Food Addiction-User; Not Consumer
by David Greenwalt
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Philip Morris is the world’s largest tobacco company. Here is a link
for facts from Stanford on Philip Morris. Total annual revenue is at 74
billion as of 1998.
In a report from Stanford are these statements:
There are really no longer any disputes about the negative health
effects of tobacco and the fact that smoking tobacco can lead to the loss
of life. But just to reiterate these points from important groups :
According to a 1999 World Health Organization report “Tobacco has
killed four million people in the year 1999. [Meaning that 1 out of every
10 deaths was tobacco related] By the 2020s or the early 2030s, that
preventable death toll will rise to 10 million deaths per year.” According
to a report by the World Bank, “Half of all long-term smokers will
eventually be killed by tobacco, and of these, half will die during
productive middle age, losing 20 to 25 years of life.
The diseases associated with smoking are well documented and include
cancers of the lung and other organs, ischemic heart disease and other
circulatory diseases, and respiratory diseases such as emphysema. In
regions where tuberculosis is prevalent, smokers also face a greater risk
than nonsmokers of dying from this disease.”
The other day I was telling my son about how hilarious AND sick it is
that Philip Morris is also the largest advertiser for ANTI-smoking
campaigns. Huh? You read that right. Yes, they produce the product that is
responsible for killing millions of users every year. Yes, they produce
commercials and advertisements telling people not to smoke and the hazards
of smoking. Why? Damage control. Agreements with legislators at the
Federal and State level so they can continue selling death and
addiction.
In an article from slate.com we find this interesting piece.
In this article on American’s expanding waistline Laura Kipnis states
“Despite the fact that most of us now apparently face a roly-poly future,
a visceral revulsion toward fat persists. It’s an interesting form of
social hypocrisy, hatred for fatness coupled with a free ride toward the
industries that exploit the susceptible. But wait: Is that the sound of
corporate responsibility kicking into gear? Yes, in its ever
public-spirited way, McDonald’s has just announced it will start printing
calorie information on its food wrappers. Once you’ve paid for your Double
Quarter Pounder with Cheese, you will learn that you’re about to put away
730 calories*.
This brings me to the point of this article from me and the reason I
told my son it’s hilarious AND sick that you consider the producers of
addiction-based consumables are also the ones creating campaigns that give
the appearance they care about your health too.
Here’s why it’s hilarious AND sick.
When you create an addictive substance you haven’t created a product
for a consumer. You have created a product to create a user. A consumer
can say “No thanks, I don’t want that.” A user is a whole different
animal–and I do mean animal. Once I have you addicted I can tell you in
advertisements and box labels all day long the damage you are doing to
yourself. Your chances of quitting because of my campaign are two: slim
and none.
It’s quite a successful business model really. Create a product that
creates a USER rather than a consumer. The product should truly feed a
biological addiction and then, after lawsuits and a few billion in
payouts, create campaigns that seem to be against the very product you
produce. The cool AND sick thing about this business model is once you
have the subject under the grips of your addictive product you KNOW very
well that cutely devised campaigns that seem educationally against your
product won’t change your USER from using. Oh, sure, a few will maybe get
the message and change but it won’t be because of your message. And you
know it. They’ll change for the same reasons any addict changes–the
multivaried and complex reasons beyond the scope of this article.
Tobacco and junk-food producers KNOW what they are doing. They know the
users they are creating. And USERS aren’t consumers.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David Greenwalt is the author of "The Leanness Lifestyle" and founder
of Club Lifestyle--an internet-based weight-loss company. He is also a
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and 23-year fitness expert.
For more information or to contact Greenwalt visit http://www.leannesslifestyle.com/
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