Ira Glasser Cigarette Advertising

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The Cigarette Ad Revolution We live in a country where we occasionally find ourselves blindfolded by censorship. Of all the amendments, the government chooses to bend the cornerstone of our American being: the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of religion, press, and most importantly, speech. In “Cigarette Ads and the Press,” writer Ira Glasser argues against the government’s censorship of cigarette advertising. According to him, the government holds so-called exemptions allowing them to bypass the Constitution’s First Amendment by condemning tobacco ads as messengers of death. He says the “terrible erosion of First Amendment Rights [is excused by] the tendency of courts to allow illegitimate government claims of danger to justify…show more content…
I highly doubt cigarette ads have anything to do with this act, as he only reads children’s books: instead, he is simply mimicking the actions of my relatives who smoke. Of course, my parents chastise his actions and he then understands the act is wrong, for him at least. With this example in mind, maybe what the government needs to do is concentrate more on education and awareness of the dangers of smoking tobacco. Glasser himself states education, not censorship, is the true way to handle the tobacco…show more content…
Lately, advertisements promoting alcoholic beverages have been using humorous situations to appeal to potential buyers. We are given the impression that a bottle of Jack Daniels is a free ticket to a nightclub, a Labalt Blue beer dispenser is the key to a woman’s heart, and any woman who can crush a can of Foster’s Australian beer on her head is by definition a “keeper.” Does this mean if cigarette ads are presented in a humorous light, the government will find them acceptable? Perhaps not. Alcohol is just as dangerous, if not more dangerous than, tobacco. What is even more disturbing is the popularity of the drugs which aren’t promoted through the media. Again, Luis and I agreed on another point: narcotics such as marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy, and heroin aren’t advertised at all, yet everyone knows what they are. These drugs are easier to buy than both alcohol and tobacco because anyone of any age can buy them, without credentials, from street dealers. With the presence of peer pressure, the futility of censorship is
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