The Money Hungry Tobacco Industry and Child-Praising: How Low is Society Willing to Go?

This week’s post focuses on my comments to two other blogs in the blogosphere. These blogs deal with different topics that are recent in the field of psychology. My first comment is towards a post that involves the effects of praising on children. According to recent research, there is evidence that praising children on their intelligence causes them to under perform, which is the opposite of what parents believe. “Praising Your Kids Might Lead to the Unintended” provides more information on this interesting topic. The second comment is directed towards a post titled “Big Tobacco Targeting the Homeless, Mentally Ill” which explains a controversy involving the tobacco industry’s new market. Statistics show that over 75% of the homeless smoke cigarettes and nearly one-half of American tobacco purchases are made by the mentally ill. It is no wonder the tobacco companies are taking advantage of the opportunity to reach out to this group of individuals. The following are the comments to these fascinating topics.

My Comment on "Praising Your Kids Might Lead to the Unintended":

Being a parent is a heavy responsibility that entails a great deal of love and comfort in order for the child to develop a secure bond and help development. Praising is viewed by parents to be a positive form of encouragement. I firmly agree with the parental wisdom that has been around for ages. I believe that praising is a way to get a person, not just a child, to try their best. The praise inflicts an extra boost of confidence and an increase in self-esteem. The added self confidence can propel the child to new heights and widen his or her perspectives. I somewhat agree with the point that the praise puts too much pressure on the child because if the parents tell the children that they are “smart,” then the children might feel as though they have let the parents down if they come home with a bad grade in school. However in that situation, I believe that the children would bounce back and succeed due to the parental support. In my experiences as a child, I feel that praising does more good than harm and it is an important aspect in the life of a child.

My Comment on "Big Tobacco Targeting the Homeless, Mentally Ill":

The big tobacco companies are always finding new ways to market their products and target certain groups of individuals but this time they have certainly crossed the line. In my opinion, targeting the homeless and mentally ill can be compared to selling cigarettes and tobacco products to young children. Those individuals lacking mental health have a resemblance to children in that they lack the ability to make the right decisions at times. All of this just adds more fuel into the fire when it comes to the tobacco companies and their money making strategies. Sure everybody in the world needs to make money and companies need to compete for business, however this move by the tobacco industry is not right. The tobacco industry’s heartless antics wreck people’s lives as they just sit back and reap the benefits. As a non-smoker and non-supporter of the tobacco industry, I feel anger and disgust towards this ridiculous method of money-making that should be stopped before it is too late.