Top 5 Most Offensive Anti-Smoking Commercials That Should Be Banned From TV
April 8, 2009 by COED Staff
Everybody knows, smoking kills. From Truth’s “hip” viral marketing campaigns to your Aunt Debby’s constant hacking, the fact that tobacco use kills more than 5 million people per year and is the cause of six of the world’s eight leading causes of death shouldn’t surprise anyone. And yet people keep smoking. For that reason, anti-smoking organizations continue pumping out some of the most vile, disgusting images on television. From singing cowboys to crying children, the shock-and-awe tactics of these “public service” ad campaigns can nauseate even the strongest stomachs.
Now we’re not saying smoking doesn’t cause horrible, life-crushing diseases or that people shouldn’t quit smoking right away to stave-off some of these wicked fates. We’re saying that these commercials are so hideously offensive, we’re not sure how they made it past the censors: Showing some woman with her f**king fingers falling off is somehow totally cool because it’s in an anti-smoking ad, but expose a woman’s breast on TV for any reason and you’ll be practically burned at the stake.
Not to mention the fact that you don’t see any other dangers in life being advertised against in this way. When was the last time you saw a commercial of doctors cutting open a hugely obese person and displaying their damaged innards on network TV? NEVER, that’s when. Because it’s disgustingly offensive. Sure, we’ve got to alert people to the dangers of smoking somehow. But these 5 commercials (and others like them) isn’t the way to do it. Either that, or there better start being some naked chicks on CBS, ASAP.
5. Separation – Anti-Smoking
4. You Don’t Always Die From Tobacco
3. Quitting is Hard Not Quitting is Harder
2. Smoker’s Aorta
1. Marie – Disabled
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Amen Brother. This has got to stop.
This is absurd. Smoking is bad. The ads are effective. WTF is the problem???
Those ads are great! You have to get people’s attention. I just buried my father last week. He was a 55 year smoker who died of emphysema and the related complications. He was only 69.
That sucks dude. It seems to me the best idea is to keep these ads but also show the titties. Why is the most beautiful thing on earth banned????!!!!!! So stupid
I believe you would be hard pressed to find a smoker out there who is not aware of the consequences of their actions. Sure it’s an addiction, and quitting is very hard, I’ve been through that myself and I will never smoke again. Regardless, I think anti-smokers can gobble a knob if they think they can tell any American that they shouldn’t smoke even though this country gives us the right to.
i think this is just the most deminted crap on the face of our universe. Yeah we freakin get it, its bad for us. But ya know wut? I have the frekin right to put wut ever toxins in my body, NOT YOU AND NOT THE MESSED BASS AKWARD GOV THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE!!!!!!!!!!! NOW SHUT UP ANTIS
YOU CAN’T BE PRO LIFE AND ANTI ZOMBIE!!!
My issue with the anti-smoking campaign is that it just isn’t working. How long have we known tobacco causes cancer, and how many people still choose to smoke? Also, you don’t see ads that tell people to stop drinking, usually just drinking and driving. Awareness is one thing, but shoving your opinions down someone else’s throat is just wrong. Stop telling people what to do, and let them ruin their lives should they so choose.
I am a smoker, and I’ve got to say, I don’t find these ads offensive… I find them eye-opening. They certainly make me want to stop! In this de-sensitized culture, ads like these are needed.
wtf?? if theese ads get even 1 person to stop smoking – and as most of them are very efective they will- then they should never be banned. wats next r u gonna say they should ALLOW cigarette adverts? the ads will only affect smokers to help covince them to stop smoking for there own good or motivate non-smokers to help any smokers they know!
Here’s the thing: Yeah, you’ve got the right to do whatever you want to your body. sure. The rest of us also have just as much right to tell you you’re a bloody dummy, and show you why. I bet you smokers would be pretty annoyed if the rest of us came up to you and farted in your face when you’re enjoying your ciggy, no? It’s pretty much the same for us when we walk through a cloud of your toxic exhaust. I’m willing to put up with the gross anti-smoking commercials if it means that people eventually give the shit up.
I stopped smoking about 2 years ago and I didn’t need to see these ads to make up my mind -I’m in Mexico- so I can’t vouch for effectiveness.
Offensive is not the word that I’d choose to describe them, but they are far from what today’s “TV standards” demand from publicists. While I would not be “grossed out” if I watch them, I do believe that they cross a fine line of what is acceptable to show on TV. Condoms save lives as well, but you don’t see people saying how good sex feels when you’re wearing one, they choose to NOT show an agonizing AIDS pacient, or a 15 year old mom giving blowjobs for pocket change because her parents are pro-life but won’t help her out in a moment of need…
I’m guessing the excuse for these commercials is that they save lives, but don’t you think that there are more people having sex than smoking? Which is the bigger -and most endangered- demographics?
Get it straight to your head people: as long as it’s legal, people have the right to smoke tobacco, and not you or an entire legion of anti-smokers will prevent that from happening, even if you show a guy dying of cancer live on cam.
