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Jman8

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I really wish our message was that we'd go to the gray/black market rather than return to smoking. I kinda don't buy it for serious vapers (like the ones that are here), in that I don't see people returning to smoking (full time) when it'll be rather well known that an underground market exists. I get that people will want nicotine and that cigarettes will be perhaps more convenient, but I truly think vapers who don't dual use currently, will despise the flavor of smoking.

Plus the fact that an emerging black market ought to (and likely does) scare them way more than people returning to smoking. My cynical side thinks they would be pleased as punch to know vapers are returning to smoking to help fund health stuff.
 

Jwaterski

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I think the scare tactics have already driven some back to cigarettes just based on my own observations, I vape in smoking area at work, have since I started vaping, over the years I noticed more and more vapors, and fewer and fewer smokers. In the last month or so it is flipping back. Would have thought most vapors would have done more homework. Sheeple I guess, followed the crowd to vaping, following it back to cigarettes.
 

bombastinator

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I think the scare tactics have already driven some back to cigarettes just based on my own observations, I vape in smoking area at work, have since I started vaping, over the years I noticed more and more vapors, and fewer and fewer smokers. In the last month or so it is flipping back. Would have thought most vapors would have done more homework. Sheeple I guess, followed the crowd to vaping, following it back to cigarettes.
Not a fan of that word myself. The problem is that the word “sheeple” implies that there are “non-sheeple” and that by doing a particular thing you can avoid being one. There are no non-sheeple, and the various extollations of avoiding sheeplehood by doing a particular thing are often the exact opposite of their claim. We can only react to what information we have, and if that information is false we react falsely.

As a general rule I personally find that anyone using the phrase “wake up sheeple” is trying to sell you something, and it may actually be worse than what you already have.
 
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Izan

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Not a fan of that word myself. The problem is that the word “sheeple” implies that there are “non-sheeple” and that by doing a particular thing you can avoid being one. There are no non-sheeple, and the various extollations of avoiding sheeplehood by doing a particular thing are often the exact opposite of their claim. We can only react to what information we have, and if that information is false we react falsely.
The wolf would disagree.
There are predators and there is prey.
Sheep are not predators but they can devastate an Eco-system if they are not controlled. The Sheep are far from just "harmless" followers.
The circle of life needs a balance.




Cheers
I
 

NGAHaze

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Not a fan of that word myself. The problem is that the word “sheeple” implies that there are “non-sheeple” and that by doing a particular thing you can avoid being one. There are no non-sheeple, and the various extollations of avoiding sheeplehood by doing a particular thing are often the exact opposite of their claim. We can only react to what information we have, and if that information is false we react falsely.

Do you prefer them being compared to lemmings then, lol? Sure, you can nitpick a word choice if you want to but I think the intent he/she was trying to make was pretty clear ... people follow trends, often without much consideration on their part. The trend right now is to eliminate vaping. In this particular case, the potential harm doing so may result in, makes it truly disheartening. I think this situation will continue to yield exactly what was observed, some vapers will go back to smoking and others who were considering vaping will abandon the idea completely, mainly because they don't understand fully and aren't motivated enough to wade through the disinformation.

It's just a sad situation all around but people will be sheeple, err, umm I mean people, lol.
 

bombastinator

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The wolf would disagree.
There are predators and there is prey.
Sheep are not predators but they can devastate an Eco-system if they are not controlled. The Sheep are far from just "harmless" followers.
The circle of life needs a balance.




Cheers
I
This is why analogies suck.
They can usually only encompass a single aspect of a concept. Pull them too far and you just get garbage. Are there predatory people? Yes. Do they attempt to use the behaviors of other humans against themselves for their own gain? Yes. It’s a reason why I don’t like the term. The use of it implies a sort of “other superior level of understanding” where the human in question becomes somehow more resistant to manipulation. It’s just not the case. It is often in itself an act of that same manipulation.

Not sure if that was the point you are trying to make or not.
 

Letitia

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I really wish our message was that we'd go to the gray/black market rather than return to smoking. I kinda don't buy it for serious vapers (like the ones that are here), in that I don't see people returning to smoking (full time) when it'll be rather well known that an underground market exists. I get that people will want nicotine and that cigarettes will be perhaps more convenient, but I truly think vapers who don't dual use currently, will despise the flavor of smoking.

