Sunny Side of Truth

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"Big Tobacco" death-plotters have come up with a new plan to get teens off cigarettes: The Sunny Side of Truth Campaign. So far four wacky spots have been aired, all featuring magical cartoon creatures. What most people don't know is that The American Legacy Foundation funds the Truth campaign with, ironically, money they get from Tobacco companies.

The commercials all employ sarcasm to the sickest degree- by looking at the brighter side of cigarettes and their effects. For example, tobacco companies put just enough nicotine in their products to get you addicted. This "magical amount" won't hurt you, but it is enough to turn you into a full time smoker. Other glass-half-full accounts include smokers having smaller babies (which some find attractive) and building strong character thanks to experiencing death of a loved one. Another looks at the fact that 5,000,000 people per year die from tobacco products and claims that it must have been a typo (a typo, a typo).

What they're trying to do is make young people realize how harmful cigarettes actually are, and that it's stupid to think that tobacco companies are doing anything but killing you softly.

What they're actually doing is putting something serious in a light and fun atmosphere that is often misinterpreted. Most teens know that smoking is bad, but that doesn't mean it's still not cool to them. It seems as though these catchy musical jingles will just give tobacco users something to whistle on their smoke break.

You have to give the Truthers some credit though. Anti-smoking campaigns usually consist of solemn and dark skits and examples. Atleast they're trying a new angle.

By the way, I'm not a big supporter of these sorts of commercials. To me it's just like McDonald's customers getting mad at the restaurant because they got fat from eating their food. We live in a free enterprise, it's your choice to use the products that are sold. Don't blame other people or companies for your lack of judgement. It seems as though nobody wants to take responsibility for their own consumer decisions.