Strong Views on Ads Linking Drug Use to Terrorism |
Posted by FoM on April 02, 2002 at 08:05:07 PT By Allison North Jones Source: New York Times The Bush administration's new antidrug advertising campaign seeks to strike a chord with young people by linking drug use to supporting terrorism. But it has struck a nerve with critics who contend the message is inappropriate and goes too far. The criticism, from both traditional foes of White House drug policy and individuals who typically support antidrug messages, has produced parodies, editorials, debate and even research, although the advertisements have been out for only two months. Proponents call the advertisements powerful and factual. Critics say that the link between drug use and terrorism is overreaching wartime propaganda. John P. Walters, director of the White House drug office, said the idea for connecting drug use and terrorism came after the State Department identified 28 terrorist organizations and linked nearly half of them to drug trafficking. The campaign began with two 30-second spots by Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, part of the WPP Group, during Super Bowl XXXVI for about $1.9 million each. The commercials are running on at least eight networks or cable channels, including NBC, ABC and ESPN, while print ads are in nearly 300 newspapers. The first 30-second spot, called "I helped," shows a series of young people saying things like: "I helped murder families in Colombia — it was just innocent fun." "I helped a bomber get a fake passport — all the kids do it." "I helped blow up buildings — my life, my body." It ends with the tag line: "Drug money supports terror. If you buy drugs, you might, too." The second 30-second spot, called "AK-47," follows the style of MasterCard's "priceless" advertisements by McCann-Erickson Worldwide Advertising in New York, a unit of the Interpublic Group of Companies. Images of rental cars with trunks full of automatic weapons, a safe house and a man buying box cutters — poignant images for American viewers after Sept. 11 — are flashed on the screen followed by: "Where do terrorists get their money? If you buy drugs, some of it might come from you." Variations of the "I helped" advertisements are running in more than 300 newspapers. Critics, including some parents, say that the advertisements' negative-niche strategy is unlikely to be effective. "It's a colossal waste of money," Jane Marcus, a mother of two and member of the Parents and Teachers Association in Palo Alto, Calif., said of the advertisements. "The argument is fallacious to begin with and plays on people's fears — the two aren't connected," she said of the link between terror and drug abuse. Ethan A. Nadelmann, executive director for the Drug Policy Alliance, which favors a strategy based more on treatment, said: "This is a shameless exploitation of the war on terror. The government is trying to bolster a failing war on drugs by linking it to the war on terrorism." His nonprofit group paid $8,000 to parody the ads in Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper. Mr. Walters said that while there was no way to measure the effectiveness of the advertisements yet, reaction to the spots had been enough to persuade him to extend the campaign through the summer and to add several new advertisements. The drug office used focus groups and consulted with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration to develop the advertisements. They are the most widely tested spots since the media campaign began in 1998, when Congress approved nearly $1 billion over five years for the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, Mr. Walters said. The campaign's Web site: http://www.mediacampaign.org -- includes a list of several events, from the detonation of terrorist car bombs in Colombia to the murder of Mexican officials with AK-47's, to support the claims of the ads. The campaign supplants the free advertising that was organized for years by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, a coalition of communications and advertising professionals. In the late 1990's, black-and-white advertisements by Keye/Donna/Pearlstein featuring the slogan "This is your brain on drugs" illustrated the negative effects of illicit drug use on the body with a frying pan and egg. The ads played on what the campaign's creators thought would be a desire by young people to have healthy bodies, a notion that may not have been effective. "There's always been a problem, especially with teenagers, that they're not as sensitive to personal physical harm or risk as people at other ages," Mr. Walters said. Now the strategy is to play on pride and ideals rather than personal health. "They're idealistic, they care about what the world is going to be like for them, they care about what they stand for in the world as they become adults," Mr. Walters said. The National Survey of Parents and Youth, a report commissioned by the drug office and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, is monitoring the effectiveness of the campaign. Westat Inc. and the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania are conducting the study. Robert C. Hornik, a professor at the Annenberg School, said the study has generally found that people recall antidrug ads based more on the number of times they see them rather than the messages the ads actually contain. Some youth education and development professionals see the value of such advertisements that deviate from a more traditional and positive message. "This presents and brings together the connection between substance abuse and other social problems," said Sue Stepleton, president and chief executive of Parents as Teachers National Center Inc. in St. Louis. The organization develops family support and education programs for parents. Source: New York Times (NY) Related Articles & Web Sites: Drug Policy Alliance Critics Decry Ads Linking Drugs, Terror Saying No To Propaganda To Fight Terrorism, Quit Fighting Drugs Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
Comment #10 posted by Jose Melendez on April 02, 2002 at 12:07:00 PT:
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from: http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20020402-86569840.htm<> The Clinton administration shut down a 1995 investigation of Islamic charities, concerned that a public probe would expose Saudi Arabia's suspected ties to a global money-laundering operation that raised millions for anti-Israel terrorists, federal officials told The Washington Times. [ Post Comment ] |
Comment #9 posted by FoM on April 02, 2002 at 12:04:58 PT |
I must go now. My Father in Law might be having a stroke. Be back when I can. [ Post Comment ] |
Comment #8 posted by DdC on April 02, 2002 at 11:48:37 PT |
