Industries justify harmful products by casting themselves as vital to the national economy

Evidence

The tobacco industry also enlists economic justifications. Vast numbers of people—including farmers, manufacturers, advertisers, retailers, and many others—depend on the tobacco industry for their livelihood. It also generates tax revenues. The industry argues that it is vital to the national economy: “Tobacco, and its use for smoking[,] is a vital and dynamic part of the American heritage dating back to the nation’s founding. Its use in all forms is legal and it is a major contributor to the U.S. economy and to its tax revenues” (Carlson, 1976). — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 1637

Categorization

• SHARE: The 1976 quote casting tobacco as ‘vital and dynamic part of the American heritage’ reads like a parody today; worth passing along to anyone interested in industry spin.