[Eric Blair 2084]

In all seriousness, why do you think smoking has been made to not look cool? And more importantly...how?

[gidget7]

Only reason I know of is to rob people via taxes on tobacco.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

Whether you call it “social engineering”, “social marketing” or just plain “health-Nazism” — the focus of anti-smoking campaigns has been to “denormalize” smoking.

The part of that campaign that bothers me the most is the attack on “second-hand” smoking. It bothers me, because it's all based on lies and exaggeration. The strategy was to scare people about the “dangers” of second-hand smoke; so that they would support bans on smoking indoors. It's worked so well that they're even banning smoking outdoors (in parks, near government buildings, etc.) The smoke-fascists know full-well that second-hand smoke isn't harmful. The real intent is to turn all smokers into social lepers — and that's working too. It's scary how easily public opinion can be molded.

(BTW, I don't smoke & except for smoking a pipe for a while in college, and the odd cigar — I never have.)

[gidget7]

How? was it made not cool? Through the media and even more forcefully, by using kids taught to shame their parents.

[metesky]

Outside of adolescents, who even thinks in terms of being “cool”?