Library:Golden Holocaust
| Golden Holocaust: Origins of the Cigarette Catastrophe and the Case for Abolition | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert N. Proctor |
| First published | 2011 |
| ISBN | — |
| Role | Analysis |
| Domains | Health & Medicine Business, Finance & Scams |
| Tactics | Statistical & Evidentiary Distortion Propaganda Technique |
Golden Holocaust: Origins of the Cigarette Catastrophe and the Case for Abolition is a 2011 book by Robert N. Proctor.
Summary
Robert Proctor, a Stanford historian who has testified as an expert witness in tobacco litigation, uses millions of pages of internal tobacco industry documents, released through lawsuits, to tell how the cigarette industry knew its product caused cancer and addiction and worked to conceal it.
He calls the cigarette "the deadliest artifact in the history of human civilization" and argues for ending its sale.
Key points
- Industry knowledge. Internal documents show tobacco companies understood the cancer link and nicotine addiction decades before admitting them.
- Filter fraud. Proctor describes how filters and "light" cigarettes were marketed as safer without providing real protection.
- Buying science. The industry funded research and researchers to create doubt and distraction.
Relevance to Bullshitopedia
Tobacco is the template for corporate disinformation documented throughout Bullshitopedia. Proctor's book is one of the most detailed accounts of how it worked.
Related entries
- There is no proof that smoking causes cancer
- Light and low-tar cigarettes are safer
- Nicotine is not addictive