April 1, 2002 Drugs Now Legal If User Is Employed Seeking to "narrow the focus of the drug war to the true enemy," Congress passed a bill legalizing drug use for the gainfully employed Monday. "Stockbrokers, lawyers, English professors... you're not the problem here," said DEA Administrator Asa Hutchinson at a White House press conference. "If you are paying taxes and keeping your yard tidy, we're not going to hassle you if you come home from a hard day of work and want to enjoy a little pot or blow. But if, on the other hand, you're one of these lazy, shiftless types hanging out on the street all day looking for your next high, we're coming after you." Read More http://www.theonion.com/onion3811/drugs_now_legal.html Bush, Ashcroft, Walters Have Change of Heart... LP John the Terrorist 3:16 Coalition for Compassionate Access And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more. (Ezekiel 34:29) In the later times, some shall speak lies in hypocrisy commanding to abstain from meats which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. Every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused if it be received with thanksgiving. For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants are wicked. (Prov. 29:12) "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone" (John 8:7). "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, that you will be no priest to Me for I desired mercy and not sacrifice." (Hosea 4:6, 6:6) "The Lord hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound." (Isaiah 61:1) "Whatever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me" (Jesus) "shall not bear false witness" Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind, And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. (Matthew 15:13-14) As troops of robbers wait for a man, so the company of priests commit murder in the way by consent. (Hos. 6:9) (Ps. 119:86) AsacondA Captain Kangaroo (Jesus:) He beheld them and said, "What is this then that is written, 'The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner'?" (Luke 20:17) A wise man will hear, and will increase learning: and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels. (Proverbs 1:5) LAKOTA, HEMP, AND GLOBALIZATION Corporate Predators... [ Post Comment ] |
Comment #7 posted by MikeEEEEE on April 02, 2002 at 11:48:15 PT |
Don't waste your energy on Joyce, some people will never learn or change. If you tell these people a car was invented they'll insist on still using a horse. Ignore her and she'll go away. [ Post Comment ] |
Comment #6 posted by MassCrusader on April 02, 2002 at 11:35:31 PT |
You can blame and vent all your frustrations on everyone else but it gets you nowhere. Joyce blames drugs as the evil in society. You blame closet-smokers. When faced with decisions presented to us with emotional intent, things are done hastily and are hacked.
I am sorry if it isn't that easy for every pot smoker to leave the closet and say enough is enough. It seems too many people in places to harm us indefinetly can and will. The day will come soon [ Post Comment ] |
Comment #5 posted by qqqq on April 02, 2002 at 11:11:14 PT |
..I have some very strong views on this topic,,but I've already over-commented......so,,all I'm gonna say,,,is that I hope that readers of this site,will not hesitate to take the time to comment.....and I also want to say "SHAME ON YOU!",,if you are one who agrees that the war on drugs is out of control,and is hiding behind the scenes..lurking in the shadows and reading stuff here and there.....Hoping that things will get better,and wishing luck to those who are trying to fight,,that's no good nowdays!.. ..I think that only an idiot would say something like,,;'if you're not for us,you're against us'....but unfortunatly it seems that very few people think such a statement disturbing enough to be worthy of questioning...I think that there are alot of people who are living in fear of the government..They realize that things aren't quite right,but they dont want to say too much.Perhaps they are wise to hide their secret Marijuana use and opinions.No one wants to bring the terror of a SWAT team to their door...A no-knock drug raid on an american home is true terror.It's terror done right...I cant blame anyone for being scared because I'm scared,,and alot of people who speak out here are scared..FoM is scared.......Maybe there is someone out there who is not at all scared,and they may go for years without being scared,,"if you're not for us,you're against us" will seem like a glorious and normal slogan for "us patriots",,but then the day will come when you realize what I am saying,,and they come to your door and tell you that you are no longer considered one of "us"...in fact ,,they have recieved reports that you,and your family were actually "thems",,who are not for "us".........I pity da fool who thinks everything is fine,,,drivin' around in a new SUV,,on a cell phone,,faking themselves out by thinking that nothing is wrong, ,convinced that their grandchildren will be happy and healthy in the year2047,,,,but the brutal true picture of the grandkids in the future,would reveal disturbing views of Brent,,the oldest,,joining the Navy,and dying in the China-Tiawan conflict of 2022.,,and Brianna,who perished from drinking infected rainwater out of a puddle during the Iowa water crisis of 2029...the only one who survived past 2047 was 'lil' Elliot.He just happened to be one of the few people who..._______________ ..what a whacko four Q is....I think that 4q may have gotten that name because there is only four Qs in his IQ. [ Post Comment ] |
Comment #4 posted by goneposthole on April 02, 2002 at 10:58:11 PT |
to kill terrorism, and harvest a bumper poppy crop. Farging drugs support terrorism which must be pulled out from the roots and killed. If we kill terrorism, will people stop using drugs? There will be no terrorism to support, therefore no one will have to use drugs. This is a laugher. [ Post Comment ] |
Comment #3 posted by krutch on April 02, 2002 at 10:53:14 PT:
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The state department may be able to link some terrorist organizations with drug trafficking, but I have not seen any evidence. I am confident that Arab terrorists do not have their money in reefer. They also fund themselves thru donations and legal businesses, like honey shops. This is all a PR campaign to divert attention. Since Ron and Nancy started the drug war the goverment has wasted massive resources trying to enforce prohibition. Now it becomes clear that we had much bigger problems we should have been addressing. The government does not want to admit this. They would much rather make it look like those evil drugs that they have been fighting helped cause the whole terrorist problem. News flash for George W: Nobody believes this nonsense. [ Post Comment ] |
Comment #2 posted by rose on April 02, 2002 at 08:23:52 PT:
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that subject line is suposed to say
The disease called "idiocism" seems to be spreading through the goverment like wildfire
bluh bluh bluh....doh? [ Post Comment ] |
Comment #1 posted by rose on April 02, 2002 at 08:17:09 PT:
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That is incredibly stoooopid! I almost would like to say that I can't believe our goverment, but than again, I know that it will continue to go to such extremes. It also makes me so angry how this ridiculous "war on drugs" is going absolutly no where, and yet they continue to spend great amounts of money on it when they could be using that same money on much more important things that can be fixed/helped with time. gr! [ Post Comment ] |
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