O/T The Chat Thread

Re: O/T The Chat Thread : Wed May 26, 2010 1:00 pm

MUTLEY CAT wrote:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2987307/First-shocking-pictures-of-smoking-toddler-Ardi-Rizal.html

probably 1 of the worse cases of child abuse Ive ever seen

I live in Indonesia and we had this story on the news last month. Unfortunately it wasn't even an isolated incident. The next couple of days saw follow up stories about other, similar kids.

It's difficult to judge from a purely western context.

Attitudes to child protection are quite different here and although the story intended to shock there were plenty who saw it as amusing and harmless, particularly the people local to the incidents. You see kids under 5 riding on the tanks of motorbikes with no helmet or restraint. There's not the child-centred culture we have in the west. Child mortality is still quite high and the attitude seems to be if you lose one you can always make another for free.

Attitudes to smoking are also quite different. It seems almost compulsory for men to smoke (maybe like it was in the 50's and 60's in the UK?). I don't smoke and it's seen as strange. Macho and sporty style adverts are still used on TV.
The tobacco companies are suffering from shrinking markets in the developed world so they're making as much as they can now from markets in developing countries.

Brands are now specifically targetting young women, which would have been unheard of and unacceptable even 10 years ago. My favourite was a billboard advert for green menthol cigarettes showing a young glamorous woman with the slogan, in English, "have you found your G spot?". I was going to take a photo but I think someone must have explained the meaning and the poster was quickly removed.

The daily cost in the story is clearly exaggerated as cigarettes only cost about 30p to 60p a pack for the better brands as they are produced here and are not heavily taxed, but then again people can earn less than 2 quid a day.

Whilst it is clearly very wrong, I would just say, blame the tobacco companies rather than judging/condeming the people.