c. 1996 Religion News Service
(Samuel K. Atchison is an ordained minister and has worked as a policy analyst and social worker to the homeless. He currently is a prison chaplain in Trenton, N.J.)
(RNS)-In the melodrama known as the United States vs. the tobacco industry, the tendency is to depict the plot as a case of good combating evil.
Like the radio serials of old, there is a villain, Big Tobacco; heroes, state governments involved in lawsuits to recover the cost of treating smokers and the federal government, which is attempting to regulate its use. Then, of course, there are victims: poor, hapless smokers.
The reality is far more complicated than that.
To be sure, the tobacco industry has all the makings of a first-class scoundrel. It is big, rich, powerful and corrupt. Like all miscreants, it has used the means at its disposal to violate the public trust while simultaneously maintaining its innocence.
Consider the recent revelation that industry leader Philip Morris routinely targeted and adjusted nicotine levels to enhance the addictive potency of its cigarettes. The allegations, made by three former Philip Morris employees, directly contradict sworn testimony by the trio’s former boss, ex-CEO William Campbell.
Flanked by six other tobacco industry chiefs who echoed his assertions, Campbell appeared before a House subcommittee in 1994, disavowing any knowledge that nicotine was addictive and insisting that his company did not manipulate nicotine levels in its products. That his veracity is now being challenged-albeit belatedly-raises serious questions about industry secrets yet to be revealed.
Yet if Big Tobacco appears guilty of wicked and dastardly deeds, it seems to me that those who continue to smoke-and those who indirectly benefit from the industry-must also share some of the blame. Why? Because none of us lives in an information vacuum. All of us are aware of the risks, but many choose not to heed them.
When I began smoking as a 17 year-old college freshman more than 20 years ago, I was strong, healthy and in excellent physical condition. Like most teenagers, I didn’t believe anything could hurt me, least of all cigarettes.
At the same time, I was unsure of myself socially and, in many ways, very immature. Smoking enabled me to project an image (or so I thought) of toughness and maturity.
Addictive as those cigarettes were, I was eventually able to kick the habit. Yet when I look back on my days as a smoker, I was never concerned about developing cancer or emphysema. What was most important to me was my self-image.
Nor was I alone. The evidence is clear that most people begin smoking as a means of compensating for some emotional or psychological need. Moreover, in the face of controlled studies and federally mandated health warnings documenting the harmful effects of cigarettes, many people continue to smoke, often to their own destruction.
In court, the tobacco industry has thus far been successful in arguing that such decision-making by smokers absolves the companies of civil liability. In light of the allegations about how Philip Morris manipulated nicotine levels, such an assertion is absurd by any moral standard.
However, it raises an important question. Is it fair to make Big Tobacco solely responsible for our woes? Shouldn’t the consumers-who, after all, provide the industry with its high profit margins-shoulder some of the blame?
And what of the tobacco company employees, who support their families on wages earned for producing harmful products? What about the farmers who eke out an existence growing tobacco? What about the magazines that reap advertising revenues from cigarettes and the sports arenas whose billboards promote tobacco products? And what about the dance companies, museums and cultural organizations that are beneficiaries of Big Tobacco’s philanthropic largesse? Haven’t we all directly or indirectly benefited from this dirty business?
The fact is, we in a moral quagmire and all of us have mud on our hands. Similar to the controversies surrounding drinking, gambling and pornography, we want to enjoy the direct or indirect benefits of our vices without facing the attendant moral consequences.
As parents, we teach our children to take responsibility for their actions. So when we rightly point an accusatory finger at Big Tobacco, we should remember to save some of the blame for ourselves.
JC END ATCHISON
