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Pretty much what you said. Warnings are usually in totally awesome small font somewhere on an item where no one bothers looking. Easiest way companies get sued actually. "The warning was there! It's not our fault you didn't read it!" Seriously. It all goes back to first grade when our teachers tell us to "read the directions fully before you begin." No one bothers read anything fully anymore.
Anyhow, the whole point of wanting to put more disturbing things on cigarettes is because nothing else is getting across to smokers. Everyone pretty much wishes their best friend, their parents, their spouse didn't smoke, and those people can NEVER get through to make them realize the harm they're doing to them self (and those around them) and it sort've breaks our hearts. So, on some level, putting nasty cancer images on cigs makes people think it MIGHT get through to some of these people to finally quit. But really, it's not going to do much. But whether it's there or not, I don't give a shit, and I bet no one else really does either. It's just another step in another direction of trying to get the point across. Period.
I think everyone knows that smoking is bad for you. You're right that it won't do much to put these graphic labels on cigarettes; I think everyone is pretty well-informed as is and has just decided to go through with it anyway.
My brother smokes, my father smokes, my grandmother sucks, and a lot of my friends smoke. I don't smoke because I think it's trashy, and it negatively effects your appearance (yellow teeth/nails, wrinkles, et cetera). But I do wish that my family wouldn't smoke; I'm more relaxed about my friends smoking, which is odd.
I'm pretty sure most people know that cigarettes, alcohol, and fast food can cause health problems without there being a shiny warning label on it. They just don't care, and putting warnings isn't going to change that.
It'd be a huge waste of time and human resources to do that. Almost everything out there can harm or kill you in some way. Putting labels on everything would cause paranoia.
"Caution: when pencil is sharp, can stab eye."
"Caution: pillows have been known to suffocate people when forced down on face."
"Caution: fish has a chance of having mercury, which is bad for you."
"Caution: these warning labels contain ink and glue- do not ingest. It is poison." :p
Well, I don't think that would stop kids. The reason a lot of kids don't drink cleaning agents is because their parents tell them not to and they actually watch their parents use the products to get rid of disgusting messes. More importantly, kids follow by example and the average parent doesn't drink Lysol, so her kids shouldn't necessarily drink Lysol.
But if a parent smokes, it's entirely possible that her children will see this and will want to do the same, regardless of a warning label. They don't read warning labels anyway. :p
That's not true. Some smokers live their entire lives without experiencing any severe negative effects. I'm not a smoker, and I'm not pro-smoking, it's just not guaranteed that it will hurt you.
The only reasons I don't smoke cigarettes are: (a) it looks trashy, and (b) it makes you yellow and wrinkly.
Wait I'm confused are you saying that smoking is not all that bad for your health. I don't think JakeJ was literally saying smoking cigarettes will result in your death, but it does make you make more likely to develop lung cancer and it does damage your lungs. While it is not guaranteed that you will die due to smoking as you could die from something else earlier, if you smoked significantly for your entire life it would be strange if you had not developed any adverse health effects. Just to name a few random effects: Smokers under 40 are 5 times more likely to have a heart attack, tooth loss is two to three times higher in smokers, 87% of people with lung cancer in the United States smoked, approximately half of all male smokers will die from smoking, overall smoking lowers life expectancy by 2.5 to 10 years. The fact that would people would willingly do something which will statistically shorten their life significantly and reduce its quality makes absolutely no sense to me. There are much better reasons not to smoke than how it looks, and I strongly suggest that you try to help your family quit if you care about their well-being.
It's also not guaranteed that driving drunk will hurt you. But it's very likely, just like smoking. If your family constantly drove drunk, would you tacitly sit by and let them leave their fate to chance?
While I don't think the government has the right to ban dangerous items, I think it has the obligation to ensure that consumers are fully aware of their danger.
Oh, god, I am in no way saying that smoking isn't bad for your health. Of course it is! I know all of the statistics and the health risks. I'm very well-informed.
Do you think that I enjoy that my family smokes? Do you think that I haven't raised the issue with them? Do you think I haven't gotten into enormous arguments with them? I'm rather offended that you assume that I tacitly sit by. You haven't any idea what you're saying.
I'm sorry I didn't mean to assume anything or offend you. I thought that you weren't doing anything because in your other argument you said "I wish my family wouldn't smoke. I'm more relaxed about my friends smoking." And you also said it isn't guaranteed to hurt you and the main reason you don't do it is because of how it looks.
I gathered from that that you don't like it, but aren't doing that much to try to help them. It was my poor judgment though. I had family members who developed cancer from smoking, so I am a bit sensitive when I think people who understand the danger of smoking are not trying to help people close to them quit. But again I am sorry for assuming, I didn't mean any offense and I wish you luck with helping your family to quit.
Yeah it's really frustrating when you walk in one of your family members lying in a bed with a gash across their neck from one ear to the other because they had half of their larynx removed because they just had to smoke cigarettes. The really upsetting thing is that they do it to themselves. I have never had a person close to me commit suicide, but I imagine having someone die of a tobacco related illness feels similar because it is self-inflicted although it probably doesn't feel as unexpected.
Everybody knows the danger of smoking cigarettes. I don't think anybody is ignorant about it. But as many people start smoking in the "invincible" teenage/young adult years, the risks aren't really considered.
