Sunday, February 04, 2007
Packaged Dreams
People usually reserve the most beautiful wrapping for gifts meant only for the most beloved of individuals, or to show that something is very important. This is often an outward sign that someone or something is very special. I would never think of giving a shoddily-wrapped gift to a very special friend or family member. Nor would I wrap a very prized gift poorly. It would be bad taste. So, why is it that substances that are absolutely 100% guaranteed to destroy lives are wrapped in such splendor and magnificence?
The substances I speak of are alcohol and tobacco products. These products have very little, if any, redeemable value, yet they are packaged as if they were fit for a king. Go to the store and see for yourself. Normal, everyday products are packaged in normal, everyday packaging. This wrapping is often done quickly and in a cost-sensitive manner. Not so with alcohol and tobacco. The wrapping is very elaborate and expensive. Look at a bottle of wine, for instance. The labeling is often printed on very nice, high-fiber paper with ornate designs that include elegant fonts and often gold gilding. Would you find that on a loaf of bread, or a box of crackers? No, you probably wouldn't. However, bread and crackers probably aren't going to ruin a person's life and relationships. But alcohol will. Tobacco products are similarly packaged. Cigars often come with very ornate packaging and are stored in expensive humidors. Cigarettes come very carefully packaged in containers with very elaborate blends of tobacco and other poisons mixed to create certain flavors and sensations.
It's all horse shit, folks. That's all it is. These items are nothing more than despair, heartache, and death wrapped up in very special packaging and made to look appealing. What about the young mother whose delinquent husband beats her and abuses her children because of the alcohol toxicity in his body? Or what about the family whose lives are forever disrupted because a stranger decided to drink and drive? Or what about the gentleman who now needs to breath through a tracheotomy because of pharyngeal cancer brought on by cigarettes? Do these things sound glamorous or appealing in any way? Alcohol and tobacco cause these kinds of problems. They do not solve anything. Period. There was never anything good brought about by a drink or a smoke.
Families are torn apart because of these things. I mainly level my sights on alcohol because of the misery I have personally witnessed in the presence of a drink. People drink because they think it will solve their problems. Bull crap. It never solved anything. You'll get the same effect drinking turpentine or drinking gasoline. It's all toxic. Alcohol is toxic and impairs the body from its normal functions. Granted gasoline, turpentine, paint thinner, etc. will generally cause more severe problems much more quickly than a drink of scotch, but it's all the same. Over time, you'll see the kinds of effects brought on by alcohol consumption.
Alcohol only causes problems and makes existing problems worse. Talk to anyone convicted of driving under the influence. They'll tell you some pretty nasty horror stories. In fact, I just finished watching a film on the Farmers Insurance site which features a young man (among others) who decided that it was okay to drink and drive. Because of his drinking and driving, two of his friends are now dead and he served four years in prison with six more years of pretty serious probation. That's not something you want a teenager to have to go through. This is all with just "a few beers." I'm sorry if I sound really harsh with this, but it just does not add up. When you drive a car, you are essentially piloting a multi-ton piece of machinery at lethal speeds. Why would it not require precision skill to do that? Airline pilots go through very rigorous training to operate their multi-ton pieces of machinery at lethal speeds. What, essentially, makes a car any different. It still affects other people's lives when someone goofs up on the road. Alcohol causes some pretty serious goof-ups.
Again, I defend very tough sentencing for DUIs and, if possible (which I know is not possible), a complete ban on alcohol. Tobacco products, while not so physically impairing, are right up there with alcohol. They cause nothing but pain and heartache for those who use them and for loved ones of the users. Recent studies indicate that second-hand smoke is potentially more dangerous than smoking the cigarette first hand.
Let's clean this mess up, people.
The substances I speak of are alcohol and tobacco products. These products have very little, if any, redeemable value, yet they are packaged as if they were fit for a king. Go to the store and see for yourself. Normal, everyday products are packaged in normal, everyday packaging. This wrapping is often done quickly and in a cost-sensitive manner. Not so with alcohol and tobacco. The wrapping is very elaborate and expensive. Look at a bottle of wine, for instance. The labeling is often printed on very nice, high-fiber paper with ornate designs that include elegant fonts and often gold gilding. Would you find that on a loaf of bread, or a box of crackers? No, you probably wouldn't. However, bread and crackers probably aren't going to ruin a person's life and relationships. But alcohol will. Tobacco products are similarly packaged. Cigars often come with very ornate packaging and are stored in expensive humidors. Cigarettes come very carefully packaged in containers with very elaborate blends of tobacco and other poisons mixed to create certain flavors and sensations.
It's all horse shit, folks. That's all it is. These items are nothing more than despair, heartache, and death wrapped up in very special packaging and made to look appealing. What about the young mother whose delinquent husband beats her and abuses her children because of the alcohol toxicity in his body? Or what about the family whose lives are forever disrupted because a stranger decided to drink and drive? Or what about the gentleman who now needs to breath through a tracheotomy because of pharyngeal cancer brought on by cigarettes? Do these things sound glamorous or appealing in any way? Alcohol and tobacco cause these kinds of problems. They do not solve anything. Period. There was never anything good brought about by a drink or a smoke.
Families are torn apart because of these things. I mainly level my sights on alcohol because of the misery I have personally witnessed in the presence of a drink. People drink because they think it will solve their problems. Bull crap. It never solved anything. You'll get the same effect drinking turpentine or drinking gasoline. It's all toxic. Alcohol is toxic and impairs the body from its normal functions. Granted gasoline, turpentine, paint thinner, etc. will generally cause more severe problems much more quickly than a drink of scotch, but it's all the same. Over time, you'll see the kinds of effects brought on by alcohol consumption.
Alcohol only causes problems and makes existing problems worse. Talk to anyone convicted of driving under the influence. They'll tell you some pretty nasty horror stories. In fact, I just finished watching a film on the Farmers Insurance site which features a young man (among others) who decided that it was okay to drink and drive. Because of his drinking and driving, two of his friends are now dead and he served four years in prison with six more years of pretty serious probation. That's not something you want a teenager to have to go through. This is all with just "a few beers." I'm sorry if I sound really harsh with this, but it just does not add up. When you drive a car, you are essentially piloting a multi-ton piece of machinery at lethal speeds. Why would it not require precision skill to do that? Airline pilots go through very rigorous training to operate their multi-ton pieces of machinery at lethal speeds. What, essentially, makes a car any different. It still affects other people's lives when someone goofs up on the road. Alcohol causes some pretty serious goof-ups.
Again, I defend very tough sentencing for DUIs and, if possible (which I know is not possible), a complete ban on alcohol. Tobacco products, while not so physically impairing, are right up there with alcohol. They cause nothing but pain and heartache for those who use them and for loved ones of the users. Recent studies indicate that second-hand smoke is potentially more dangerous than smoking the cigarette first hand.
Let's clean this mess up, people.
Comments:
Post a Comment
