SMOKING CAN CAUSE A SLOW AND PAINFUL DEATH
SMOKING CAN CAUSE A SLOW AND PAINFUL DEATH
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Discussion

Neil_H

Original Poster:

15,418 posts

280 months

Tuesday 25th November 2008
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My colleague just showed me his pack of Marlborough reds - in addition to the slogan above is a photo of someone's neck with a huge red tumour growing out of it. Really quite horrific. vomit

How do smokers feel about this - would it make any difference to you? Back when I was smoking many years ago now, I can say it probably wouldn't have made any difference.

NiceCupOfTea

25,586 posts

280 months

Tuesday 25th November 2008
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Wasn't there a brand of cigarettes called "Death" a while back? I seem to recall that they were quite popular!

Maxf

8,444 posts

270 months

Tuesday 25th November 2008
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NiceCupOfTea said:
Wasn't there a brand of cigarettes called "Death" a while back? I seem to recall that they were quite popular!
Yes. They were supposed to knock a day off your life for each one smoked (so the rumour went when I was 15-16)! Damn youth... I smoked quite a few of tho

rude-boy

22,227 posts

262 months

Tuesday 25th November 2008
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Makes no odds to me.

I just smile and pull in another lungful.

Getting to the poin twhere i am determined to continue to smoke just to piss off the antis. Yeah it's going to kill me and cost me but who said dying for a cause was easy smile

Sciroccology

29,908 posts

259 months

Tuesday 25th November 2008
quotequote all
I'm no marketing expert, but they're not going to attract any new smokers with pictures like that on the packets, are they? Who wants to associate their product with disease and death? What they want is pictures of fast cars, birds in bikinis and speedboats and that. That should do it.

DrTre

12,957 posts

261 months

Tuesday 25th November 2008
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Sciroccology said:
I'm no marketing expert, but they're not going to attract any new smokers with pictures like that on the packets, are they? Who wants to associate their product with disease and death? What they want is pictures of fast cars, birds in bikinis and speedboats and that. That should do it.
Yeah. Or points. Collect points the more you smirk tabs. Make it into a competition. Little coupons inside the packet or something.


MK4 Slowride

10,028 posts

237 months

Tuesday 25th November 2008
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Yes but out of all the people who do smoke how many end up with a tumour like that coming out of their neck?

It's what could happen but is unlikely. Some things are more than likely as well though.

It's a bit like the speeding debate, you might kill all kittens at +1 MPH above the posted limit.

Sciroccology

29,908 posts

259 months

Tuesday 25th November 2008
quotequote all
DrTre said:
Sciroccology said:
I'm no marketing expert, but they're not going to attract any new smokers with pictures like that on the packets, are they? Who wants to associate their product with disease and death? What they want is pictures of fast cars, birds in bikinis and speedboats and that. That should do it.
Yeah. Or points. Collect points the more you smirk tabs. Make it into a competition. Little coupons inside the packet or something.
Didn't Embassy do that years ago?

offroading.net

3,166 posts

219 months

Tuesday 25th November 2008
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NiceCupOfTea said:
Wasn't there a brand of cigarettes called "Death" a while back? I seem to recall that they were quite popular!
Weren't they lined up to be a sponser of Simtek until Roland Ratzenberger was killed at Imola in 94?

The Curn

917 posts

241 months

Tuesday 25th November 2008
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Sciroccology said:
I'm no marketing expert, but they're not going to attract any new smokers with pictures like that on the packets, are they? Who wants to associate their product with disease and death? What they want is pictures of fast cars, birds in bikinis and speedboats and that. That should do it.
Yes. And they should introduce special offers, like a reward card.

I used to smoke like a chimney just to get HMV vouchers from Benson & Hedges. Since they stopped that, I can't hardly be bothered.

The Riddler

6,565 posts

226 months

Tuesday 25th November 2008
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I got one with a picture of some sperm on it the other day.

Are they trying to attract gays?

LHDisbest

17,002 posts

216 months

Tuesday 25th November 2008
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Maxf said:
NiceCupOfTea said:
Wasn't there a brand of cigarettes called "Death" a while back? I seem to recall that they were quite popular!
Yes. They were supposed to knock a day off your life for each one smoked (so the rumour went when I was 15-16)! Damn youth... I smoked quite a few of tho
If that rumour is true, i should be dead. smokin

Neil_H

Original Poster:

15,418 posts

280 months

Tuesday 25th November 2008
quotequote all
The Riddler said:
I got one with a picture of some sperm on it the other day.

