I am a Victim!: A Slightly Exagerated Tale of my Life

 I am a victim of marketing! I'm sitting here smoking a cigarette, and drinking a beer...why? I'm a victim of years of the beer and tobacco industry feeding me bullshit. If I smoke I can be cool like the Marlboro man, he's rugged ain't he? Sure he had cancer but he also had a horse! Well shit if that's the case then this beer should equal party times...where are the ladies though...Am I having a good time, no?! I'm a victim to the system, the very system I hate, I've come to the realization I'm just as much of a slave to everything I hate! I love beer and I love cigarettes but both big beer (kinda) and big tobacco have won me over....how did this happen though?

Growing up an Americanized Canadian I've been exposed to ads from the beer and tobacco industry my entire life. It's really a shame it's all just hit me now, it has a thousand times before but it all makes sense why targeting to the young really does work, and at the end of the day it's fucked!


Tobacco:
It's quite reasonable that in today's society to find smoking disgusting, it's dirty, it smells, people probably look down on me as low class, but it's cool ain't it?! It must be right, why else would I do it?! I mean it feels good, it tastes good, or is it literally all smoke and mirrors deceiving me courtesy of big tobacco. Honestly it's bad, but I've always thought that smoking has looked cool, how though? This seriously needs to be analyzed.

Joe Camel cool!

Growing up in Windsor, an Americanized Canadian I've been exposed to tobacco my entire life, people used to smoke in restaurant and still do in Detroit, it was only just until a couple years ago that stopped in Canada. As a young boy who read my parents Sports Illustrated and Rolling Stone, I saw tons of tobacco ads, if athletes and musicians dug it must be cool right? Big tobacco may be paying now but they won me over, Newport always had fun couples in riding snow mobiles and hugging, Marlboro had the alpha male, and Joe Camel was just too cool for school...they had me hooked before I knew it...a victim of advertisers. I guess it's not my fault and even if I kick it smoking will always seem cool in the back of my mind.

Booze:

Beer goggles or reality?

I am a victim of the alcohol industry because they have and always will promise good times. The beer I'm drinking tastes good but where is the party? Where are the ladies, and where is the buzz...I suppose a few to may bottles away still. I mean fun times aren't easy, and at this point in time it's getting harder and harder to find a good time that doesn't involve getting wasted/hammered/trashed. I mean shit, I can't remember the last time I had a gathering of friends where booze wasn't involved which I guess is kind of sad. (It does happen, just exaggerating a bit) Again, I feel I am a victim of my surroundings. Everyone I knew have always been good people my parents enjoy drinking as do family and friends so it has always been tolerable. As a drinker since the age of 16 it kind of bothers me that it has always been so accepted, I mean is the temporary pleasure going to lead to further reward, I highly doubt it. I've done my best to avoid the beer giants of Labbat & Molson both foreign owned but still I'm still buying into drinking is social and that's it.I guess it's how it always will be, but at the end of the day, all I can feel is I am a victim to two industries destined to kill me.

All in all this isn't my best blog as it's just observations but it just goes to show how two major dealers of death can capture a young mind and influence it forever. I would never promote prohibition either substance as I feel as free citizens we should be able to beat our bodies with what we please, but it just goes to show advertising works. As cynical as I am to big whatever I am a victim as much as anyone as a much as I try to bash the Wal-Mart's of the world, I am just as much as a sellout and a victim to the man as everyone else even if unwilling...It's really all just a means to an end anyways.