The concept of free trade has indeed presented some industries as more appealing to the consumer than others. For instance, the standard practice is that most agricultural food processing and manufacturing industries are liked and loved by the public while the agricultural non-food processing industries such as the tobacco industry have been continuously subjected to criticism and unjustified treatment from the larger public. The tobacco industry, in particular, has been subjected to excessive taxation, stringent operational rules and regulations and publicly portrayed as a health hazard primarily because tobacco smoking and usage is associated with liver cirrhosis and some cancers. About the Utilitarian theory, what the public tends to forget very fast is that there are farmers whose livelihood depends on growing tobacco as a cash crop. The public tends to bypass the fact that thousands of people have been employed to work in the tobacco industries and thus wholly depend on such income to sustain their livelihoods (Brownell, & Horgen, 2014).
The above highlights clearly imply that the tobacco industry has been unfairly targeted. Any visitor in the tobacco growing zones can easily confuse the farmers for irresponsible citizens who do not care about their lives instead are only after money. A similar perception may also be taken by the tobacco industry employees. Tobacco in its raw and processed state does not pose any harm to the person handling. It only becomes harmful when either smoked or sniffed since that is the only point that the nicotine contained in the tobacco enters the human bloodstream. And to this effect, the tobacco industry has hugely invested in public awareness and education, in particular on the consequences of tobacco usage. Hence, the negative criticism aimed at the industry are unjustified and only meant to taint the reputation of the entire industry (Mueller, 2008). All industries are in existence for the sole reason that the investors want to fill a particular existing entrepreneurial gap within society through trade. In my opinion, therefore, I consider it unethical that some industries should be unfairly targeted, especially in this era where the public is so keen about any negative criticism meted towards any company.
I firmly believe that both the consumer and the industry have ethical obligations when it comes to making decisions whether to use certain products or not. For instance, as long as there are people who still smoke, the tobacco industry cannot be completely shut down since such smokers might easily die of withdrawal symptoms and related complications. In the same way, Russia cannot stop manufacturing guns just because a few crooked and extremist religious groups are using the same guns to massacre and butcher innocent civilians in Syria and Somalia. Smoking is a personal decision, and therefore the industry might have very little in determining the consumer’s tastes and preferences (Goldberg, 2013). On the same note, the tobacco industry has a moral and ethical obligation to lay open to its consumers all the possible effects of tobacco on the human body. Exposure of such information will, therefore, serve as a guideline to the user, whether to attend to his craving and risk his life or keep off the product and stay safe of the complications.
According to the capitalist principles, it is possible for a company to cater to both its best interest and that of the consumer conjointly. Capitalism is all about sticking to your lane in business and trade provided your activities are not illegal, and they help you achieve your initial investment goals. The major and shared purpose in investment is to make profits. In this case, the primary concern of the company would be making sales to accumulate profits regardless of the health implications or the negative criticism. On the other hand, the only concern of the consumer would be to obtain the cigarette quality of choice at an affordable price and in an easily accessible location. However, the tobacco industry does not operate on capitalism principles, and that is there are massive investments in consumer education and awareness.
References
Brownell, K. D., & Horgen, K. B. (2014). Food fight: The inside story of the food industry, America's obesity crisis, and what we can do about it. Chicago: Contemporary Books.
Goldberg, R. (2013). Taking sides. Guilford, CT: Dushkin Pub. Group.
Mueller, B. (2008). Communicating with the multicultural consumer: Theoretical and practical perspectives.
