Media Portrayal of E-Cigs is annoying

[NiburianElf]

News Media is general, when it comes to TV Broadcast "journalism" is ridiculous. They always have some innocent woman playing dumb, mispronouncing things, and getting the facts wrong. Washington Post has a little video feature on E-cigs. They list some of the common arguments, like flavored e-liquid is targeted toward kids, and the BLU cig Jenny McCarthy TV Ad, etc. Isnt Blu owned by Phillip-Morris at this point? People only smoke those because they have the biggest marketing budget, and the hook-up for being sold at 7-Eleven. The tide is turning and vapor stores are popping up left and right, but I am afraid it is only a matter of time before sheisty politcal nonsense makes this situation much more convoluted.

I understand that vaping is done in public, but no one is complaining of edible underwear, or pink glittery dildos being able to be bought by children on the internet.

You can watch the Washington Post video here <--

 

[CaliforniaGirl]

Wait. Edible underwear and pink glittery dildos are allowed in public?

Par-taaaaaaaaaaay! (bringing out the pink glittery dildo) I don't get it, how do you vape this thing?

 

[BernieVideo]

Then fight!!!!!

Do what you can to turn the tide.

Everyday there is a Daily Plan of Action on this Forum http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/general-e-smoking-discussion/470717-fight-your-right-vape-daily-action-plan-friday-9-20-13-a.html

There is a whole section in the forum about media, campaigning, etc. Visit them and get involved.

 

[Ken_A]

^^^^ that
Do anything you can to educate people around you - follow the daily action thread. write letters - show up for local legislation, etc.

 

[mooreted]

The purpose of the media is no longer to report news, expose corruption and protect freedom. Media is now entertainment made to garner profits from ad space. Sensationalism sells, facts do not.

 

[venemous]

The purpose of the media is no longer to report news, expose corruption and protect freedom. Media is now entertainment made to garner profits from ad space. Sensationalism sells, facts do not.

1000x this.

 

[NiburianElf]

I agree completely, I mean I still believe that some written journalism is legitimate, but otherwise we are being sold down the river by our own obsession with "progress". I don't meant to sound cynical but where did we expect capitalism to take us?

Another funny statement mentioned in all of this is when they say more kids are using e-cigs. Which is self-evident because 0 kids used e-cigs before they existed.

They are just scrounging for ways to appropriate this technology and call it their own, whether it be to demonize it, seek regulation, and then control regulation through their lobby influence/revolving door games.

Often times the facts will be there, but to someone who knows nothing about it, they don't know how to distinguish between truth and lies.

 

[MrSelf Destruct]

News media portrayal of anything is annoying...that's the nice word for it anyway.

 

[Saltraker]

Follow the money.

 

[OlDogNewTricks]

I am afraid that the 'It looks like smoking.' argument will be the hardest thing to fight. Please remember that the people that claim to be 'saving the precious, little children' only need an excuse that sounds plausible to be taken seriously. The loudest voices get heard, get loud!

 

[GypsySyx]

Why would their portrayal of e-cigs be any different than their portrayal of just about everything else? If people believe they are getting facts and truth about anything from them, we're in big trouble. Oh wait....

 

[CaliforniaGirl]

I think most people today have at least a reasonably healthy awareness that the media operates on money (as many businesses do), that a certain percentage of "news" will be filler for time and other reasons, that they are formulaic/fit a format, etc.

I wouldn't overestimate how many "unaware" or stupid people exist. I once saw a study that I wish I knew how to search so that I would have a link for it. It showed an overwhelming percentage of people thought they knew more/were more aware than "the majority"...which would logically be impossible.

We're not as smart as we think we are and "other people" aren't as stupid as we think they are... It is apparently a VERY common belief on the part of the average individual, as well as the belief that we are special in some certain way, etc. I'm not saying we here aren't bright lights. This is a very cool community. I just don't tend to panic as much about what "everybody else!" must think. Especially when I go on forums and see how many people think they aren't those people...but some vague "other people" are.

Keep fighting, but have a little faith. The masses (of which we are a part, BTW) aren't all marching a straight line toward following the Man. That's my faith in humanity moment, and I'm sticking to it.

I realize this opinion is going to be unpopular, and yes, I also realize there are *solid* reasons and proposed actions to fight. But having this sense that there are people waiting in the shadows to stamp out vaping as some sort of malicious vendetta, I feel, goes a little bit beyond the beyond, if you know what I mean. I don't think the average person on my street goes to sleep every night rubbing his hands together thinking up some new way to purposefully terrify people about vaping. I also don't believe the average person is sitting forward on his chair every night watching the news with his mouth hanging vacuously open, going, "Oh my GOD! No matter how overblown this story seems, it must be right." Come on, you know the average person. You probably are the average person. So am I.

Yes, there are *some* people who will fit a given set of criteria for whatever we currently think of as "just so stupid"...everyone has a friend of a friend of a friend who...yeah.

I do think there's misinformation out there...and we are putting the correct information out there...at least as far as we currently know it. Because let's face facts. Vaping is rather new. We don't know it all just yet -- even if we want to, because we want to continue vaping (that includes me).

Be smart, do your research, but if you pre-judge the motivations of huge masses of people, you may be doing them a disservice...and you may be wrong. Just my ha'penny.