Plus the fact that an emerging black market ought to (and likely does) scare them way more than people returning to smoking. My cynical side thinks they would be pleased as punch to know vapers are returning to smoking to help fund health stuff.
More often than not people will take the path that offers the least resistance. People who rely on shops for supplies and know no other vapers I think will be more inclined to return to smoking. Those people makeup about 80% of all vapers, we and those like us are a very small minority of the vaping population.
 
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bombastinator

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More often than not people will take the path that offers the least resistance. People who rely on shops for supplies and know no other vapers I think will be more inclined to return to smoking. Those people makeup about 80% of all vapers, we and those like us are a very small majority of the vaping population.
I think you mean minority.
 

Izan

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This is why analogies suck.
They can usually only encompass a single aspect of a concept. Pull them too far and you just get garbage. Are there predatory people? Yes. Do they attempt to use the behaviors of other humans against themselves for their own gain? Yes. It’s a reason why I don’t like the term. The use of it implies a sort of “other superior level of understanding” where the human in question becomes somehow more resistant to manipulation. It’s just not the case. It is often in itself an act of that same manipulation.

Not sure if that was the point you are trying to make or not.
Our brains have two sides, the scared emotional prey side and the focused logical predator side.
We are at all times, both.

Cheers
I
 

bombastinator

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Jman8

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More often than not people will take the path that offers the least resistance. People who rely on shops for supplies and know no other vapers I think will be more inclined to return to smoking. Those people makeup about 80% of all vapers, we and those like us are a very small minority of the vaping population.

I thought I covered that when I said serious vapers.

I dual use. Just had a smoke yesterday. It was nice. It was also my first one in at least 2 weeks. Anyway, I can tolerate the flavor of a smoke. I strongly prefer vaping, but like having a smoke once in awhile. If a vaper is not dual using, then I think they will be highly resistant to smoking. The path of least resistance would then be to go to the black market that will be very well known should that ever arise.

Even if somehow many do return to smoking, the reality will be that if they ever learn about the (well known) black market, they'll have ripe opportunity yet again to reduce/quit smoking whenever they desire.
 
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Letitia

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I thought I covered that when I said serious vapers.

I dual use. Just had a smoke yesterday. It was nice. It was also my first one in at least 2 weeks. Anyway, I can tolerate the flavor of a smoke. I strongly prefer vaping, but like having a smoke once in awhile. If a vaper is not dual using, then I think they will be highly resistant to smoking. The path of least resistance would then be to go to the black market that will be very well known should that ever arise.

Even if somehow many do return to smoking, the reality will be that if they ever learn about the (well known) black market, they'll have ripe opportunity yet again to reduce/quit smoking whenever they desire.
Most wouldn't even know how to go about even finding someone who has black market connections. I filled in at a local shop for a few weeks and can say 70% of the customers wouldn't even bother to look for black market items. We here tend to forget not all vapers love vaping and for most it's just a tool.
 

bombastinator

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Most wouldn't even know how to go about even finding someone who has black market connections. I filled in at a local shop for a few weeks and can say 70% of the customers wouldn't even bother to look for black market items. We here tend to forget not all vapers love vaping and for most it's just a tool.
Plus there’s the whole bottle of goo from someone’s pocket issue. It’s not just a black market connection issue. It’s a safety issue.
 

Jman8

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Most wouldn't even know how to go about even finding someone who has black market connections. I filled in at a local shop for a few weeks and can say 70% of the customers wouldn't even bother to look for black market items. We here tend to forget not all vapers love vaping and for most it's just a tool.

Again, I was referring to serious vapers mainly. For those who can't find what will be the well known black market, I have the world's smallest violin ready to play a tune for them.
 

bombastinator

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Again, I was referring to serious vapers mainly. For those who can't find what will be the well known black market, I have the world's smallest violin ready to play a tune for them.
To play at their funeral if they do find it and wind up buying a bottle of cooking oil for $400, vaping it anyway and dying? You’re missing the point. Black market means no verification or safeties. Drug dealers are drug dealers. The whole point of vaping is increased safety. My personal suspicion is what is going to happen is people are going to start making NETs out of pipe tobacco. Still safer than a black market item. Not legally, but medically.
 
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