Smoking – No 1 Pariah?
I have just finished reading Charles Murray’s latest book about the state of white America.
An interesting observation is that smoking has a pariah like status for America’s upper middle class. I suspect that similar views are held by Europe’s upper middle class. His central premise is that America’s upper middle class dominate the political and economic life of America, but they have very little understanding about the values and lives of the vast majority of America.
The book is interesting as it identifies the reading and value lifestyle habits of certain influential groups in America. Many of the observations made are also relevant of the officials in the Commission and Council – the tax home salary puts them in the upper percentiles of any country. The take home package of many Heads of Unit are likely to put them in the top 2% percentile of earners in their home countries. Long serving desk officers may have packages more generous than a senior minister back home. Directors certainly do.
Is There Something Worse Than Smoking
I was struck by the central message behind the UK Government’s advertising campaign against second hand smoking. The UK’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Davies put’s it “ contains 4500 chemicals, and 60 of these are toxic and cause cancer”(see 40 seconds into to interview).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17551568
It is remarkable that the impact of smoking is now targeted because of the ‘chemicals they contain’.
Can this Tide Be Turned Back?
I’d be curious to know if the chemical industry want to reverse the trend that the Achilles heel of smoking is seen to be “the 60 or so cancer causing chemicals that cigarettes contain”