???
Not to diminish the loss of those who died on 9/11, nor to equate smoking to terrorism, but I was thinking about something the other day. The government and media seem to spin the terrorist attacks of 9/11 into a significant threat to the US. As if the terrorists have the capability to annihilate us and our way of life.
To put things into perspective, I thought how many people died on 9/11? Now, with that in mind, how many people die from other causes we can control and are even responsible for? First thing that came to mind was smoking.
According to Wikipedia, (I know, not the most reliable source but I'm lazy and wikipedia is generally accurate) 2,998 people died in the attacks of 9/11. The CDC website states that during the years of 1997-2001, there were approximately 438,000 deaths attributable to tobacco smoke annually. Simply taking into account the impact loss of life has on our country, it seems tobacco smoke is a bigger threat to our nation. Certainly there are many more factors to consider other than deaths alone, such as terrorism being a coordinated attack intended to harm, 9/11 victims didn't willfully involve themselves, the loss of powerful US symbols (WTC and Pentagon). The staggering difference in numbers have to make you wonder how big of a threat terrorism is. It IS a threat no doubt, but the odds of a US citizen being impacted by terrorism is so much slimmer than being impacted by tobacco related deaths. And the thing that seems most bizarre, is that there is not a single day that terrorism isn't mentioned in the media and politics, yet there are other issues mentioned such as smoking that kill more citizens each year and continue to kill. Terrorism is supposedly the great evil of our age, but something like tobacco, which is perfectly legal and our companies and government make billions on yearly selling to our own citizens, is not an issue. Again, not to diminish the loss of those on 9/11, but comparing these two things really puts a different perspective on things.
I think the terrorists have much less of an impact and are much less of a threat than our media and leaders would have us believe. The threat is certainly there, and future properly coordinated attacks could certainly have a bigger impact than 9/11 did, but I refuse to believe that our society is so fragile that a few dirty bombs, poisoned water supplies, or other attacks could cause this country to crumble. Katrina did 100 times more damage to our country than any malicious plot could do, and our country simply shrugged its shoulders at that. The real issues seems to be the PERCEPTION of this threat. I think the perception has been skewed to increase the urgency and force by which we act. Perhaps causing us as a nation to react more strongly than the situation warranted.
Anyway, that's my ramble. I'm not saying smoking is as bad as terrorism. Nor do I think it should be banned. I just think if you look at the harm terrorism and smoking do to our citizens, and the attitude and portrayal from media and the government, there is an interesting and stark difference. Like they're saying we can harm ourselves all we want as long as corporations and the government make dollars off it. I dunno. Just something to think about.
To put things into perspective, I thought how many people died on 9/11? Now, with that in mind, how many people die from other causes we can control and are even responsible for? First thing that came to mind was smoking.
According to Wikipedia, (I know, not the most reliable source but I'm lazy and wikipedia is generally accurate) 2,998 people died in the attacks of 9/11. The CDC website states that during the years of 1997-2001, there were approximately 438,000 deaths attributable to tobacco smoke annually. Simply taking into account the impact loss of life has on our country, it seems tobacco smoke is a bigger threat to our nation. Certainly there are many more factors to consider other than deaths alone, such as terrorism being a coordinated attack intended to harm, 9/11 victims didn't willfully involve themselves, the loss of powerful US symbols (WTC and Pentagon). The staggering difference in numbers have to make you wonder how big of a threat terrorism is. It IS a threat no doubt, but the odds of a US citizen being impacted by terrorism is so much slimmer than being impacted by tobacco related deaths. And the thing that seems most bizarre, is that there is not a single day that terrorism isn't mentioned in the media and politics, yet there are other issues mentioned such as smoking that kill more citizens each year and continue to kill. Terrorism is supposedly the great evil of our age, but something like tobacco, which is perfectly legal and our companies and government make billions on yearly selling to our own citizens, is not an issue. Again, not to diminish the loss of those on 9/11, but comparing these two things really puts a different perspective on things.
I think the terrorists have much less of an impact and are much less of a threat than our media and leaders would have us believe. The threat is certainly there, and future properly coordinated attacks could certainly have a bigger impact than 9/11 did, but I refuse to believe that our society is so fragile that a few dirty bombs, poisoned water supplies, or other attacks could cause this country to crumble. Katrina did 100 times more damage to our country than any malicious plot could do, and our country simply shrugged its shoulders at that. The real issues seems to be the PERCEPTION of this threat. I think the perception has been skewed to increase the urgency and force by which we act. Perhaps causing us as a nation to react more strongly than the situation warranted.
Anyway, that's my ramble. I'm not saying smoking is as bad as terrorism. Nor do I think it should be banned. I just think if you look at the harm terrorism and smoking do to our citizens, and the attitude and portrayal from media and the government, there is an interesting and stark difference. Like they're saying we can harm ourselves all we want as long as corporations and the government make dollars off it. I dunno. Just something to think about.