Another Thread About a Ridiculous Interaction...

[Cullin Kin]

So, I am currently at an end of summer BBQ. These people hosting had my mother and I over for another BBQ earlier this year, about 6 months ago and this lady was there and saw that I was vaping at the time. About ten minutes ago, she asked me if I was still vaping and I said, 'I sure am!' She immediately responded, 'You need to cut that ...., it's bad for you. The nicotine is much worse in there than cigarettes. It's bad on your heart and your arteries.' I politely responded with, 'I'm sorry ma'am, current research indicates that nicotine is no more harmful than caffeine. Plus, I don't vape nicotine anymore, I used vaporizers to taper off.' So she proceeded to respond, 'Well it's still bad for you and no better than cigarettes.' I responded, 'I would love to see these studies that indicate your claims...' And that was where our interaction ended.

Her husband did pass from cigarettes, but those are not the same. I mean, I'm sorry but come on...

 

[seminolewind]

Yea, on another forum a member was posting that it had antifreeze in it. So I did go into a schpeel about what PV's are and are not. Someone wanted to know the savings and I did the math for them and was blown away!

You were right on asking for those studies she got her "facts" from. I should write all the good comebacks on a card so I'm prepared for stoopidity.

 

[DavidOH]

Sounds like another case of "if it looks like smoking it is smoking and must be bad for you". I say you handled that well.

 

[DetraMental]

I get so tired of hearing the ridiculous sound of other peoples beliefs about vaping. You did a great and polite comeback by asking for these claims she was quoting. I'm sorry to hear her husband died of complications due to smoking and I'm sure she has nothing good to say about it or anything that resembles it.

 

[FlamingoTutu]

Since her husband died from smoking, I'll cut her some slack. Since she has no problem speaking up, perhaps she can be turned and do some good. Tell her the main ingredient is used in many asthma inhalers as you hand her some printed information from CASAA. With any luck, her curiosity will get the better of her and she'll read it. Who knows, she may convert a smoker or two down the road.

 

[Cullin Kin]

Thanks everyone. It was so frustrating to be intensely attacked like that, especially on such claims! It's also so sad that these people are so easily influenced.

I definitely cut her some slack since her husband did pass, it is sad that cigarettes took him. However, maybe vaporizers could have saved his life too.

 

[Racehorse]

It's bad on your heart and your arteries.' I politely responded with, 'I'm sorry ma'am, current research indicates that nicotine is no more harmful than caffeine.

Like anything else, certain health conditions are affected by certain substances. Have a friend w/Reynauds, nic is really bad for him.
Unless one wants to be in denial that it is a vaso-constrictor, regardless of how mild, the same way coffee or sugar "revs you up" and such.

Every substance you put into your body HAS AN EFFECT....a reaction. We are just chemistry but all different. Like we know people who can't drink coffee w/out getting jittery, whereas we know others who can drink it after dinner and fall asleep w/no problems.

If I was having a heart transplant or major heart work I can tell you that I would not be injesting nicotine, or if I were having any kind of plastic surgery for instance. It has an effect.

*Harmful* is a relative term, and dependent on person and circumstances. We know this simply with people who have allergies to PG. Ask them how sick eliquid made them.


obviously, this woman is on a mission, sort of like the way we are on our own mission to convert smokers. If somebody I loved died from cigarettes, I certainly would be more *sensitive* to any new things that involved INHALING stuff, esp. if I had heard a lot about it that said it was bad, it takes time to get the truth out to everyone.

That said, it's okay to be educational and conversational about ecigs....but some vapers are downright *defensive* about it and react with anger and/or rudeness and that doesn't help us either. Not you---you had a polite interchange that was exasperating, which is understandable. But just sayin' I"ve seen some pretty rude stories about this stuff on occassion here.

We have to think of ourselves as "ambassadors".

 

[Cullin Kin]

Like anything else, certain health conditions are affected by certain substances. Have a friend w/Reynauds, nic is really bad for him.
Unless one wants to be in denial that it is a vaso-constrictor, regardless of how mild, the same way coffee or sugar "revs you up" and such.

Every substance you put into your body HAS AN EFFECT....a reaction. We are just chemistry but all different. Like we know people who can't drink coffee w/out getting jittery, whereas we know others who can drink it after dinner and fall asleep w/no problems.

If I was having a heart transplant or major heart work I can tell you that I would not be injesting nicotine, or if I were having any kind of plastic surgery for instance. It has an effect.

*Harmful* is a relative term, and dependent on person and circumstances. We know this simply with people who have allergies to PG. Ask them how sick eliquid made them.


obviously, this woman is on a mission, sort of like the way we are on our own mission to convert smokers. If somebody I loved died from cigarettes, I certainly would be more *sensitive* to any new things that involved INHALING stuff, esp. if I had heard a lot about it that said it was bad, it takes time to get the truth out to everyone.

That said, it's okay to be educational and conversational about ecigs....but some vapers are downright *defensive* about it and react with anger and/or rudeness and that doesn't help us either. Not you---you had a polite interchange that was exasperating, which is understandable. But just sayin' I"ve seen some pretty rude stories about this stuff on occassion here.

We have to think of ourselves as "ambassadors".

Yes, very true! Ailments are subjective and on a per person basis. What killed me inside was that she said the nicotine in e-liquid is worse than the nicotine in cigarettes. That is just absurd.

Since we were at a BBQ I thought it best we didn't escalate this into a debate.

Yeah, some of the threads on here do give off strong defensive cues and definitely do not help our case in any way. It doesn't convince them of anything and labels us as aggressive, just more fuel. I was very off put by her demeanor though. I can understand being curious and even doubtful, but attacking someone? It was interesting to see how much she had shifted in those 6 months. I didn't have my vape on me at the time, left it in the car.

 

[KODIAK (TM)]

Her husband did pass from cigarettes,...

Misguided as it is, I completely understand her conviction.

Just let her comments go and move on. Nothing more to do.

 

[AzPlumber]

Well right now there certainly is a vigorous effort to villainize the electronic cigarette and unfortunately it will raise emotions on both sides. Even more unfortunate will be the folks that won't use them because of this unfounded scaremongering and will continue to smoke cigarette.