09-22-2009, 05:56 AM
Doc, the person accepting a myth that the clove cigarettes "not addictive" is very different than claiming cigarettes are "healthy". Not important. I was just teasing you about the moment of silly hyperbole. The subject lends itself to extremes.
Let's face it, the exhaust from the delivery truck fifty yards away is more harmful to you than a wisp of smoke from an outdoor cafe twenty feet from you. And if that's true, the pollen from that tree over there is going to irritate your delicate immune system, and send you straight to the clinic, or to your kitchen, for a homeopathic remedy. Tobacco is harmful. Nobody disagrees. What it's about, is manners.
Decay and Freeradical have a point. It's understandable that we'd expect more enlightened social policy regarding tobacco use. Particularly regarding exposure in indoor public places, we welcome that. The majority of tobacco users welcome it, too. Or are at least friendly and tolerant about it. The majority of smokers I know are are passively compliant, hyper-careful not to offend. They're practically invisible. More polite than a lot of non smokers.
But to see the way it's characterized here, it's as if all smokers are reckless, offensive, clueless morons who create a toxic cloud around innocent people 100% of the time. Are a minority of smokers offensive and stupid? You bet! Who would disagree? A handful of topics are guaranteed to stir up strong feelings in this forum. One is dog breeding. Another is tobacco use. I'm sure there are a few others. The (anti) tobacco topic becoming a convenient straw-man-whipping post.
I've begun to wonder what motivates the repetition of this familiar subject in the first place. Is it to revel in our shared intolerance? Promote cranking up the hatred of tobacco users? They're a sanctioned, politically safe target for marginalization and bigotry, there aren't many left! To reinforce our purity? Reassert the superiority of us more enlightened non smokers? It's so silly. Can't we just get along?
The anti-tobacco hysteria is moving in directions that are increasingly irrational, bordering on just plain nutty.
Let's face it, the exhaust from the delivery truck fifty yards away is more harmful to you than a wisp of smoke from an outdoor cafe twenty feet from you. And if that's true, the pollen from that tree over there is going to irritate your delicate immune system, and send you straight to the clinic, or to your kitchen, for a homeopathic remedy. Tobacco is harmful. Nobody disagrees. What it's about, is manners.
Decay and Freeradical have a point. It's understandable that we'd expect more enlightened social policy regarding tobacco use. Particularly regarding exposure in indoor public places, we welcome that. The majority of tobacco users welcome it, too. Or are at least friendly and tolerant about it. The majority of smokers I know are are passively compliant, hyper-careful not to offend. They're practically invisible. More polite than a lot of non smokers.
But to see the way it's characterized here, it's as if all smokers are reckless, offensive, clueless morons who create a toxic cloud around innocent people 100% of the time. Are a minority of smokers offensive and stupid? You bet! Who would disagree? A handful of topics are guaranteed to stir up strong feelings in this forum. One is dog breeding. Another is tobacco use. I'm sure there are a few others. The (anti) tobacco topic becoming a convenient straw-man-whipping post.
I've begun to wonder what motivates the repetition of this familiar subject in the first place. Is it to revel in our shared intolerance? Promote cranking up the hatred of tobacco users? They're a sanctioned, politically safe target for marginalization and bigotry, there aren't many left! To reinforce our purity? Reassert the superiority of us more enlightened non smokers? It's so silly. Can't we just get along?
The anti-tobacco hysteria is moving in directions that are increasingly irrational, bordering on just plain nutty.