VENI VIDI VICI
"I came, I saw, I conquered"
"I came, I saw, I conquered"
Like so many people throughout the state of North Carolina, many of my values have been constructed through my family’s tobacco heritage. As I grew up in a rural community near Oxford, N.C., I learned of tobacco’s importance. For at least the past four generations, my family has depended on tobacco as a source of income. The values I have learned from my family and community have had a great influence on my development as a person.
This being stated, I cannot overlook the consequences that have resulted from tobacco’s abuse. As I have grown up, I have tortured myself with thoughts and realizations of this issue. Now that I have matured and understand the politics surrounding tobacco, I am attempting to mediate this subject.
Tobacco did not start off being a problem. However, in the past two centuries, the way in which our western culture has allowed tobacco corporations to function has caused a global pandemic. This is no longer a national problem, but has spread its roots to infect the entire world. I feel these corporations that practice irresponsibly are the cancer that is hurting so much of the world. Through my artwork, I attempt to explore the different institutions our culture allows tobacco corporations to use as a means of reproduction. Often times, we do not examine how our cultural practices and values affect our country, as well as the rest of the world. By using forms of nostalgia, aggressive advertising, lobbyists, and the exploitation of people and resources in developing countries, the tobacco industry is able to control a complex system of power while maintaining a relatively safe distance from public interest. The effects of these practices are seen in the form of a preventable global pandemic. “Today, an estimated four million persons die worldwide from smoking. This number is expected to climb to 15 million by 2025.” (The Tobacco Atlas: World Health Organization, 2002) This tobacco epidemic is directly linked to how these corporations operate. When all of these practices are examined, they reveal a system built on disregarding human health in the pursuit of profit and reinforce many negative aspects of our American culture.
Isaac Talley
This being stated, I cannot overlook the consequences that have resulted from tobacco’s abuse. As I have grown up, I have tortured myself with thoughts and realizations of this issue. Now that I have matured and understand the politics surrounding tobacco, I am attempting to mediate this subject.
Tobacco did not start off being a problem. However, in the past two centuries, the way in which our western culture has allowed tobacco corporations to function has caused a global pandemic. This is no longer a national problem, but has spread its roots to infect the entire world. I feel these corporations that practice irresponsibly are the cancer that is hurting so much of the world. Through my artwork, I attempt to explore the different institutions our culture allows tobacco corporations to use as a means of reproduction. Often times, we do not examine how our cultural practices and values affect our country, as well as the rest of the world. By using forms of nostalgia, aggressive advertising, lobbyists, and the exploitation of people and resources in developing countries, the tobacco industry is able to control a complex system of power while maintaining a relatively safe distance from public interest. The effects of these practices are seen in the form of a preventable global pandemic. “Today, an estimated four million persons die worldwide from smoking. This number is expected to climb to 15 million by 2025.” (The Tobacco Atlas: World Health Organization, 2002) This tobacco epidemic is directly linked to how these corporations operate. When all of these practices are examined, they reveal a system built on disregarding human health in the pursuit of profit and reinforce many negative aspects of our American culture.
Isaac Talley
