Big Tobacco is Proud to Support the Mentally Ill

Want more proof that nothing is out of bounds for tobacco companies in carrying out their profitable mission to push "nicotine delivery systems" any way they can? Consider this -

Did you know mentally ill adults smoke one third of all cigarettes in the US? It's true, and it didn't come about just by accident. In 2007 Big Tobacco was forced to admit that starting in the 1950s it had targeted mentally ill people with bogus scientific evidence and free cigarettes.

Two whopping lies were used to convince vulnerable people, their families and even the medical profession that smoking cigarettes was a good idea. It was claimed:

Smoking relieves the symptoms of psychosis, depression and anxiety.
Mentally ill people have special immunity to tobacco-related disease.

These unbelievably cynical fabrications were pushed so aggressively by cigarette-makers that many customers/victims still believe them and suffer the effects.

But that's not all we have to offer!

Smoking has become an expensive addiction, and most people in this population are disproportionately poor. That usually means having to sacrifice things that would actually benefit their well being - simple things like food and medicine.

And yet an industry, which openly merchandises death and misery, is recognized as a legitimate business, with government subsidies, and continues to be pushed by Wall Street as a viable investment.

Maybe it's time to broaden the definition of mental illness.

Comments

George Carlin Explains How the System is Rigged | Video

George Carlin was more than just a comedian - he was an insightful social/political commentator as is demonstrated here. In this monologue from eight years ago, no punches are pulled, no sacred cows are exempt when he reveals the truth about the America we presently live in.

The World on a Billionaire's Budget

Originally posted at theconversation.com The world’s wealthiest are prospering. As of February 2017, there were about 2,000 billionaires in the world. This micro-elite controls over US$7.6 trillion, an increase of 18 percent from 2016. A billionaire’s spending power is difficult to grasp, both because most people do not correctly intuit large numbers, and because a billion dollars far outstrips most people’s experience. What does a household budget look like to a billionaire? To find out, let’s scale down a billionaire’s income to $50,000, the median American income, adjusting budget items proportionally. A year in the life of Joe Billionaire To start, we need to estimate a billionaire’s annual income. In the 30 years from 1987 to 2016, Bill and Melinda Gates amassed about $120 billion. This figure represents $80 billion in net worth and $40 billion controlled by their charitable foundation. The Gates’ average annual income for these years is $120 billion divided by 30, or $4 billion. ...

The Slippery Slope of Dehumanizing Language

Roseanne Barr had her sitcom canceled on May 29, after calling former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett the child of an ape. Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File By Allison Skinner , Northwestern University Comparing people to animals seems to increasingly be a part of our political discourse. When Roseanne Barr tweeted that former White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett was the child of an ape , it came only a couple of weeks after Donald Trump called immigrant gang members, “ animals .” Trump has been a target himself: On the cover of its April 2 issue, New York magazine depicted the president as a pig . As a psychologist who studies social attitudes and intergroup relations, I get a bit uneasy when I see these types of insults get normalized. At their core, they’re a way to dehumanize others – a practice that can have pernicious effects. In a range of studies, psychologists have been able to show how dehumanizing messages can ...

Illusions Revolt!

Search This Blog