HuffPo - "Why Smokers Should Be Shamed" (and by extension, vapers)

[Roger_Lafayette]

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/
jemma-wayne/smoking-ban-uk-_b_4895623.html

This is about as extreme as it gets. Note the invocation of THS ("third hand smoke") and the assumption that there is also third-hand-vapor.

Sleight-of-hand? Sure, but if Glantz can do that in a peer-reviewed JAMA paper (see yesterday's news roundup), then we should give the good author her justly-earned props. The fine art of propaganda requires no doctorate. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the rhetorical artistry

I'm guessing that the writer mainly wishes to promote her new book - the title and publication date of which are helpfully displaed above the piece. We're bombarded with so many different media sources in today's world, that you gotta hand it to someone who can so adroitly explore the outer limits of what can be published in a major outlet.

Most of us are not likely to come face-to-face with a terrorist, a bank robber, or a child molester. But we all meet smokers (and vapers) every day. The joy of looking down upon, deriding, and even hating someone else in person, -- along with the knowledge that they deserve it, and we're all doing them a big favor (plus protecting children to boot) -- just couldn't be more gratifying.

Who says "hate is not a family value?" It's delicious. It's helping to make the world a better place. And it just feels so-o good!

That said, I think she's saying what many folks genuinely do believe - namely that smoking and anything that "looks like smoking" is and ought to be regarded as both immoral and threatening by society at large. The analogy to drunk driving is extremely shrewd: it goes far, but not "too" far, and grabs the reader by the subconscous.

Remember that name: Jemma Wayne. She's got what it takes to go far. "Brilliant" doesn't even begin to describe this.

 

[AgentAnia]

For a counterpoint, I give you a comment (from username Steffijade, commenting on ECITA blog re EU TPD):

"We need to let as many people as possible know about this apparent corruption and cause the maximum amount of embarrassment and vilification for those who have guided that apparent corruption (embarrassment and vilification have proven to be effective tools for the anti smoking lobby to use on smokers.. how about giving the antis a taste of their own medicine)."

Does this qualify as "stooping to their level" or "turnabout's fair play"? I'm conflicted...

Re the shaming article, in a way it's satisfying to see this so openly promoted. At least it should make it apparent to any reader that the anti-smoking movement, for many people, isn't about health, and it isn't even about money. It's about "I can feel morally superior to you." I've always been innately suspicious of people whose self-worth depends on feeling morally superior to somebody else; now I just despise them.

 

[AgentAnia]

Jo Lincoln, in her redheadfullofsteam blog, comes down angrily on this Wayne person. Well worth the read: redheadfullofsteam | coming down upon the opponents of vaping with great vengeance and furious anger

A teaser:

One thing I will point out, though, is the notion of a “public honeymoon” being enjoyed by e-cigarettes. This is crap of the highest order, as anybody who uses an e-cigarette will be quite happy to tell you. There is absolutely no honeymoon. There is no honeymoon thanks in large part to the efforts of woefully misinformed scribes such as, ironically, Ms. Wayne herself. Rent-a-mouths who seem to be queueing up five deep at the door of the church of ANTZ for the opportunity to further demonize people of whose habits they disapprove.

Rent-a-mouths. Love it!

 

[DrMA]

best comment ever:

The only people who still believe this 'secondhand smoke' hogwash are the extremely gullible and the hateful self-righteous bigots like Jemma Wayne.
Second hand smoke 'dangers' were invented by the anti-smoking movement to force through iniquitous bans and legislation.
The Relative Risk of second hand smoke is 1.17, which means an increase in risk of 17%. To put this into some sort of perspective, you've more chance of getting cancer from drinking water (RR 1.25), whole milk (RR 2.14), bacon (RR 3.00), and even keeping pet birds! (RR 6.00)
Would any sane person believe that a persons health can be seriously harmed by a glass of water? Of course not.

Robert E Madden,
Practicing chest surgeon, teacher and a former cancer researcher. Past president of the NY Cancer Society. USA
"To me the most offensive element of the smoking bans is the resort to science as "proving that environmental smoke, second hand smoke, causes lung cancer". Not only is this unproven but there is abundant and substantial evidence to the contrary. It is frustrating, even insulting, for a scientist like myself to hear the bloated statistics put out by the American Cancer Society (of which I am a member) and the American Lung Association used to justify what is best described as a political agenda."

 

[Kent C]

best comment ever:

Right on. First thing I thought after seeing her 'everybody knows' comment about second hand smoke. It's the 'consensus fallacy' - used in almost all areas of their 'junk science' where consensus has nothing to do with science.

 

[Steamix]

Dang !

Shouldn't have read that article. Now I have to go out and get me a new BS-meter: needle of the old one burst right outta the casing on that alphabetized hogwash...

 

[patkin]

Well, at least she outed herself. Now why can't vampire fables be true... I had this graphic image of smoke coming off a screaming face as it begins to shrivel and indent turning to dust.... poof. sorry but I really did. K, the only excuse I have is I paint and draw so am pretty visual with an overly active imagination.

 

[Roger_Lafayette]

No, no ... you guys misunderstand. See, it's really quite simple:

It's not just about second-hand smoke. It's about second-hand vapor, third-hand smoke, and third-hand vapor.

You see, third-hand smoke is like second-hand smoke, except it's worse because it lingers.

And second hand-vapor is just as bad as second-hand smoke.

So third-hand vapor is worse than second-hand vapor, and just as bad as third-hand smoke

And that's why vapers are a first-hand hazard to everyone else's health, long after they've finished vaping.

