It is funny how in today’s world society sees smoking as a normal daily activity despite the volume of harm it inflicts upon people. Smoking is a deadly habit that is the number one cause of deaths in the United States. The use of tobacco not only kills the consumers, but it also kills the innocent people around them as well. In a way, it is almost identical to terrorism; killing yourself and others around you. This anti-smoking advertisement strongly challenges the legality, morality, and rationality of the routine use of tobacco by comparing it to the gruesome ideas and past experiences with one of the most feared issues in our country: terrorism.

On the horrific morning of September 9, 2001 an estimated 2,996 innocent people lost their lives simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Thousands of families homes were left devastated and emptier that night due to events that they had no control over. Many families each year are left feeling the same emptiness because a loved one was lost to second hand smoke; again, being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Second hand smoke kills about 53,800 innocent people each year from the selfish actions of other people, not including the 480,000 smokers that die each year and the 1,300 that die each day (CDC Smoking and Tobacco Use). Smoking is becoming a legal terrorism because of how deadly it is to people just standing near it. The caption of this advertisement says “September 11 every day” which is a very bold yet true statement. Thousands of people died in one day from a very violent attack, but thousands more are also dying a slow death each day from legal causes. 

This advertisement almost also challenges the legality of tobacco by asking “Why don’t we call it terrorism?” In the United States, tobacco has been recreationally smoked dating back to the 17th century, so it may not come across to some as anything harmful being that it has always been around. Many tobacco companies even used to have advertisements targeting young children to try and get customers onto the product at younger ages, until regulation laws were pushed upon by people who began to see how truly harmful the product could be. There have always been restrictions on tobacco since the crop was first introduced but now the real question is, should it even be legal? If the product sets its’ consumers up for a slow death and potentially can kill the people who just simply stand around others using it, then why is it government approved? The people of this advertisement agency then produce the argument: why should one be able to inflict a slow death on themselves and by standers be legal when it is almost identical to the idea of terrorism and causing a fast death to innocent people.

This advertisement is one immense symbol. It is evident that the two cigarettes are representing the World Trade Center in New York. The tops of the cigarettes are red because of various reasons. For one, red generally signifies danger, violence, or death, which is exactly the outcome of both 9/11 and smoking. The acts upon the World Trade Center were acts of a global fear called terrorism. By definition, terrorism is defined as the use of violence in political aims. Both terrorism and the act of smoking result in death, and are extremely dangerous things to be involved in. The plane and the cigarettes are white and represent the purity of the innocent people that die due to these causes. The white also stands for the people that die by just being in the wrong place in that moment. Those on the plane and World Trade Centers that morning woke up thinking it was just going to be another day, until they had to suffer due to the actions of those around them, which in this scenario is the highjackers of the plane or the smokers of the tobacco. The white purity is flying towards the red danger, signifying something bad about to happen. 

This is a very convincing advertisement that touches on very controversial and sensitive topics. It does make one think: why do we really not call smoking terrorism? It does the same thing, just in a slower and legal process. Smokers kill those around them just as terrorist do, the only difference being that they have different ways of doing so. Why should one be considered ‘okay’ or ‘normal’ in today’s society if it is killing our own people? 