Some good points. Perception IS reality for 99% of the people. Throw in agendas and it is even worse.
I was teaching college when I got here and student writing was a blemish in my mind. Grant it, I have a lot of years of writing under my belt. On-line media takes its toll on all of us. I tried to give mini classes as often as I could, especially in one-on-one settings.
I joined CASAA, as is suggested, and a contribution goes each month from a credit card account. I think that is helpful for all to do. Much of what is currently done for the community in a political or health sense is done in a Pro Bono manner. But, just even travel costs, paper for flyers, or on-line websites needs that bit of money. CASAA does help in its focus.
An area of focus is just being an example of a responsible vaper. I just read about a battery/mod exploding in a 14 year old's face in a mall. Who was running that shop and who was tending to that customer? I don't know all of the particulars, but it definitely was not an example of vapers being responsible. Some put the blame on the customer, too. Well, I just don't think we should put the mantle of responsibility on an uninformed and inexperienced customer. Experienced vapers should accept that charge as often as possible.
Another area of focus can be the businesses joining in, and sharing, the costs of public awareness. Setting up information points such as booths at health fairs, even working together to find professional persons that could take the time to speak on the subject. My doctor, for one, supported my switch because anything is better than smoking. He doesn't know much about it, but he understand Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) practices. He has probably learned from my lab scores and my answering his questions about changes that I have noticed. There are some professionals involved, but more is usually better.
Individually, one thing we can do is to ascertain the e-mail address and writing requirements for writing an opinion piece in local newspapers. It really is hard to write about our smoking experience and how vaping has alleviated many of our health problems. And, with a submission to an OP/ED page, the newspaper will have size maximums. I found them to be between 250 and 450 words. That is pretty small for a written opinion.
Additionally, we can get the same e-mail addresses for our community leaders, state legislature, and federal legislators. I knew a Federal Legislator that categorized mail in to categories and at the end of the month, he checked to see which issues were brought to him the most and by what area of his District. Again, writing, calling, or visiting our representatives is worth while.
Changing people's perceptions is paramount. Our opponents do it to good effect. Write, visit, talk with decided talking points, they all help.
Hope helps!
