Too many cigarette ads<\/p>\n
As a foreigner who has spent a total of more than six months
\nin Indonesia I feel the need to comment on the overwhelming
\npresence of cigarette advertisements in this country. There seems
\nto be no laws prohibiting the promotion of cigarettes as I am
\naccustomed to in my country, Canada. The television
\nadvertisements are particularly sickening for me.<\/p>\n
Generally, these ads fall into two groups. There is one type
\nof ad which promotes cigarettes in a natural context. These ads
\nimply that smoking cigarettes can somehow be equated with
\nrecreation in the wilderness.<\/p>\n
To me, this is a laughable comparison. Undoubtedly, recreation
\ncan be better enjoyed when your lungs are not full of cigarette
\nsmoke and you can acutely appreciate the pure wilderness. It is
\nalso a scientific fact that smoking decreases one's ability to
\nperform physical activity. So then, those people who are riding
\nhorses and rafting the river would be better off leaving their
\ncigarettes at home if they really want to make the most of their
\noutdoor experience.<\/p>\n
The second type of ad is the type which has handsome men and
\nbeautiful women to promote the idea that cigarettes enhance
\nromance. Wherever this idea came from is beyond my comprehension.
\nSince when does a person whose breath stinks, whose teeth and
\nhands are yellow, and whose clothes reek of smoke become someone
\nwho is sexually attractive?<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, despite the fact that these ads seem
\nridiculous, it seems as though they are effective in getting
\nIndonesians to buy cigarettes. The percentage of men who smoke
\nhere is quite high. It is my hope that the Indonesian government
\nwill realize that the social costs of smoking far outweigh any
\nrevenues that the industry may bring to this country.<\/p>\n
When all the lifetime smokers start to become sick with cancer
\nand other lung-related illnesses, it is not only the individual
\nthat will suffer. Society as a whole has to pay for this. It is
\ntime the government started to implement some laws that slow the
\npromotion of cigarettes in this country.<\/p>\n
SHANE RULJANCICH<\/p>\n
Castlegar, Canada<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/too-many-cigarette-ads-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }