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Claiborne Williams
Professor Hamby
UWRT 1101
24 November 2014

The Brutal Truth on Smoking

A new study stated that one thousand Americans quit smoking every day. This
study also stated that one thousand Americans die from smoking every day. The brutal
truth is that one thousand Americans are quitting smoking every day by death. Now-adays our generation is ostracizing the use of cigarettes and other tobacco products. All the
way up until now, smoking has been a part of pop culture society. Beautiful women,
strong men, the cool kids were all portrayed with a cigarette in hand and happy as can
be. Until recent propaganda and health risks of smoking were finally released into the
public did the opinion of smoking made a 180 degree turn. As we are all learning from
the eye opening, life threatening symptoms of cigarettes, smoking kills and its something
that needs to be eliminated for younger generations, current smokers, and pregnant
women bringing in new life. Smoking causes more death than HIV, illegal drug use,
alcohol use, motor vehicle accidents, and firearm related incidents combined. (1) Imagine
how many people are affected by these unfortunate life events, some of which people
cant control. However, cigarettes are something people have a choice to partake in.

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The three main groups that deserve the most attention as stated previously are
younger generations who havent interacted with cigarettes at all, current smokers who
are just starting or have been for a while now, and lastly and arguably the most important,
women who are bearing a child, an unborn human who does not have the option of
smoking yet only the direct negative effects to the baby. Smoking can make it harder for
a woman to become pregnant and can affect her baby's health before and after birth.
Smoking can also increase risks for early delivery, stillbirth, low birth weight, sudden
infant death syndrome, and orofacial clefts in infants. As well for men, smoking can
affect mens sperm, which can reduce fertility and also increase risks for miscarriage.
Risks are not only high for pregnant women and couples, the risks go on and on for
current smokers that should be shocking and interventionist to non-smokers as well.
Smoking cigarettes can cause cancer almost anywhere in your body such as:
bladder, blood, cervix, colon, esophagus, kidney, larynx, liver, mouth, pancreas, stomach,
and lungs. The brutal truth is that every single one of the areas that smoking directly
affects is a vital part of the body for maintaining a healthy life. Smoking cigarettes causes
extensive problems in the heart and lungs. Smokers are at greater risk for diseases that
affect the heart and blood vessels. Even people who smoke fewer than five cigarettes a
day can have early signs of cardiovascular disease. Cigarettes damage blood vessels and
can make them thicken and grow narrower. This makes your heart beat faster and your
blood pressure goes up. Clots can also form which increases risks for heart attacks and
strokes. Smoking can cause lung disease by damaging your airways and the small air sacs
found in your lungs. Lung diseases caused by smoking include COPD, which includes

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emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Smokers are 12 to 13 times more likely to die from
COPD than non-smokers.
The first of three genres that I choose to convey an anti-smoking message is a
television commercial. The commercial is titled Smoking Kid. Young children around
the ages of five to six walk up to complete strangers smoking in the street and ask them
for a lighter. This bold move shocks the adults who are currently smoking. They explain
to the children that smoking is very bad for you and at that point the children dont say
anything as a rebuttal however they hand each smoker a card with a helpline on it to quit.
This commercial made these adults realize the harsh way that smoking is really life
threatening. The commercial like I expected some conventions was in an urban setting
where most people smoke after a long day, during a break, or before work. The setting
was gloomy and rainy as if the sky was to reflect the sadness of killing yourself slowly
with a cigarette. The music was a sad piano track to also reflect or enhance the feeling of
despair. I chose to acknowledge the children who went up to these random strangers, sad
music playing in the background, camera far away zoomed in because this was a real shot
and not acted, and I felt that the true message was highlighted in the children. My group
and I analyzed this genre because it speaks with a lot of adults. A lot of adults watch
television and a lot of those adults also smoke so whatever way it takes to eliminate
smoking the fastest, we support it. We liked the severity of it. We liked how in your face,
bold, and blunt the message was. If the commercial had been any less shocking than the
message would not have been convincing to those smoking inside the genre as well
viewers from home looking in from the outside. Sometimes a little perspective change is
all it takes to change a lifestyle one hundred and eighty degrees around.