By Danny Chodos Source: McGill Tribune A boy and a girl are sitting together on a couch, smoking several joints in what seems like a fairly short time span. As the girl eventually starts to pass out, the boy begins to unbutton her blouse while she meekly, almost inaudibly, pleads with him to stop... I was sitting on my couch, enjoying my breakfast while watching the 4:00 pm episode of The Simpsons on ABC. As I turned away from the TV, the image of a bong suddenly appeared onscreen. Curious, I fixed my gaze upon the idiot box once again, only to discover real idiots. Two teenagers are sitting in the den, getting blazed. After a while, one of the geniuses finds a handgun in a desk drawer, certain it's not loaded. Surprise! It is. Whoops, the other kid's dead. Shucks. This commercial is one of many in a new American campaign, shown on Canadian stations, which just don't make sense. It's time consumers all over North America step back from their television sets and ponder the problems associated with this situation. First off, many of these commercials are followed-up by a Budweiser ad. Hopefully, the irony's not lost on anyone. As anyone who's ever woken up muttering, "What happened last night?" can attest, alcohol's reality-distorting properties far exceed those of its narcotic partner in crime. The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth recently declared that minors in the US are 60 times more likely to see alcohol ads than a message discouraging underage drinking or drunk driving. Maybe the government should shift its focus a little. Having visited the United States twice last month, and having both times successfully purchased beer without being asked for ID, I would say alcohol is readily available for minors. The only explanation for this advertisement is the unprecedented transfer of government funding over to "defence". Maybe the honest producers of the commercials didn't have enough jack left over to create a campaign that makes sense. Why the hell would anyone leave a loaded handgun in the top drawer of his study? This commercial only underscores the practically unacknowledged social problem of gun control in the US. The American conclusion: the pot definitely caused the kid to shoot his friend, not the presence of a deadly weapon. The first time I saw one of these ads, I thought I was watching a Saturday Night Live sketch. A favourite is "Dan's Cartel": Dan likes to smoke weed. Dan's dealer sells him weed. Dan's dealer's dealer's dealer is involved with a foreign drug cartel that is responsible for the murder of a family of four. The conclusion: there's no question Dan is fully responsible for the death of those poor folks. This is a very sad story. Unfortunately, it serves only to reinforce the desperate call for legalization; as such, the government could regulate the industry, thus cutting out the need for black-market dealing. As rumours swirl regarding the very real possibility of the Canadian decriminalization of 'wacky tabaccy', one can't help but shed a tear for those poor Americans who don't know any better than to trust this foolish poppycock. Imagine a couple of good ole boys down south, polishin' their guns an' drinkin' their 40s, chasing down a commune of hippies because they cause America's problems. McGill Sociology Professor Rod Nelson explains that industry responsibility messages of this sort, historically, have experienced very low success rates. "In most cases, the curve continues on with no blip at all," says Nelson. He elaborates that public service advertisers lack credibility, partly because they tend to frame social issues as personal problems, ignoring the larger structures that may be causing this effect. In other words, we are shown kids getting high, but left with the question: what is the role of the family? What about peer groups, and schools? These burning questions do not seem to be addressed at all. So what do fellow McGill students think about this controversial advertisement campaign? "Over-exaggerated," says Tara Wood, a U1 Anatomy and Cell Biology student. "They should direct their attention to more lethal drugs, like ecstacy... since nobody knows how pure it is." "They play upon the fears of parents who, in all likelihood, have never smoked up," says Matt Thompson, a U1 Psychology student, who thinks the commercials are misleading. "The government's resources would be better spent on improving destructive social problems, like use of date rape drugs and violence against women." Aside from quadruple-murders, accidental gun-firings, car crashes, unwanted teenage pregnancies and high school bathroom arrests, marijuana is known to cause a blissful, euphoric feeling and insatiable hunger. It's hard to say whether this campaign has experienced any success as of yet, but if history is any indicator, the US anti-drug task force would best serve to chill out, grab some munchies and head home. Note: US anti-marijuana campaign highlights pressing problems. Source: McGill Tribune (CN QU Edu) Author: Danny Chodos Published: Tuesday, February 18, 2003 Copyright: 2003 The McGill Tribune Contact: tribune@ssmu.mcgill.ca Website: http://www.tribune.mcgill.ca/
well written......... and courteously posted........... nice ! And it sums up my general opinion of the adds.