Position Paper: Marlboro Boycott

most recent contribution of $2,000 made on March 30,
1990.) Runners up in contributions to Helms's campaign
coffers (A/K/A, "the corporate roll of infamy"), during
the same period of time, include Burlington Industries
(textiles) @ $13,000; Amaco (petroleum) @ $12,000; RJR
Nabisco (tobacco and food) @ $10,000; and Coors (beer) @
$5,000. Philip Morris has contributed almost twice as
much as Helms's second biggest corporate sponsor.
(3) At $200,000, Philip Morris is by far the largest
corporate contributor to the Jesse Helms Museum, an
attempt to glorify Helms's extremism and bigotry.
b. I'm still not convinced that Marlboro is the best Philip
Morris target. What about going after other Philip Morris
products too?
(1) It is best to start a boycott by focusing on a single
product. Hence, Marlboro.
(2) Marlboro dovetails between both Philip Morris (as its
most profitable single product) and Helms (as a proponent
of federal tobacco-subsidies for farmers and the
industry, an unpopular issue during these budget-cutting
times). To many people, North Carolina means two things:
tobacco and Helms.
(3) Tobacco is Philip Morris's most profitable product.
Marlboro is Philip Morris's (and the world's) most
profitable cigarette brand. Hit 'em where it hurts the
most!
(4) Smoking has become a nationally unpopular habit.
(5) Marlboro advertising appears on billboards, in print
media, and on transit displays -- perfectly accessible to
the guerilla tactics of ACT UP.
(6) The best politics are when the issues hit home. Many
lesbians, gay men, people with AIDS, and their supporters
smoke Marlboro. By forcing ourselves to stop smoking
Marlboro, we can demonstrate personal commitment to our
goals, and in so doing, try to hold Philip Morris
accountable for its slavish support and funding of the
demagogic and bigoted Helms.
(7) No matter how stoic he appears, the Marlboro Man is
vulnerable. The Real Marlboro Man Is The Bigoted Helms.
(8) Philip Morris products are ubiquitous. It would be
difficult to boycott them all. If the boycott is to
expand, realistically it would only be able to encompass
one additional product -- Lite Beer by Miller (modeled
after the boycott of Coors beer). However, the effort to

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