Today has been a day of reflection after digging around on ECF and getting more acquainted with some of the legislative processes going on around the country (US). I'm seeing multiple issues, some of which can be fixed, some of which will be very difficult to address.
The first thing that stands out are some of the responses to proposed legislation, both here on ECF and elsewhere. While some responses are well thought out and articulated, I cringe every time I see a the typical knee jerk reaction claiming gloom and doom. These are the type of responses that will be cherry picked by the opposition to bolster their arguments and paint the typical user of electronic cigarettes as an illiterate goon that needs to be saved from their misguided views.
The second thing that stands out is while there are some very good studies out there that show the relative safety of electronic cigarettes, there are an equal amount of studies that try to prove otherwise. Generally, these studies are conducted purposely to skew the data in order to play into the agenda of the agency funding that study (FDA anyone?). There isn't much we can do about those, other than discredit those studies with unbiased studies that are conducted legitimately. This goes back to my first observation where our response to negative publicity should never be "you blathering idiot, do your homework!". They DID do their homework. They just used the wrong book to study! As a community, it's incumbent upon us to point those flawed studies out in a manor that presents the facts without being antagonistic.
Last, but not least, there are a lot of folks out there who are trying to do the right thing when it comes to enlightening individuals to the technology and ingredients used in e-liquids. What we shouldn't be doing is trying to be blatant about our vaping habits and forcing the issue to be addressed. I've read a few threads here that leave me shaking my head over the attitude taken about vaping in public. Especially on public transportation. Obviously, common sense is not abundant for many, which will do nothing but hurt the rest of the vaping community.
I think a huge part of this issue comes from the anonymity that comes from using the Internet. People tend to say things on line that they'd never be caught dead saying to someone's face. Unfortunately, this attitude is what's going to bite e-cigarette users in the backside.
As my father taught me long ago, there's an art to smiling and calling someone a sorry son-of-a-gun without them immediately realizing it. It's a pity that many who use the Internet weren't taught the same lesson.
The first thing that stands out are some of the responses to proposed legislation, both here on ECF and elsewhere. While some responses are well thought out and articulated, I cringe every time I see a the typical knee jerk reaction claiming gloom and doom. These are the type of responses that will be cherry picked by the opposition to bolster their arguments and paint the typical user of electronic cigarettes as an illiterate goon that needs to be saved from their misguided views.
The second thing that stands out is while there are some very good studies out there that show the relative safety of electronic cigarettes, there are an equal amount of studies that try to prove otherwise. Generally, these studies are conducted purposely to skew the data in order to play into the agenda of the agency funding that study (FDA anyone?). There isn't much we can do about those, other than discredit those studies with unbiased studies that are conducted legitimately. This goes back to my first observation where our response to negative publicity should never be "you blathering idiot, do your homework!". They DID do their homework. They just used the wrong book to study! As a community, it's incumbent upon us to point those flawed studies out in a manor that presents the facts without being antagonistic.
Last, but not least, there are a lot of folks out there who are trying to do the right thing when it comes to enlightening individuals to the technology and ingredients used in e-liquids. What we shouldn't be doing is trying to be blatant about our vaping habits and forcing the issue to be addressed. I've read a few threads here that leave me shaking my head over the attitude taken about vaping in public. Especially on public transportation. Obviously, common sense is not abundant for many, which will do nothing but hurt the rest of the vaping community.
I think a huge part of this issue comes from the anonymity that comes from using the Internet. People tend to say things on line that they'd never be caught dead saying to someone's face. Unfortunately, this attitude is what's going to bite e-cigarette users in the backside.
As my father taught me long ago, there's an art to smiling and calling someone a sorry son-of-a-gun without them immediately realizing it. It's a pity that many who use the Internet weren't taught the same lesson.
