Tobacco “Why Smoke?”

A Cultural History of How an Exotic Plant Seduced Civilization

By: Iain Gately

Discovery/ Transmission to Europe.

• Wherever there were men tobacco was consumed.• Chrisopher Columbus discovered America…and Tobacco.• Indians, along with the Aztecs and Mayans all used tobacco for rituals,

pleasure, and health. It was a major part of what defined them as a culture.

• First Europeans to smoke Tobacco found it harmful, and disliked it.• As Europeans began to colonize in the Americas they learned to love

tobacco from the natives, and the transmission of the weed was rapid.• The weed was first use in Europe for medical purposes only. IRONIC??• Then is began to be used for pleasure, and they adopted the pipe.

• Although, the country that tobacco had the most profound initial impact was Africa. ( pipe had significance beyond its function, rituals, etc.)

Who? How? What?

• Where ever tobacco could be grown, it was found. America, Australia, New Zealand, and then form these places it spread across the world, through trade, war, and discovery and became a symbol of friendship (passport).

• Tobacco was inhaled through many different kinds of pipes, chewed, snuff, and later on cigars and cigarettes were produced.

England’s dislike and colonizing

• King James I attacks smoking”Smokers were no better than Devil Worshipping savages.” He bands it, so the people of England leave for the new world.

• This causes more colonies to form, and large plantations (Virginia).

• The new worlds economy rises, because most of England’s tobacco was imported for the new world

Responsible for wars, slavery,and economy

• Because there were so many new plantations growing tobacco, the demand for slaves was introduced to North America.

• John Rolfe introduced the concept of brands, the first being,Orinoco.

• Tobacco caused the War of Independence and also brought the victory. They began believing in self government, and wrote the declaration. Tobacco gave them confidence in their new

identity. • The british were upset and destoryed a handful of fields, but

surrendered because they had just discovered Australia, and triumphed India.

• Also in WWI, the cold war, and Vietnam almost everyone smoked, and the habit was passed on to others.

The Cigar leads to the cigarette

• The Spanish were the first to make smoke a cigar and in 1845 the first cigarette was produced.

• The cigarette quickly caught on, represented sex appeal.• Woman start to smoke DIVA NICOTINA• Victorian smokers formulated answers to the question, “Why

smoke?”

Power of Advertising

• National cigarette consumption from 42 million in 1875 to 500 million in 1880.

• Answer to success was advertising• Boxes decorated with pictures of women, and stars. Children wanted

the cigarette cards, and pushed their dads to buy more.• National papers contained advertisments and sales leapt.• Larger demand called for a cigarette making machine.• Why smoke? Answer for Americans: Buck Duke. He made them

affordable and available and advertised. He was selling 2 million cigarettes a day.

• Traits Hollywood chose to attribute to smokers were independence beauty and determination.

Smoking portrayed in art, literary works, movies, television

• Smoking was everywhere, you probably would have a hard time going an hour without seeing it.

• Artists were painting women smoking, and writers depicted their protagonists as smokers.

• But it wasn’t just the act, it was who preformed the act.• The actors and actresses in movies played roles of smokers

and were idolized and imitated. • “The best way of impersonating a hero or heroine was via their

tobacco habit.”• Smoking was an aspiration everyone could fufil

Health Warnings, Targeting Teenagers and Children

• Teenagers began smoking in movies, and that caught on to the teens watching the movies. Smoking also made them seem older and more grown up.

• The tobacco industry was afraid they would not get any new customers, so they began targeting advertisments to the young.

• Deaths from lung cancer had been rising precipitously in the USA. Growth in lung cancer matched the growth of cigarette smoking.

• Statistical analysis were being carried out, and studies were being held investigating smoking and health.

• American Public Health Service says “ prolonged cigarette smoking was a causative factor in the etiology of lung cancer.”

• Advertisments went out in papers trying to inform America. • This started contraversy between the tobacco industry and the medical

field.• Familys of the dead smokers began trying to sue tobacco companys.• Other types of tobacco were relatively free of criticism.

Conclusion

The world health organization states that the tobacco epidemic is a communicated disease, through advertising, example, and exposure.

1.2 billion smokers in the world. To these people it does not only kill, but a friends that comforts.

China is home to nearly 1/3 of the worlds 1.2 billion smokers.Quotes page 361.

Hopefully now the answer to the question “Why smoke” is clearer.