to discuss the real reasons why people smoke. Sure, it’s easy to blame peer pressure rather unravel the actual reasons people smoke. But instead of advertising the fact that most people begin smoking for escapism and a way to solve the more complex issues, they decide to take the easy route and portray smokers as the villain in a 90’s kids’ movie. Unlike Truthorange, I decided to take a look at the real reasons people smoke, and this is what I found.
“I worked for a corporate restaurant chain where you were granted A 30 minute break during most shifts longer than uh...5 hours? Anyway, if you smoked you could basically get random 15-20 minute breaks at multiple points in your shift. It was a way to get outside, chill out, and socialize at work.” -hateegham “I chose to do so because I heard that it relieves anxiety. I tried it, and it did in fact relieve my anxiety. After smoking a few days a week for a couple weeks, I realized that there were much better ways of dealing with my anxiety. So, I quit.” -dogg04 “I read or saw somewhere a while ago that the buying, lending and smoking of cigarettes is a good substitute for conversation.. but in my experience it's also a facilitator. With my crew, instead of sitting inside on couches in front of the television where it's warm, because we smoke we end up around big tables outside, which is a lot more conducive to conversation and laughter.” -xheist Watch the video one more time. Do any of the people I quoted sound like the people in the video? Yes, the occasional peer pressure influence is present, but if you read through the comments, it’s evident that one’s reasoning lies behind stress, wanting to start a conversation, or just needing the time to relax and escape your day. But I wish that is where it ends. Now, we must talk about the memes. The horrible, horrible memes. Half the memes Truthorange reference are only relevant in 2009 or on 9GAG.com. The abuse of memes is incredibly annoying, but that’s not the bad part here. By doing all these hashtags and trying to be hip with the kids, what are you truly accomplishing? Children aren’t dumb. You do not need to go around with these pathetic attempts at jokes to get them to stop smoking. That concept should have ended by the year 2000. What truly works is being mature, talking to them like an adult, and actually pointing out the issues that come from smoking. A trendy commercial may grab attention, but the value is lost. Anti-smoking commercials can be properly done. There is a reason Requiem for A Dream is considered an incredible movie. We connect to the drug addicts, we see their struggles, their desires, we see that they’re human. It shows the consequences of a drug addiction, and it sugarcoats nothing. It shows how drugs can bring a person’s life to a point past redemption, where they become a torture you endure until death. It shows how even the most harmless seeming of drugs (weight-loss pills) can be as devastating as heroin. And this is what makes me so furious while watching these commercials - that organizations like Truthorange, who are receiving the necessary funds, are wasting the opportunity to actually make a differences on a futile attempt to make a trend.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Elena Caputo
Hi! My name is Elena, and I'm a senior at Wilson and one of the Editors of the Editorial section. If you have any questions or ideas or if you want to write, email me at [email protected]! Olivia MonosHello! My name is Olivia and I'm a junior this year, and one of the editors of the Editorial section! I'm really excited to write for the Paw Print again this year!
Archives
December 2019
Categories |