Quit These Offensive And Tasteless Scare Tactics
The Age
Thursday September 5, 2002
I was disgusted and appalled to see the latest offering from the people at Quit on my television. The advertisement places the viewer in the position of a cancer patient as it introduces the respective treaters and physicians.
This sickeningly perverse philosophy, where misguided do-gooders confuse scare tactics with education, has simply gone too far. In this case, they meddle in the tragedy of terminal illness. This is clearly at the expense of those who have been touched by non-smoking-related cancer and other illnesses.
This type of promotion is intended to be a grotesque reminder of loss. It may well appear at a time when the viewer is struggling to come to terms with the death of a loved one. It ignores all those terminally ill patients whose illness, whether it be cancer or another disease, is not smoking-related.
The authors of the story, of course, ensure that you the viewer, the notional cancer patient, die by the end of the ad.
Obviously it's easier and cheaper to mount a scare-tactic campaign than to ensure that there is proper education in schools.
It has come to a point where this type of marketing can invade our lives seemingly unchecked. Is it no longer possible to enjoy the Sunday night movie without such tirades? Surely we have the right to be free of this ``in your face" juggernaut?
This sort of promotion has no place in our community and I've had quite enough of it. Let's concentrate on proper education and get this offensive rubbish off our screens immediately.
Mark Daniels, Elwood
© 2002 The Age
