Questions in regard to Tobacco Support

[Grim]

Ive read a lot of good articles you guys have put in different boards and such in regard to the amount of articles in which the authors are obviously using bad information and pursuading people to take a wrong view towards snus.

I know the Tobacco companies are already in the wrong in the eyes of the public with all the lies they said about tobacco and the fact that cigarettes are very harmful.

How can the tobacco companies stand up for themselves now when they are actually taking a harm reduction stance with snus and actually say its less harmful.

Now, I know for every study the Tobacco companies release the government or other anti-tobacco groups will release one contridicting the other in the endless cycle of finger pointing.

Why cant individuals just realize that people are going to use tobacco and be happy if they take a harm reducton stance?

Is it worth bothering to write a congressman or the authors of these articles.

Im just tired of the spin these guys in position to sway opinions use all the time to change public opinion.

Then they interview ill-educated smokers who say they wouldnt dare swallow that stuff and so on.

WTF? Is there any good left in the world where people speak the truth, and not use their opinions as truth?

[bakerbarber]

The sad fact is most humans are content to be led. Making an informed decision takes effort. Regurgitating someone else's rhetoric is easier. Eventually like hear-say always does, you end up with incorrect information that most don't bother to confirm.

People with an agenda take advantage of this phenomena by beginning the "chinese telephone" with false information.

Add to this, people's propensity to impose their beliefs on others, and you end up with someone telling everyone what's bad for you, even though they have nothing but other's propaganda to back up their claims.

Fear is a powerful motivator. It is the greatest tool for propaganda. I am always wary when "told" to fear something without an explanation.

I agree with you 100% about the individuals being quoted in these "reports." Anything or anyone can be libeled and slenderised by an imbecile. It's great entertainment that adds outlandish validation to outlandish claims. Therefore lessening by comparison the extremity of the fallacies by outshining them with moronic glare.

[Zero]

It would seem that the best way of changing minds in the western world is to have some manner of famous person endorse your idea on television. Or to get the news stations to bombard the public with stories about the thing you want to change ideas about. Writing to politicians does arse all.

In the former case, your success is determined by the product of the popularity of the person and the degree of "publicness" of the announcement. If they say it alone on the toilet, it's not very good. If they say it at half-time during the superbowl, you win the prize. In the latter case, your success is dependent on the bombardment density of the news stations - one story on one station wins you some, but a headline every hour, on the hour, on every station - now you're getting somewhere. Other means of success seem to be instances of random genius and creativity. Without political, social, or economic power, we unfortunately wait for genius to appear. :lol:

[darkwing]

Well, then, Zero, we are royally screwed. Nobody famous is going to endorse any form of tobacco publically in those ways!

[snusjus]

Any form of tobacco is seen as a taboo in most cultures. In America, all tobacco will kill you, especially if it's smokeless, since it will definitely cause mouth cancer, even if it has extremely low levels of TSNAs and hundreds of studies proving that it's significantly less harmful than smoking. I don't care if snus ever becomes popular; as long as I can order my Swedish snus without hassle from the government, I will be content.

[TropicalBob]

How can the tobacco companies stand up for themselves now when they are actually taking a harm reduction stance with snus and actually say its less harmful.

One small point. From documents published on Big Tobacco's move to smokeless, there is major emphasis to "make no claims" about health. They will not say snus are healthier than cigarettes. They will not say snus are healthy at all. Make no claims. That's legal advice Big Tobacco has received.