Boo

Edward Bernays. I heard Duncan Trussell mention Bernays in a podcast today and decided to do a bit of reading. Bernays was the founding father of "public relations", a term he coined as "propaganda" had too many negative connotations. The work of Bernays did everything from shape modern consumer culture to pave the way for violent overthrows of democratically elected governments in Central America. What does any of this have to do with smoking? In 1928 the American Tobacco Company hired Bernays to reshape smoking culture. Specifically, destroying the societal taboos of women smoking cigarettes. Tobacco company executives no longer content with selling their poison to half the population wanted to spread that poison to the other half. During the Easter Sunday Parade in New York, Bernays paid a group of debutantes to light up on his command. In 1929 this was news and a new trend was set. Cigarettes were dubbed "torches of freedom." Women smoking was seen as a strike for equality and a shot against the patriarchy. The number of female smokers increased exponentially over the course of the next decade. Torches of freedom may sound ridiculous now, but the same basic mode of operation in selling cigarettes to women continued for decades here in America. Compare torches of freedom to a Virginia Slims ad from the 1990s...when you get past the gloss and shine, the message is identical. It is interesting to me to actually look at the strategy and psychological manipulations employed by the early merchants of death. Bernays held the public in contempt. Bernays was, unfortunately, quite successful in swaying large swaths of the public away from rational thought and towards decision making based solely of base instincts. The tobacco companies learned to sell their product under the guise of cigarettes as a symbol of freedom, strength, and individuality. All the while using the psychology of irrational herd mentality to lure people into voluntary slavery.

Looks like a good movie. Hopefully it will introduce some young people to the work of the Beatles. UMG has blocked all of the original Beatles catalog from the internet and streaming services here in America. Since people now overwhelmingly find music on the internet and streaming services, UMG is in effect erasing the music of the Beatles for future generations. It's a damn shame and a terrible business model.

Tennessee has a pro team as well, the Titans. They're not very good right now.

-3 Uh...Hudson Automotive.

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NOPE!

Welcome back. Education is nicotine addiction's kryptonite. With preparation and commitment, you can free yourself for good. It's a simple matter of NOPE!

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I went back and looked up an old post of mine, I wrote it about three-weeks in. The realization that the quit was completely in my control finally started to sink in. There was no need to look around every corner for nicotine monsters and cigarette boogymen. They don't exist. You either smoke or you don't. I also stopped creating hypothetical scenarios and wondering if I could refrain from smoking. What if this happens...What if that happens? No external factors have any bearing on whether you smoke or not. If you are having the best day of your life, a cigarette will not enhance the experience. If you are having the worst day of your life, a cigarette will not alleviate your problems. The cigarette offers nothing positive. The day I recognized my addiction as my own creation that has as much or as little power as I give it and stripped the process down to bare essentials, it all started to make sense. As soon as I stopped complicating quitting, it became simple.

NOPE!

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NOPE!

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Sweet!

That "Rocky" regimen is no joke. It'll make you a "dangerous person." You're gonna eat lightning and you're gonna crap thunder...

1 Sky rockets in flight...early mornin' delight.

Thank you much Doreen. Six-months of freedom. Almost $1,400 not pissed away buying coffin nails and over 4,600 of the nasty buggers not smoked. And that doesn't even come close to describing all of the benefits of quitting. This process has been worth every bit of the effort and its been an enjoyable ride here on the Train these last six-months. And I'm only a half-year away from checking out this lido deck I've been hearing so much about. That's going to be a nice upgrade from where I was six-months ago...

NOPE!

You gotta put in the work...

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Smarty Marti...an awesome chick who has made many contributions to the vocabulary here on the Train. Happy Birthday!

NOPE!

-10 I never stray too far from the lowest common denominator.