Are they trying to attract gays?
Are you sure it was a picture?

DrTre

12,957 posts

261 months

Tuesday 25th November 2008
quotequote all
The Riddler said:
I got one with a picture of some sperm on it the other day.

Are they trying to attract gays?
If they are, as marketing campaigns go it appears to be an unqualified success

<snigger>

garycat

5,390 posts

239 months

Tuesday 25th November 2008
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My mate died from lung cancer 3 years ago when he was 41.

It absolutely devastated his wife and two young kids to lose someone they loved when they had only been married a few years.

It took about 5 months for him to die during which time he had to tell his kids "Daddy's going away... No he isn't coming back." and watch the heartbreak in their eyes.

During the last month he was so dosed up on morphine that he had no idea what was going on but his wife and kids still visited him every day to tell him they loved him and how much they were going to miss him.

After he died, his wife lost the nice family home and had to move into a crap council property on a rough estate because there was no money coming in.

petrol_penelope

924 posts

215 months

Tuesday 25th November 2008
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Just don't tunr thr packet over

or like i do don't look at it whilst getting one out nad just put the box back in your pocket.

off_again

13,917 posts

263 months

Tuesday 25th November 2008
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I quit about 8 months ago and I firmly in the 'never going to smoke again' group. But I have to say that statistics say that these warnings do little or nothing to discourage smokers from smoking.

I mean, a smoker is happy to take their hard earned money, go into a shop, hand over in excess of 5.50 GBP for a pack of 20. Get royally ripped off for a lighter and have a massive amount of restrictions on where they smoke - so a couple of nasty pictures on the box is going to do little or nothing to stop them.

Its not as if a smoker is going to pick up a packet and go 'well stone me, I never realised that. I am going to stop now' are they? In all honesty, I don't think there is a smoker anywhere in this country who DOESN'T understand they are bad for you - so sticking pictures on packets is a typical response from the non-smokers in the 'education' of the smokers.

Don't legislate - help.

Spend the time, effort and money in programmes, one-to-one assistance programmes, help and anti-smoking drugs where necessary. Help those who want to quit and stop putting laws, rules and silly pictures on boxes - try spending the money on something that actually works.....

shadowninja

80,057 posts

311 months

Tuesday 25th November 2008
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rude-boy said:
it's going to kill me and cost me but who said dying for a cause was easy smile
It sounds brave when you don't think about it. However, unlike a computer game, you don't die instantly and painlessly. Have a read of "C - because cowards get cancer, too" ( http://www.amazon.co.uk/C-Because-Cowards-Cancer-T... ). Throat cancer (caused by smoking) sounds like a hideous way to go.

From memory, John Diamond nearly choked to death on his own build up of phlegm because he couldn't swallow, took in fluids through a hole in his neck (a wound that required cleaning every day), had everything taste of spicy metal including water, had countless operations and anti-cancer treatments (radio and chemo are not a barrel of laughs on their own)... oh, and everyone treated him like a spaz because he couldn't talk and could only make grunting noises (he had to communicate via scrawling in a notebook). Not a dignified way to spend the last 2-3 years of a ~50 year life especially as he was a talk show host on the radio IIRC.

PS if anyone near me wants to borrow the book, you're more than welcome.

Edited by shadowninja on Tuesday 25th November 16:36

Sciroccology

29,908 posts

259 months

Tuesday 25th November 2008
quotequote all
petrol_penelope said:
Just don't turn the packet over.

Or, like I do, don't look at it whilst getting one out and just put the box back in your pocket.
Alternatively, always ask for the packs that say "Smoking when pregnant may harm your baby" (if you're a bloke) or "Smoking reduces your sperm count" (if you're not a bloke). Either way, you shouldn't be affected.

Edited by Sciroccology on Tuesday 25th November 16:36

Hedders

24,460 posts

276 months

Tuesday 25th November 2008
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I think this idea should be expanded into other dangerous activities!

How many people would buy a blender if they put a picture of semi blended fingers on the box as a warning.
How about posters of dead children to be placed near all roads?
Pictures of plane crashes at all airports would be an instant winner!