Should cigarettes be banned?

[neophyte321]

Quote from hcour:

If they're going to ban cigarettes then they should ban fast food. McDonalds gears its ads to children, their spokesperson is a frigging clown, for chrissake. They have "Happy Meals" w/toys, and playgrounds in front of their stores. And children (and adults) in this country have a serious obesity problem approaching an epidemic. Are cigarettes that much worse? So why cigs and not fast food?

Harold

Are you foreshadowing?


Personally, I don't think banning things does any good. I, like most good americans, enjoy learning the lessons of life first-hand.

But, this is the dawn of a new era, one in which the left insists on protecting us from excersizing our god-given right to screw things up for ourselves.

 

[hcour]

I don't think anything should be banned either. But if you are going to ban one, then...

H

 

[Thunderdog]

Tobacco need not be banned. Its smoke only needs to be kept away from my face. (MY rights, too, remember?) And as for the advertising of junk food to children, that should be as illegal as advertising tobacco to them. As I had noted in an earlier post, children should be protected by all adults and not only their parents. No form of predatory conduct towards children by adults is acceptable. Directly enticing impressionable children towards that which is bad for them is downright predatory.

 

[macal425]

Quote from Daxtrader:

How come you didn't address the second point of my post? Does my consumption of cheeseburgers harm the guy next to me? You can go sniff a can of petroleum for all I care. Just don't let it spill on the guy next to you.

I didn't address it, because I agree with what you said.

 

[armoured saint]

let's be serious no one is going to ban tobacco, and it shouldn't be banned. It should be regulated. No smoking indoor in public places period. Those that wish to smoke should be able to do so. outside, or in their homes. Those that wish to drink booze should too. You want to get snookered every day.. that's your choice. Cheeseburgers and fries? Potato chips, fatty dip, steak and eggs every day for breakfast ,Hey that's your privilege in this free(er) society.

Regarding the banning of marketing to kids, are you kidding? The parents are taking the kids there and happily feeding it to them. While they scarf down their super-sized McFat meals too. Obviously the parents think it's ok to eat this junk food so what grounds do you have for banning the advertising of such??

 

[Thunderdog]

Quote from armoured saint:

...Regarding the banning of marketing to kids, are you kidding? The parents are taking the kids there and happily feeding it to them. While they scarf down their super-sized McFat meals too. Obviously the parents think it's ok to eat this junk food so what grounds do you have for banning the advertising of such??

And if the stupid parent lets his young child smoke, is it then okay for tobacco companies to advertise to that child? Don't waste my time.

 

[armoured saint]

Quote from Thunderdog:

And if the stupid parent lets his young child smoke, is it then okay for tobacco companies to advertise to that child? Don't waste my time.

i'll try not to waste your time because i know it's valuable..


allowing a young child to smoke is illegal but happy meals aren't. big diff there

 

[Thunderdog]

Quote from armoured saint:

i'll try not to waste your time because i know it's valuable..


allowing a young child to smoke is illegal but happy meals aren't. big diff there

Reread your earlier post. You asked me to justify the rationale for not advertising junk to children. I did. I didn't say it was illegal. I said it SHOULD be illegal. Just because a parent allows a child to become obese on junk food does not mean that responsible advertisers should be allowed to directly advertise their crap to impressionable children. That it IS presently legal does not speak well for the society we live in. Must responsible parents be as apprehensive of McDonald's as they are of other child predators who wish to put them in peril and take advantage of them?

 

[armoured saint]

Quote from Thunderdog:

Reread your earlier post. You asked me to justify the rationale for not advertising junk to children. I did. I didn't say it was illegal. I said it SHOULD be illegal. Just because a parent allows a child to become obese on junk food does not mean that responsible advertisers should be allowed to directly advertise their crap to impressionable children. That it IS presently legal does not speak well for the society we live in. Must responsible parents be as apprehensive of McDonald's as they are of other child predators who wish to put them in peril and take advantage of them?

ok, allow me some leeway here. Tobacco contained products is fairly narrow.. easy to categorize and regulate and restrict children access and advertising.

What about "burgers and fries" do you wish to ban the advertising of to children? for instance, should we restrict the advertising and access of BEEF to children? deep fried potatoes, maybe? cheese? what do we ban?

 

[Thunderdog]

Quote from armoured saint:

ok, allow me some leeway here. Tobacco contained products is fairly narrow.. easy to categorize and regulate and restrict children access and advertising.

What about "burgers and fries" do you wish to ban the advertising of to children? for instance, should we restrict the advertising and access of BEEF to children? deep fried potatoes, maybe? cheese? what do we ban?

Most people probably agree on what qualifies as "junk food." These are foods with high fat and/or salt and/or sugar content with questionable relative nutritional value. If a law were to be enforced banning the advertising of junk food directly to children, then I imagine that the most egregious junk food could be identified and classified as such by those more informed than the two of us.