King Cotton’s Successor

 

I’ve been residing in the South for about two weeks now, and in that relatively short amount of time, I’ve come to realize that smoking is part of the culture here. Vastly different from Maryland and their strict smoking laws, the people of South Carolina and my fellow students tend to smoke more often. More people smoke more frequently and more openly than I have become accustomed to.

 

The tobacco industry is institutionalized within the South. It is very much a part of Southern life. It is part of the essence of what the South is about. It is more innate in the culture and the mindset of more people. It is passed on, like alcoholism, although it’s not hereditary, to the children of smokers. Sure, there are some who see smoking as revolting and wish their parents stopped. Those are the ones that will escape the cycle and never pick up a cigarette. But the others, who are accustomed to smoking through their parents, will most likely follow in their footsteps and become controlled by the industry.

 

In the land of Philip-Morris and R. J. Reynolds, tobacco is king. They are the rulers of the land, and they try to impose their products on everyone. Sure, they don’t have the power that they used to. Their advertising has been cut; they no longer have those big billboards or television commercials. But they still have magazines, and they are still able to creep into the homes and minds of many through them. Once they have you hooked, it’s very hard to get free. King Tobacco can control you through their products.

 

The tobacco industry is quite a remarkable industry. It is the only legal industry that is able to distribute very addicting drugs. You could get better ones from your dealer on the street, but that is not legal. Alcohol is another widespread drug, but it is not as addicting as nicotine. Cigarettes and the like are targeted for a young audience, mostly very young teens. The industry targets 13 and 14 year olds so they can squeeze every last bit of money out of you they possibly can. They know that once you start, it is very hard to stop. And they are also aware that their products are carcinogens, so your life may not be as long as you hope. So by using the young and impressionable as their targets, they advertise accordingly. They make you think smoking is cool, that it will make you more popular. They feed on your basic human need of conformity. They want you to smoke; they want you to smoke as much as possible. They want to make as much money as they possibly can. They want you to be lying on your deathbed with lung cancer asking for another cigarette. This is what they want, they want to be able to completely control and make you yearn for the very thing that is killing you. Do they care about the loss of life they cause? Only in the sense that they can’t use you to make more money. What an industry.

 

Smoking is a weakness, plain and simple. A person could be the strongest, freest willed person in the world, but if they smoke then they are not in total control. Smoking is an addiction, and addictions take control of you. You can’t live without smoking; you have to fulfill your needs, your cravings. The cigarette tells you what to do, and when to do it. You don’t have control, and it is a weakness. A weakness the tobacco industry exploits to make money.

 

It is a weakness that they have used to make countless millions do what they know to be unhealthy. A weakness that is widespread, and ingrained into the culture of the South, but it is not just limited to there. It is passed on through parents and role models, through actors in shows and movies, and through advertising. It is a weakness that is used to kill countless numbers of people in the name of money.

 

Remember, you have the choice in whether you pick up that first cigarette. But after that you could be under the control of King Tobacco, his slave until you die.