This is my first editorial so read it. Now.
This is one of the most contradictory campaigns. They are trying to say you should be above the influence of others, and then they go on to tell you the kind of life you should live. If they were being true to their being Above the Influence, they would suggest researching things, thinking it out, and make an educated decision based on your own findings.
Their recent campaign of cartoon shorts give a terrible message, if not going against their own message.
In some of their commercials, they depict a young man smoking marijuana with a small dog present. The guy says something like "I feel bad about smoking pot. But if you do it with me I will feel less bad." This is so ridiculous. So, even if the dog joins the person he'll still feel bad because he's smoking marijuana... The dog starts walking away to which the guy says " Don't walk away. I need you."
Another commercial shows the guy smoking next to his girlfriend to which she says "not again." First, the guy is an ass if he's smoking around his girlfriend and knows she doesn't like it. A respectful and responsible smoker shouldn't disrespect others by smoking around people they know don't like it. An alien then comes down and turns down the weed and the girl falls in love and leaves the guy.
And back to the little dog, the guy is smoking and the dog tells him he has a problem. The guy responds by saying he can quit anytime he wants to, to which the dog replies "how about right now." The guy looks sad and says next week is looking better. The dog then says "You disappoint me" and walks away to raise a flag.
They say to be "Above the Influence" but their commercials are misleading and wrong. Firstly, the commercials never say marijuana is bad for you. They know it isn't. They imply that you should want the dog's approval of you and that for the dog to like you, you shouldn't smoke pot. Hmm..
Secondly, like in the first example, they don't say "I'd feel better" if the dog smoked with the guy, but say that even if the dog smokes with him, he'll still feel bad. If you ask anyone who has smoked marijuana, there's a good chance that they won't say it made them feel bad, or it made them feel less bad when their friends partake. If it made you feel bad people wouldn't do it.
AtI also has a quiz on their website that is supposed to rank how influenced by others you are. None of the questions have anything to do with drugs, but rather social pressures. The questions as well as answers are below with my own commentary in italic.
1. How often do you agree with your friends?
- Pretty much always. I don't like to rock the boat, so I go along with my friends.
- Most of the time. We pretty much have the same views and we do the same things together.
- On occasion. I care what they think, but I make my own decisions.
This has very little meaning. A group of friends are generally a group of people who have similar interests and likes. You're not going to surround yourself with people you have no common ground with.
2. Do you have your own personal interests outside your group of friends?
- I share the same interests - it's not as much fun doing something my friends don't do.
- I have one or two interests that my friends don't share.
- I have a lot of interests that are different than my friends'.
Being able to have personal interests outside of a group of friends is good because it means you can make your own choices, but like I said in response to #1, a group of friends generally have similar interests.
3. Sometimes your friends may tell you to buy something (like a clothing brand or a certain type of mobile phone) because everyone else has it. But how many times have you gone out and actually bought that thing?
- If my friends say something is cool, I'll probably buy it.
- Sometimes it happens - it's hard to avoid.
- I don't buy what others have, just what I want.
Getting something because everyone else is doing it isn't the right reason to do it. But you could want something based on your own ideas and not those of others.
4. Have you ever helped a friend who asked you to cheat?
- Yes, sometimes
- Once or twice
- No, never
Cheating is bad, and here's why: In an extreme case, let's says someone makes it through medical school cheating the whole time and becomes a surgeon. They haven't properly learned what they're supposed to, and now someone's life may rest in the hands of someone who is way under qualified. Don't cheat.
5. Have you ever picked on another person just because your friends did?
- Yes, sometimes
- Once or twice
- No, never
If your friends are picking on someone then you might need to think about new friends.
6. Have you ever done something that you knew was wrong (like skipping class or shoplifting) just because others were urging you to just "go along"?
- Yes, sometimes
- Once or twice
- No, never
Skipping class and shoplifting are about as close to each other as not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign and murdering someone, so this question is just like that Mitch Hedberg joke where he is talking about a questionnaire he had to fill out where they used tricky wording: "Have you ever tried sugar... or PCP?"
7. How happy are you with yourself?
- I'm very happy with myself
- I'm sometimes happy with myself
- I'm not so happy with myself
Ideally you should be very happy with yourself, but that's rarely the case, sometimes through no fault of your own.
8. Have you ever changed your appearance to go along with your friends?
- Yes, sometimes
- Once or twice
- No, never
Think for yourself. If you decide that you want to look a certain way of your own accord, and your friends also look that way, that is fine.
9. Have you ever felt like you should have sex because you thought that your friends were doing it?
- Yes, sometimes
- Once or twice
- No, never
Sex is a very personal thing that should be given much thought before actually doing it. If you are thinking about having sex "because you thought that your friends were doing it" then you need to take a second and think harder about what sex really is.
10. Have you ever been pressured to try drugs or alcohol just because your friends were doing it?
- Yes, sometimes
- Once or twice
- No, never
Finally, a question dealing with drugs. Anyone who pressures you into doing something isn't cool. But most smokers don't sit there and nag you to smoke. They may offer it to you the first time around, but generally it's done as a polite way to include everyone, and if you decline they should respect that. Don't be afraid to say "no" if you don't want to partake.
Be Above the Influence, be smart, and pass that shit this way.