Furthermore: Where the Headlines Take You
Another year is coming to a close and it's time to ponder over what 2009 may hold in store for us all. One thing's for sure, unless President-elect Obama can kick his bad habit, he'll more than likely have to stand outside in the rain to smoke when visiting Portland. As of January 1, 2009, Oregon's Smokefree Workplace Law extends to bars, bingo halls, and bowling alleys. A boon for folks who like healthy lungs, but not everyone is happy about it.
Speaking for myself, the idea of going out for a drink with a friend and not having to throw every last piece of clothing immediately into the wash, followed by a hazardous chemical removal-like shower, is quite appealing. But smoking is a way of life for some, and tobacco has been an undeniably influential part of our history here in America and the world. There are a few books looking at the history this plant, one well-written, educational and entertaining title being Tobacco by Iain Gately. Gately is extremely thorough in his research of the tobacco plant, starting in pre-Columbian America and working his way up to the turn of the new millennium. By line two of his book, Gately has confessed that he is a smoker, and I must admit I found his text especially refreshing because he doesn't demonize smokers or cigarettes. He acknowledges that for many smoking is/was a "pleasure, a comforter and a friend" that has been around for over 500 years and plays a part in practically every culture on earth. This doesn't mean he ignores the negatives, he just doesn't dwell or get up on any soap boxes. And at the end of the book he includes an index on how to grow tobacco (which ties in well with the last book I mention below, in case you want to go super-DIY).
It's odd for me to think that well into my teens, you could still smoke on planes. And that I can remember people lighting up during work meetings. Here in the U.S. this is (for the most part) no more - and our lungs are certainly healthier for it - but the coolness-factor, the mystery, the je ne sais quoi of smoking are all still there (for me at least). Of course most, if not all of this "cool factor" comes from some very clever marketing minds, who take what is for all intents and purposes a nasty habit and turn it into something glamorous and appealing. Michael Thibodeau and Jana Martin explore part of this marketing genius by looking specifically at the branding and design of cigarette packaging in their book Smoke Gets in Your Eyes. They begin with a short history of cigarette packaging, and then give you page after page of beautiful, funny, sometimes ironic and always compelling graphic images of cigarette packages from all over the world. Some of my favorites are found in the "Anti-Packs" section of the book and include a cigarette from Holland called Death whose package is simply black with a white skull and crossbone on the front, and another called 'Brand X' whose tagline is "for the man who is satisfied with nothing less than second best." This work is not only appealing from a cultural history and pop culture standpoint, it also makes a wonderful resource for artists and marketing folks alike, not to mention collectors.
And along the same theme of smoking is cool (or not so much), comes a very well-done and poignant graphic novel by Alex Robinson called Too Cool to be Forgotten. Alex Wicks is a middle-class, balding man who is happily married with two daughters, content with his life and his job, but who really wants to quit smoking. He's tried everything, and now he's trying hypnosis. Once under, he unexpectedly and rather alarmingly finds himself back in high school with all the familiar sights, sounds, smells and anxieties. It occurs to him that he's arrived right before the big party where he smokes his first cigarette. If he goes to the party and doesn't smoke, will he be cured? Or is there something deeper going on here? This story made me laugh and cry (and included some pretty awesome references to the 1980's, which I always love).
For those who are making a New Year's resolution to quit, the library has dozens of books to help you. For those whose interests do not lie there, we have a book that can take smoking to the next level, by building your own smoking device! I am including Build this Bong for a few reasons. First, author and handyman Randy Stratton gives tips on how to use regular household products and turn them into bongs, pipes and more - and we all know Portland loves to reduce, reuse, and recycle! Second, we Portlanders are very DIY, so even if you're not a smoker, maybe you'd like to take your old rubber ducky and turn it into a hookah for a friend (the easy-to-follow instructions come with detailed illustrations). Last, I included it because I'm betting that (like me) no one would expect to find a book on this subject - just goes to show, there's a book on just about anything!
Happy New Year to all! And remember to smoke 'em if you got 'em, because as of tomorrow, it's not going to be as easy here in Oregon.
Posted by Jennifer
A presidential election always seems to create a lot of news, especially as Election Day approaches. I'm sure you've seen and/or read an awful lot about McCain, Obama, their speeches, their policy ideas, and their campaigns. So even if you're interested in politics, you might be getting a little tired of hearing about it all! I can tell you, I'm definitely feeling ready for a new set of headlines. But, all the news I've seen about the presidential campaign — including a recent episode of local radio call-in show Think Out Loud — has made me wonder a bit, lately, about the history of political advertising. How did campaign advertising get started? Is it a twentieth century phenomenon? Are there ads from the past that really changed the course of a campaign, and if so, what were they like?
The Living Room Candidate — a multimedia exhibit from New York City's Museum of the Moving Image — collects hundreds old television and internet commercials for presidential candidates from Eisenhower and Stevenson in 1956 to McCain and Obama in 2008. It's fascinating to see how much advertising has changed over this fifty year time span, and the exhibit also provides election return maps, a list of related websites, and more.
What about ads that focus on issues, rather than candidates? Revolutionary Tides: The Art of the Political Poster, 1914-1989, by Jeffrey T. Schnapp, is a gorgeous coffee-table sized book with page after page of posters from around the world, produced for mass audiences and featuring nearly every important political topic from posters encouraging people to buy war bonds and military recruitment posters to posters promoting public health and literacy.
And, a bit further afield, Arthur Asa Berger's Ads, Fads, and Consumer Culture analyzes advertising's affects on popular culture. Berger devotes an entire chapter to political advertising, but also discusses many other types of advertising, examines the culture of consumption, and considers how advertising works as a venue for communication.
Posted by Emily-Jane