Got that?

 

[zapped]

The only entity that should be ashamed of themselves is Huffington Post, its barely a step above the National Enquirer and a disservice to true journalists everywhere,

 

[Hulamoon]

Hmph. My comment was removed. I guess the sullen faced author didn't like my stating that her article was just a typical shrieking rant of hysteria and histrionics - or that it's up to HER to lookout for her own ghastly brats, not me.

 

[Hulamoon]

LOL - I just tried to repost my comment on the huffpoo- and my account has been banned! from the Huff! By God! That's about the best compliment someone could pay me! ROFL

"Funniest thing I've read in ages. "Journalism"? Come on! LOLOLOL. You, madame are a hysterical histrionic bigot. You don't dare to call minorities stupid, so you use your hate on smokers? Sorry. The government loves us. We pay them lots of money. Suck it up. It's up to YOU to look after your ghastly brats, not me. How about if I say that kids shouldn't drive till they're 21 because of all the deaths they cause on the roads. Parents and kids are just plain stupid. Does it sound reasonable to you? Of course not. Take a valium dear, and go lay down for awhile"

 

[Roger_Lafayette]

The only entity that should be ashamed of themselves is Huffington Post, its barely a step above the National Enquirer and a disservice to true journalists everywhere,

The real problem is the Tobacco Control industry, and all the funding out there for junk science. There's a big difference between someone saying (or feeling) that vaping is a nuisance. I don't have a problem with that - they're entitled to their opinion. And if they reflexively begin to cough when they see someone smoking on a movie screen ... well, I'm not going to blame them either.

But without the junk science, they couldn't say that vapers pose a clear and present danger to public health. Some of them wouldn't even think it.

BTW comments are often removed if they appear to too negative. Sometimes you can slide one through by starting it with two or three positve words. Like: "Great article! Love it!" ... then say what you think in a more subtle manner.

This will fool the overworked/underpaid reviewers into moving on to the next comment.

 

[AgentAnia]

The real problem is the Tobacco Control industry, and all the funding out there for junk science. There's a big difference between someone saying (or feeling) that vaping is a nuisance. I don't have a problem with that - they're entitled to their opinion. And if they reflexively begin to cough when they see someone smoking on a movie screen ... well, I'm not going to blame them either.

But without the junk science, they couldn't say that vapers pose a clear and present danger to public health. Some of them wouldn't even think it.

I agree. The "ecig epidemic" is a faux crisis, created by TC. Most people on the street I've talked to don't know about ecigs, and if they've heard of them, don't really care one way or the other. Viz most polls that show just that.

BTW comments are often removed if they appear to too negative. Sometimes you can slide one through by starting it with two or three positve words. Like: "Great article! Love it!" ... then say what you think in a more subtle manner.

This will fool the overworked/underpaid reviewers into moving on to the next comment.

Well no wonder so many of my comments never see the light of day! This is an excellent point; am definitely going to rework my opening sentences. Thanks!

 

[zapped]

And if they reflexively begin to cough when they see someone smoking on a movie screen ... well, I'm not going to blame them either.

There is no such reflex, its an affectation that requires conscious effort. One that tells everyone in a 6 foot radius that the person fake coughing is a passive aggressive {MODERATED}. And that goes for either sex IMO

 

[Bramble]

There is no such reflex, its an affectation that requires conscious effort. One that tells everyone in a 6 foot radius that the person fake coughing is a passive aggressive {MODERATED}. And that goes for either sex IMO

They should stop normalizing all that fake coughing.

Though I do know some people with severe asthma and allergy issues who have to stay well away from SHS. They don't have any issues with vapor though.

 

[Kent C]

There is no such reflex, its an affectation that requires conscious effort. One that tells everyone in a 6 foot radius that the person fake coughing is a passive aggressive {MODERATED}. And that goes for either sex IMO

Absolutely right. And I'm blaming the messenger (huffpo) as well as the junk scientists and the politicians that give them gov't grants to create the lies ....and the idiots that buy into them - their voters. They're all cut from the same cloth.

 

[rothenbj]

The only entity that should be ashamed of themselves is Huffington Post, its barely a step above the National Enquirer and a disservice to true journalists everywhere,

I'm not sure where the true journalists exist anymore. Most are in the business of grabbing the next great attention gaining story to sell ad space.

 

[tommy2bad]

Well this isn't journalism, it's an opinion piece. Click bait, nothing more. If it were posted here it would be recognized for what it is, trolling, a piece designed to provoke reaction. I doubt Jenna (no I don't care if I got her name wrong) will ever defend her position.
We are the fools to respond, remember the old rule 'don't feed the troll'.

 

[AgentAnia]

Brilliant reaction piece by Frank Davis: Another Little Nazi | Frank Davis

The comments are good reading as well. Here's my favorite, from "magnetic01":

....Little Jem is a good example of how previous antismoking crusades have deteriorated. When moralizing zealots are let loose with government support, their claims become progressively more absurd and hysterical and their demands progressively more draconian and inhumane. It’s Little Jem that is the toxic thinker. It’s Little Jem, the neurotic bigot, that needs to be shamed for her irresponsibility, her superficiality, and her enthusiastic fear and hate-mongering: Little Jem is just an enthusiastic rider of the bigotry bandwagon.

 

[rothenbj]

Brilliant reaction piece by Frank Davis: Another Little Nazi | Frank Davis

The comments are good reading as well. Here's my favorite, from "magnetic01":

Poor little, not so ....., got trashed.