With all the hoo-haw directed at the
American tobacco battle, I am amused by the fact that if there is any country where
tobacco isn't a problem, it's the
USA. Considering the fact that
nicotine consumption in
America has been dropping steadily for the past five decades in the country I am bemused by the big
uproar anti-
smoking zealots tend to throw up in
America. Not that I'm saying
smoking is
healthy, but isn't the whole thing blown up way out of proportion? For example, absorb this piece of
reality.
Over half of the Chinese population smokes. That's over 500 million people.
Most Africans smoke. I mean, almost all.
Most Europeans smoke. A lot more than Americans.
In addition to all this, I believe Big Tobacco makes more profit overseas than in America anyways. Is tobacco a problem in America? No. It is insignificant compared to the other social problems that the youth of America face today, such as lack of discipline, the overly liberal attitude and the drift toward socialism, and popular culture.
Seriously, the wave of litigation seeking to bankrupt tobacco companies is nothing more than a blatant swipe for a slice of money. I don't see anyone suing McDonald's or Pepsico for causing heart attacks. And don't spout that second-hand smoke bullshit at me. Trust me, I live in China, and if there is anything bad in the air, it's traffic pollution. Yes, remember that Americans still have a love affair with the automobile. The entire time I was at Cornell, despite all the smokers around, I was not affected a single bit by cigarette smoke, but I was occasionally affected by car exhaust. You want clean air? Go deal with the cars first.
If these zealots do actually care for the health of the people so much, I really advise they take their case to Europe first. The smoking problem there is much, much more severe than America. After that, they can take care of Asia, Africa and South America first before taking care of the USA. Because as far as I'm concerned, there is no smoking problem in America right now. If people die from smoking three packs a day for 40 years, too bad. It's like suing Ford or Toyota if you crash their car.