NYQuits Should Rethink Anti-Smoking Campaign

There is certainly no shortage of  stupid, even offensive TV commercials that insult the intelligence of fruit flies.   The good news is we are NOT actually paying for them.  We are, however, paying for the hyper graphic commercials being presented by NYQuits as part of the State Health Department's  aggressive anti-smoking campaign.

A family member [Anne], who is a non-smoker with a chronic lung disorder, experiences many of the same symptoms as those presented in the TV ads.  One of the ads features a woman lying in bed, wearing an oxygen tubing device, obviously struggling with each breath and looking quite harried and weak.   Is this a real person actually suffering from a lung disorder incurred from smoking?  Or is it an actor who is simulating the behavior of someone in this condition.  Either way, showcasing these symptoms not only robs the ex-smoker of his/her dignity, but also stigmatizes anyone with a lung disease, regardless of how it was incurred.

Anne's lung disease presents as an irrepressible hacking cough--a prehistoric bird might have made such a sound.  The cough is accompanied by  long periods--up to an hour per episode--of nonstop expulsion of yellow phlegm that she would otherwise choke on.  She is frequently breathless or winded and has spasms that undermine her ability to carry out even simple daily routines. This condition was NOT incurred by smoking or drinking or using illegal drugs or anything else that she CAUSED.

While the non-smoking campaign is in theory, a laudable pursuit, the presentation is lacking in taste, compassion, and of course meaningful information.  While it may discourage would-be smokers from ever starting, it also hurts the image of anyone with a lung disorder, who may show awkward, even grotesque behaviors or appearance as a result of their condition. 

We, the taxpayers of the State of NY are PAYING for these ads, and New York State does us a disservice by running hyperemotional ads that do NOT tell the full story. The state should be spending our money on research to help cure lung disease, not ads attacking and humiliating those who have it--whether because of smoking, living in an unhealthy environment, or bad luck.