Project SCUM
Encyclopedia
Project SCUM was a plan proposed by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR) to sell cigarettes to members of the "alternative lifestyle
" areas of San Francisco, in particular the large number of gay
people in the Castro and homeless people in the Tenderloin
. The acronym "SCUM" stood for "subculture urban marketing." Perhaps recognizing the offensive nature of its label, the marketing plan was later renamed "Project Sourdough."
An anti-smoking campaign called Truth
targeted R. J. Reynolds for Project SCUM, arguing that it not only showed the usual exploitative tobacco marketing techniques but added to them an explicit contempt or even hatred for the people it was trying to market its products to. SF Weekly
reported:
Project SCUM documents came to light after a court order forced R. J. Reynolds to hand them over during the State of California's litigation against tobacco companies. R. J. Reynolds's marketing in the 1990s of its Camel and Winston cigarette brands drew the attention of attorneys representing California cities and counties. One of these attorneys, Stephen H. Cassidy, observed that "Project SCUM was offensive not only because it targeted the homeless and gay communities, but also because the code words 'rebellious' and 'Generation X' were used, which referred to marketing to young persons. Project SCUM highlighted how tobacco companies in the 1990s were targeting young adults to be lifetime smokers."
Revelations about Project SCUM were among the mountains of evidence ensuring that anti-tobacco litigation would continue. In 1998, a resolution of the litigation came about in the Master Settlement Agreement between more than 40 state attorneys general and the tobacco industry.
Alternative lifestyle
An alternative lifestyle is a lifestyle generally perceived to be outside the cultural norm. Usually, but not always, it implies an affinity or identification within some matching subculture...
" areas of San Francisco, in particular the large number of gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
people in the Castro and homeless people in the Tenderloin
Tenderloin, San Francisco, California
The Tenderloin is a neighborhood in downtown San Francisco, California, in the flatlands on the southern slope of Nob Hill, nestled between the Union Square shopping district to the northeast and the Civic Center office district to the southwest...
. The acronym "SCUM" stood for "subculture urban marketing." Perhaps recognizing the offensive nature of its label, the marketing plan was later renamed "Project Sourdough."
An anti-smoking campaign called Truth
TheTruth.com
TheTruth.com is an anti-smoking campaign in the United States. The campaign is run by the American Legacy Foundation, which was founded under the terms of the Master Settlement Agreement, between the US tobacco companies and 46 US states and 5 territories...
targeted R. J. Reynolds for Project SCUM, arguing that it not only showed the usual exploitative tobacco marketing techniques but added to them an explicit contempt or even hatred for the people it was trying to market its products to. SF Weekly
SF Weekly
SF Weekly is a free alternative weekly newspaper in San Francisco, California. The newspaper, distributed throughout the San Francisco Bay Area every Wednesday, is published by Village Voice Media, a 16-paper alt weekly newspaper chain that also includes the New York City Village Voice and the Los...
reported:
"This is a hate crime, plain and simple," says Kathleen DeBold, who directs the Washington, D.C.-based Mautner ProjectMautner ProjectMautner Project is a national organization in the United States dedicated to improving the health of lesbians and other women who partner with women . It was founded in 1990 and is based in Washington, D.C...
for Lesbians With Cancer. "What else do you call it when a group thinks of gays and lesbians as 'scum,' and then targets us with something that kills?"
San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly, who represents the Tenderloin District, is equally upset. "It's racist, it's classist, it's oppressive. And it is really disheartening to hear. But I can't say that I am surprised. Low-income communities and people of color have always been derided and taken advantage of. Obviously, the tobacco companies feel like they can make money off other people's misery."
Project SCUM documents came to light after a court order forced R. J. Reynolds to hand them over during the State of California's litigation against tobacco companies. R. J. Reynolds's marketing in the 1990s of its Camel and Winston cigarette brands drew the attention of attorneys representing California cities and counties. One of these attorneys, Stephen H. Cassidy, observed that "Project SCUM was offensive not only because it targeted the homeless and gay communities, but also because the code words 'rebellious' and 'Generation X' were used, which referred to marketing to young persons. Project SCUM highlighted how tobacco companies in the 1990s were targeting young adults to be lifetime smokers."
Revelations about Project SCUM were among the mountains of evidence ensuring that anti-tobacco litigation would continue. In 1998, a resolution of the litigation came about in the Master Settlement Agreement between more than 40 state attorneys general and the tobacco industry.
See also
- "Truth" ad campaignTheTruth.comTheTruth.com is an anti-smoking campaign in the United States. The campaign is run by the American Legacy Foundation, which was founded under the terms of the Master Settlement Agreement, between the US tobacco companies and 46 US states and 5 territories...
- Master Settlement Agreement