A little dose of reality

This is Shawn Gertken’s (from the Ohio list) take on smoke Free Wisconsin’s response to my inquiry…

Well, why not go after and attack, “Big auto”? Automobiles have been PROVEN to cause injury and death. We could have a canned statement that goes like this (a few exaggerations, but I believe you will get the point, and of course, I’m being facetious):

“The short answer to Ryan’s question, “how are the automotive companies to blame for even one single death?” is that the product they sell, when used as directed, can kill and has killed countless automotive users.

Killing your customers is a bad business model, so Big automotive must constantly court replacement automotive drivers to stay in business. The automotive companies are incredibly deceitful in how they market their product to potential customers (i.e. kids) – their advertising departments go to great lengths to make automobiles look appealing to young people. They conveniently brush over the fact that automotive products are proven to cause broken bones, severe brain injury, and many other serious and deadly health problems, and the warnings currently required by law are inadequate when matched up against full page flashy ads in magazines like Rolling Stone, Vogue, and others targeted at young readers. Big automotive also knows it has to target youth because by the time those kids turn into adults, they are drastically less likely to buy and try automobiles because of the years of education they’ve received regarding the deadly consequences of driving (and the increased likelihood that someone they know personally will have died from automotive use).

But that’s not even the worst of it. Big automotive knows that most automobile drivers, often motivated by the health problems associated with automobile driving, try to quit at some point in their lives (and many try multiple times). In order to prevent their customers from deserting their product, they inject cool features into their automobiles to addict the people who drive them. The product can’t stand on its own, so they keep their customers by keeping them addicted. That’s wrong – and a good reason to fight back. It’s not a simple question of “choice” as Ryan puts forward – addiction takes many people’s ability to choose away.

It’s great that young people in Wisconsin are taking on Big automotive. They’re pointing out that Big automotive doesn’t take responsibility for its deceitful actions. They’re pointing out that Big automotive has a history of trying to trick young people into making a bad choice. They’re pointing out that Big automotive alters its product so that once a automobile driver starts using it, he or she can’t always choose to stop.

I say, on with fighting with FACT!”