As it is for many of us – addiction to cigarettes has surrounded me most of my life. Personally, I do not smoke, however, I grew up around a grandpa, a grandma, and – still today – a sister would have succumbed to the small metaphorical stick. It is almost comical how something that has been advertised in the past to bring you pleasure, stress-relief, or short-lived happiness (pun intended) is slowly, sometimes quickly, killing you. So why did the industry grow in popularity… so quickly? False representations, of course.
Luckily, most of us in this course did not feel the pressures of smoking cigarettes as those who grew up in the 1960’s where the custom was everywhere – restaurants, airplanes, even in classrooms. The cigarette industry flourished so well because of their advertisements that led people to believe they were actually healthy by using rhetoric such as “fresh, clean, smooth, and satisfaction.” They further legitimized the act by placing doctors in their ads. 
Yes, we all have seen these ads before. Especially growing up in the time we did we learned about the cigarette corporations ability to “reel in” the consumer. Today we are lucky to be presented with much more transparency. Just the other day I heard on the radio that a cigarette company’s motto is to “get ‘em while they’re young” and how parents should be diligent to prohibit their kids to fall into the vicious cycle of smoking. Also, the companies are required to state the product causes lung cancer or other health problems.
Interesting! One thing I find interesting is that for a while, cigarette advertisements have been banned in print media. Recently, though, I was flipping through a copy of People while waiting in the dentist's office and noticed a full-page ad for Camel cigarettes. I was kind of horrified at first, but after some thought realized that I've noticed a decline in the interest to smoke among young people, perhaps the reason that they need to begin printing ads again. I guess by now, most people who do smoke are well aware of the dangers and they're still making that choice. I'm very thankful for the increased transparency--it's what finally got my grandmother to stop smoking in the first place.
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