Tony Hindle proposed that people dieing from smoking related illness should
consider using their last weeks on earth to kill tobacco executives.
I proposed that poetic justice dictates that you kidnap their progeny,
infect them with AIDs and saddle them with a crack addiction.
Tony pointed out that this would not deter executives without progeny. He
went on to propose that individuals dieing of smoking related illnesses
should consider murdering people in the public relations industry
responsible for promoting smoking.
I also pointed out that in my mind governments are as responsible as the
companies themselves since the government dictates the terms of the
conflict. Here in America the government is about to allow the tobacco
companies settle up once and for all on how liable they are. The tobacco
companies will float some bonds, raise the price of their product, and get
on trying to push their product. The government is also trying to control
the mechanisms the tobacco/alcohol companies have to push their product.
In America the tobacco companies are not allowed to advertise on TV.
Lately there has been talk about not allowing the hard liquor companies
advertise on TV <they voluntarily did not advertise for years, but now feel
they need to gain back turf from the beer and wine manufacturers>. I've
also heard rumors of legislation that would prevent tobacco companies from
advertising in print media.
Tony Hindle wrote:
if the government is
>ineffective at preventing joe public from being mass murdered by rich
>powerful corporations in the name of profit then what the fuck use is
>it?
Does anyone care to address the issue of government's responsibility for
controlling access to the media? I think it is government's responsibility
to educate.
I've worked in a nursing home and I think I'm as aware as most doctors as
to the end results of smoking ... I've seen the trachs, the emphysema
patients with only half a lung left who still smoke, etc. What I want is
an optimized nicotine delivery system ... one that minimizes the delivery
of harmful compounds EXCEPT nicotine. Nicotine gum comes close ...
although for some reason it tastes like condensed piss.<a flavor I've
imagined, not tried>... Perhaps the government <FDA in U.S.> won't let it
be packaged in a decent flavor.
The ironic thing about Tony's original proposal is that the end of one's
life is the best time to break the social contract. But, breaking the
contract probably has the opposite effect that you'd think ... it
solidifies your oppositions position, because the social contract IS the
basis for most other memes. If you tie your position <ANTI anything> to
harmful behaviors then society will react against your position in
self-defense. This seems like the basis of civil disobedience. If you
look at the shows on the history of civil rights you will see the same
livid crackers complaining about niggers in their lunch rooms that caused
America to send in the troops in the late 50s early 60s. If you then read
the autobiography of Malcolm X where he talks about rape as a mechanism for
political change you begin to see the cracker's point.
Its hard to say what the results of violence against PR firms would be
since I'd look at it a lot like gassing stray dogs. No one really wants to
kill the pound puppies ... but it sure beats paying the bill to keep them
alive and comfortable. I think it was Congreve or Bacon who wrote that
"First we kill the lawyers ... ". Perhaps society has progressed so that
"First we kill the admen, then we kill the lawyers ...". But, before we
can do that we must first convince the world that they DESERVE to die. Now
how can we do that without a PR campaign? Of course with enough cash it
shouldn't be a problem to get an ad agency to do the campaign and a lawyer
to absolve us of responsibility.