Joe Camel Imagery -- Anti-Smoking Group Off Base On Cartoon: Youngsters Smoke Because They Think It's Cool

Editor, The Times:

Yes, it is politicly correct to hate the tobacco industry, especially Joe Camel. Some foes of Joe Camel say Camel has put subliminal designs of male and female genitalia in their cartoon character's design, which somehow hypnotizes kids and adults into wanting Camel cigarettes.

Jodie Bernstein, Federal Trade Commissioner has also joined the bandwagon by saying, Camel is targeting kids with Joe Camel. It's mostly kids who watch cartoons and Joe Camel is a cartoon. Those are words to live by.

People of Monroe wanted to take a more barbaric approach to this serious problem, by burning Joe Camel in effigy and have a funeral for him. When they found out there was a burn ban in Monroe, and it might be a little hypocritical, they decided to just have the funeral.

I think the anti-smoking group should take a step back, relax, take a deep breath (hopefully not second-hand smoke), and listen for once!

If Joe Camel is working so well as an advertising scheme to target children, then why does Marlboro currently sell more cigarettes to adults and children in the U.S. without using a cartoon character? The fact is the only reason kids even know who Joe Camel is, is because the anti-smoking brigade made him so prevalent in recent years.

So why do kids still smoke today? The same reason they always have. Not because of some stupid cartoon character, but simply because they think it's cool, because their friends are doing it, and it makes them look more like an adult. But it's illegal for kids to smoke, so they rebel and do it anyway.

Joe Camel is just another scapegoat for those who don't want to take responsibility for themselves or their kids' actions, and for those people who are still seeing images of male and female genitalia in Joe Camel, my advice to you is to please lower your daily LSD intake, and you might not have these delusional visions.

Jason Palicki Seattle