I smoke. I know it's not
the healthiest thing but I still do it. Call it addiction, stupidity
or a fucked-up passion, all fine. But while I'm doing it I rather
enjoy it than giving myself a hard time. Whatever you do, do it with
love, right?
The other day I was in my
local tobacco shop and had a conversation with the owner about those
nasty photos of black lungs and rotten teeth that now cover every
single tobacco product. Apparently the photos are meant to keep young
people from starting to smoke and perhaps even encouraging some older
smokers to quit.
Let's assume for a moment
that photos could indeed change our behaviour. The big question would
be this: Why only on cigarette packets?
The tobacco shop owner
told me that his niece said to him that she had learned at school
that smoking is very harmful and that she's worried because her
parents smoke. An understandable concern. However, one week later he
met his niece in town with a Big Mac in her hand. “They didn't tell
you about McDonalds at school, did they?”
Okay, so let's put
shocking photos on cigarette packets. But then there should be also
photos of ill people on every burger from a fast food chain. Photos
of fat diabetics on every bottle of coca cola, close-ups of destroyed
livers on every alcoholic beverage, dead heads before 90% of all TV
shows and images of crying souls on every album of reggaeton. And
every DJ playing reggaeton should be shot for prophylactic reasons!
One day I'll quit again.
And when I do, it will be because of deep self-love and a desire to
live healthier. It won't be because I've seen some scary photo.
Because if photos really changed our behaviour, there would be no
war and terror in the world by now...
