Context During the 1980s, many Americans found themselves in the heart of a fast-paced and ever-evolving country. After outlasting several radical movements, the Watergate Scandal, Vietnam War, and homeland economic crisis, America emerged from the 1970s as a cutting-edge and undaunted nation. An economic revolution (dubbed “Reaganomics”), pop culture transformation, and a newfound sense of self-improvement forever changed the thinking of people across America. Reduced government spending and inclusive tax cuts, though initially not as successful as hoped, did eventually create 20 million new jobs, dramatically decreased inflation and unemployment, and cultivated a free marketplace-based economy. Artists such as Michael Jackson and Madonna …show more content…
Neon colors and leg warmers dominated the fashion scene while MTV and Clint Eastwood defined pop culture. Trends fell out of style just as quickly as they emerged. One fad, however, was commercially popularized as early as the Civil War, and it had no intentions of leaving. As the tobacco industry boomed, smoking made its way into the lives of millions of Americans, and so did its consequences. By the 1960s, when the first Surgeon General’s warning appeared on cigarette labels, the dangers of smoking were well-known, yet still ignored by many. It was no secret that smoking was the primary cause of lung cancer, bronchitis, and a myriad of other complications---that is why ever since, the Centers for Disease Control and American Cancer Society have worked to educate the public and put an end to the deceitful ploys of cigarette companies. In a print public service announcement, the American Cancer Society discourages the act of smoking by appealing to the logos and pathos of its …show more content…
First, the organization asks its audience a rhetorical question: “If what happened on your inside happened on your outside, would you still smoke?” The obvious answer is no, but the question was proposed to emphasize a point and force the audience to reflect on their own answer. They take advantage of the fact that nearly all smokers are aware of the extensive ramifications of smoking; any reasonable person would respond negatively. Most smokers do not even welcome the habit’s adverse effects within their own body, but, because of nicotine’s addictive properties, allow them to run their course. It hardly needs to be said that quitting is far more preferable to smoking’s effects on the body--- both internal and external. The question also calls to mind actual consequences that the smoker could quite easily become familiarized with: yellowing teeth and nails, wrinkles, and hair