Every cloud has a poisoned lining
I am neither an expert nor even particularly a great fan of vaping.
I enjoy my pipe for a variety of reasons, mainly the flavour and indeed the ritual, and if a dose of nicotine was my ultimate and sole goal then I would probably take up an easier route such as cigarettes, or indeed vaping.
Having said that, I do indeed have a vaping yoke which I keep for those occasions where I have to inhabit one of those "smoke-free" zones for a prolonged period of time, and even then I very rarely use it [thereby indicating my lack of reliance on pure nicotine?]. As far as I am concerned, vaping is grand and fine for people who enjoy it, but it isn't for me. That said, I am fully on side with the vapers when it comes down to freedom and legislation.
Lately there have been quite a few items in the meeja on the subject of vaping, and they all seem to have one thing in common – they inevitably show a photograph or video of someone vaping and blowing out vast clouds of vapour.
In my humble opinion, vapers are doing themselves a gigantic disfavour with this game of seeing who can produce the most cloud. There is a perception ingrained into the public's mind that second hand smoke is somehow dangerous, and here they see something that is virtually indistinguishable [on paper, on television or on a computer screen anyway] from cigarette exhale. What is their instinctive reaction? That vapour is dangerous shit and should be banned.
I have seen quite a few people use e-cigarettes and few have produced much in the way of vapour so I can only conclude that this is some kind of sub-culture whose aim is to produce the biggest cloud, a bit like the young people of old who delighted in blowing the biggest smoke-rings.
When I light up the pipe, I would be hard pressed to produce clouds like the ones in the meeja. When I see them blowing away my instinctive reaction is one of Holy Fuck, until reality kicks in and I realise it's only harmless vapour. But the vast majority of unenlightened viewers are going to stick at the Holy Fuck stage and will assume the stuff is a dangerous as sin.
This gamesmanship really is not doing vapers any favours.
It is playing right into the hands of the Anti Nazis.
I have only seen this once or twice out in public, no doubt that it happens more than that, but generally this 'cloud chasing' has become a bit of a sport usually played in vape shops. The pictures in the media are pretty typical of their need to sensationalize everything. The biggest example of this phenomenon was when the Dangerous Dogs Act came into being. I have always kept American Pit Bulls and when this breed was all over the news, there was the same background behind the news reader – an aggressive, snarling American Pit Bull showing its teeth. The very same picture appeared constantly in the newspapers as well. None of my dogs were ever like that, they were the most loyal, placid family pets that anyone could wish for. But the media will always show the worst aspects of anything.
Your article is well written GD, and although I can fully agree with what you write, it is written from the point of view that somehow, smokers and vapers need the permission of those nannying nazi fuckwits to do what we want to. We don't. The banned stuff can be imported and I, for one, meet them with open defiance. Perhaps we pipe users, smokers and vapers should all do the same and stand up to them as one and say enough. Maybe its because we haven't done that, that this shit has got so far. We only have the divisions to blame.
I agree with everything you say [especially the bit about being well written! 😉 ]. I too ignore the Puritans and carry on as I always have done. Nobody is going to dictate how I enjoy my life.
However, I swat wasps whenever they cross my path, but don't deliberately seek out wasps' nests and poke them. Of course the meeja glorify the sensational and pander to people's prejudices, but unfortunately people tend to view the meeja as experts. It really should be pointed out [somehow] that cloud chasers are in a minority and even then are totally harmless. Unfortunately the Grazing Herd now see Vapour = Cigarette Smoke.
Anti Nazis? My Grandad was one of those, he sent plenty of Nazis to the bottom of the Med. Ah wait, now I see what you mean. You had me worried for a moment. Doh!
Nah! Your Grandad was an Anti-Nazi. Different kettle of fish altogether from an Anti Nazi.
I've pointed out a number of times in the past that vapers are just inviting trouble with these photos of vapers competing to see who can produce the biggest, densest cloud. By all means have those competitions if they must (although it seems rather childish), but to record them and plaster the photos / videos all over farcebook or wherever (for the MSM to pick up) is utter madness, given that they are trying to escape the baleful eye of Tobacco Control and its minions.
And they wonder why vaping is being banned everywhere…
Now if you had posted your comment before I posted the post, it would have saved me a load of typing. In one paragraph [+ one line] you encapsulate all I was trying to say.
A new government of allsorts attention-grabbers, wafflers and we'll-fixit-for-ya clientalists. They're going to slap extra taxes on tobacco, in a cynical gesture of public virtue. A new form of government is pouring new wine into tired old bottles. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose, as the eveque said to the actrice.
At least Reilly is gone!
This comes down to each to his own. I don't smoke, nor do I vape, but as this is the thin end of a very nasty wedge, I line up alongside the smokers and vapers because the bastards will come after me sooner or later.
The important thing to remember is not to argue among ourselves. United we stand against a common enemy.
I think at this stage we are well into the wedge. They have hammered smoking, then e-cigarettes and now they are well on their way into sugar and alcohol.
True. My passion for motorcycles is just beyond the event horizon at the moment.
Jayzus but them things is fucking lethal. They should be banned immediately.
You say that: "There is a perception ingrained into the public's mind that second hand smoke is somehow dangerous"
It's a bit more than a perception, mate. See footnote 18 in the references section of my blog:
https://vapingsucks.blogspot.com/