Now I have that song stuck in my head… “No you don’t always die from tobacco”
Christ, it’s 2009. Are there any people left who don’t know that smoking is bad? A lot of things are bad for you, but people live their lives the way they want to. We get the message, we’ve made the choice, regardless of your “edgy messages.”
First off, they are not effective. I am a smoker and honestly they just remind me to smoke. Raising the price (which they have done to a ridiculous level here in NY) has proven to be a much better deterrent.
For all those people who make the argument that if it saves one life it is worth it, then I have a proposal. Why don’t we start showing commercials of kids who are in ICU’s and morgues covered in bruises and broken bones because they have been beaten by their parents. If it raises awareness for child abuse and saves even one life it’s worth it right. Or like the earlier guy said, why don’t we show condom commercials with dying aids patients. How come in the drunk driving commercials they only show people getting pulled over when the more accurate commercial would be showing all the dead bodies lying on the ground from hit and runs.
Why don’t we have anti-religion commercials since more people die fighting for mythical beings than any other cause in history. If we could save one person from religion, it would have a greater impact on the world then smoking.
Someone also has to explain to me how the cigarette taxes get increased every time there is a budget issue in a city (not a health issue but a budget issue) yet every time it’s raised their “doing it for my health”.
These are great. The only one that I think would be too gross for tv would be the third one (with the woman talking), but even that one shows a very real consequence of smoking. I don’t see how one could possibly see these as “offensive”. Maybe if one said that ‘people who smoke cigarettes are evil’ or something like that, then I could see offense being taken. However, these commercials just inform people of the consequences of their actions.
In summary, if you think these commercials are “offensive” then it is because most likely because you want to hide from the truth that cigarettes are the most disgusting things ever invented. If you smoke cigarettes, you might as well be taking poison. A very slow-acting, painful poison.
Also, notice I didn’t say anything about smokers, only cigarettes. As the more sane religious people say, “Hate the sin, not the sinner.”
(Sorry for double posting)
And also, It pisses me off when I have to fucking breathe in smoke when someone else is smoking. I agree with a previous poster, who wrote that smoking in the general area of a non-smoker is the equivalent of farting in their face. With the added ‘benefit’ of giving me fucking cancer!
Glad I got that out of my system.
I mean poor smokers, being offended. I’ll be sorry for smokers’ feelings about commercials when people stop smoking bear me. I feel like if someone smokes and I am forced to breathe it in or hold my breath for it, it’s kind of a slap in the face to me. After all, I have been offered cigarettes before, but at least I had the courage to say no.
what the fuck…those who made these ads are completly morans,,,, insane
whatever. ads didn’t help. gonna light one right now.
they have a commercial now that says,”you don’t always drive when you smoke, so why do you always smoke when you drive?”
how STUPID is that???? I smoke and i don’t always drive when i smoke, nor do i always smoke when i drive. it would be more intellengent to say, you don’t always poop when you pee, so why do you always pee when you poop? at least that holds true. haha
i don’t mind that they raise taxes on tobacco. what i DO mind is that, that extra money should be going towards helping smokers quit!! why not put ads on tv saying, “taxes have gone up on tobacco and the money is now there to help those who need help to quit. simply call your local American Cancer Society and they will provide you all the means free of charge, whatever it takes. We are on your side!” They would find that far more effective then these commercials that simply are ignorant and insulting. Everyone I know, wants you to quit and quiting is a good thing. But the prices to quit (using any means) are higher than the tobacco in some areas. First they get us hooked (if your from the 50’s thru the 80’s era especailly) talking about how cool it is,,,, now it’s bad, agreed, then they tax the heck out of us for smoking, insult us, degrade us for it, but don’t provide the means to the end. HellllllllOOOOOOOOOoooooooo!!! wake anti-hitlers. do the fracken math. you want to lower health insurance costs? have healthier people? included a smoke free invironment? then support us through quitting. duh. use tobacco taxes to pay for the smokers way out instead of insulting us and treating us like we have the pleague. the USA is getting more and more communistic every day. you can get a ticket for tossing out a biodegradable item from your car. but it’s ok to litter the road sides with grave crosses and garbage to decorate them. how well would that go over if a loved one died in a hospital bed and you went there every year to put a cross and flowers, etc over the bed they died in? i’m sure i don’t need to draw that picture any clearer. i like what was said about drunk drivers in comparison to the smoking commercials. where they only show the drunk getting pulled over. why NOT show all dead people he/she killed because they were drunk. if your going to get disgusting about tobacco commercials, then hey, lets go all the way and get totally digusting with everything else. by the way, did you know that most the taxes on tobbaco go towards the recovery of alcohol and drug addiction? (tobbaco being excluded from the drug catagory). hum, imagine that. My smoking a cigarette and driving is not going to Kill someone on the road, and i won’t go rob someone just to feed my habit. so i guess it’s not as dangerous for those around me as it is made out to be. otherwise, they, (they; being the donkeys that make the rules as to how important it is to add or subtract the importance of tobbaco to the drug list) would be more willing to HELP smokers quit.