Topic: Social smoking—smoking cigarettes/cigars/E-cigs

Purpose: To Analyze how this social activity has changed over time and what that change means for the dynamic of our society (socially, culturally, economically, medically, etc.)

Thesis Statement: For centuries, smoking has been seen simply as a social activity that most people engaged in either for leisure, reduction of stress, or for some other personal need; however, in recent years a cultural shift has occurred and now smoking carries a negative connotation and is fiercely labeled as a detrimental activity to your health.

Introduction:

• To gain the audience’s attention I may begin with a question such as… “does anyone know someone that smokes?” Or maybe show a striking ad or play a commercial designed to persuade people to stop smoking.

Body:

Main idea: The change over time in the perception of smoking and how it was once acceptable to part take anywhere and anytime, but now smoking is highly regulated and carries a negative connation.

Topic 1: Past/History of smoking

• Discuss history of smoking and illustrate with pictures/show where people smoked—home, restaurant, work, sporting events, etc.
• Discuss economic significance—data/charts
• how smoking was promoted in ads, the media, etc.
• Talk about society norms/psychological impact smoking had—why do we all partake in such a common activity—do we feel pressured to do something everyone else is?

Topic 2: Beginning of the shift

• Medical discoveries and the effects of long term smoking are what precipitated the change in the collective view of smoking—knowing long term effects and how smoking effects your body was main reason so many people quit so suddenly
  • for it being such a commonplace, smoking has died out relatively quickly when compared to other commonplaces—has taken less than a century for its public opinion to change
• present data/charts—time period
  • discuss effect on economy/culture

Topic 3: Present day

• Talk about how nowadays when people see someone smoking they think negatively about their actions because they know what repercussions lie ahead of them if they continue to smoke—people seem to be confused by those who smoke—they think, “why do they do that to their body, if they know what can happen?” But the answer isn’t that simple and should not be judged so quickly.
• Regulations and restrictions
• Present day media that illustrates this belief/commercials—discuss how smoking is painted in such a negative light—but is it too much? Is it all completely accurate or fair?

Conclusion:

Sum up the shift and discuss where it may be heading in the future—what do scientists say about smoking today? What is the reality of completely ending smoking? How has it evolved? The market for cigarettes and the like still exists and thrives, but how? How do we not see it? Is it more of a hidden market?