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A good point raised on the stupid.ca site
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| Jayx1 |
| quote: | I was back in Canada this past weekend in order to visit some people, and made an interesting observation. In all the rhetoric and anti-advertising, there is never any mention of snuff or chewing tobacco. Obviously, being a person with inquisitive nature, I sat down and pondered this observation, and realized how this is a perfect example (and potentially proof) that the movement is, in essence, a crusade.
As I pointed out, nowhere is there mention made of snuff or chewing tobacco, two killers in the family of tobacco products. An argument could be made that these two products are more hazardous than smoking to those that use them, but it really is irrelevant, as they are still tobacco products intended for human consumption, and are therefore, by their very nature, dangerous. But nowhere in Canada, amongst the slew of anti-smoker rhetoric could I find ANYTHING about snuff or chewing tobacco.
But what does this mean? Well, I would assert that this is more than it seems at first. To me, after hours of careful pondering, it means that the movement is not for the health and well-being of people, or even for the prevention of tobacco use. It means that someone seemingly arbitrarily picked smokers as a group that is easy to discriminate against, and decided they would take up a crusade against it. This crusade isn't even well thought out. It doesn't include all types of tobacco, just cigarettes, and leaves out other killers in our society. If the group of people who are so concerned with our health as a whole that they tax smokers, practically to death, for partaking in an enjoyable activity, actually cared for the health and well-being of those people, they would have long ago taken up a campaign against it. My proof? Read On.
Perhaps the best example of a government who can at least appear to care is the United Kingdom government. Why, you ask? They have BANNED tobacco products intended for oral and nasal consumption. Granted, their tax rates on cigarettes are ridiculous, but at least they have taken the measures to ban these products, and look as though they care about the health of their citizens.
This crusade isn't even about tobacco, its about society's disdain for smokers. A product that is perfectly legal, and from which the government recieves an astounding amout of tax money, is simply being trashed as being evil, manupulative, and essentially any other negative adjective you can think of, because some MP decided they would compile a bunch of stats against it. They say the industry is so evil, and don't even include all of the harmful products produced by the industry. But I will even go further in saying that this whole thing might not have anything to do with what we think its about. This might be some sort of sick psychological experiment into how far people will go in condemning one another based on their lifestyles.
It seems there is some sort of Freudian complex at work in the subconscious minds of those in power. They have discluded certain deadly products, related to cigarettes, perhaps intentionally, perhaps unintentionally. But all this rhetoric, all these stats, this site, everything, is just the government pretending to care, sending countless people on crusades in the process, in order to tax you smokers to death.
SO, in summary, this is not for the well-being of the citizens, it is merely a ploy for the tax revenue, and the government does not care about your health, smoker or non-smoker.
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| {b.s.e.} |
| i'll smoke to that. |
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| Marcus007 |
| quote: | Originally posted by {b.s.e.}
i'll smoke to that. |
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| Skipper |
Cigarettes are far more harmful to public health than chewing tobacco because a/ they are the most frequently used form of tobacco and b/ they affect the health of non smokers as well as smokers.
If you need to question why the government has waged a war on cigarettes and not on chewing tobacco, you need to give your head a shake. |
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| Kytracid |
The reason for targetting ciggerattes instead of all tobacco products is quite simple. Only with ciggerettes (and i guess cigars as well) do you endanger the lives of other people around you. Unless you are chewing tobacco and then spitting it down someone elses throat you are only risking your own health.
Not really a well thought out point - and as far as rhetoric. I think it's ironic that the guy is talking about rhetoric when most of the stuff he says is pure bull.
PS. On a selfish note, Day 18 of having quit for me -- and it feels great to be outside and not have to light up. Might as well start quitting, it doesn't seem smokers are going to win -- at least not in Canada. |
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| muzzybear |
| quote: | Originally posted by Kytracid
PS. On a selfish note, Day 18 of having quit for me -- and it feels great to be outside and not have to light up. Might as well start quitting, it doesn't seem smokers are going to win -- at least not in Canada. |
Congrats, Dude! Keep up the good work! When you're ready to quit it's easy. I quit July 8 in Calgary 3 years ago when I paid $10.10 for a pack. As of the past few months I've been having a smoke here and there (which I guess means I'm not really a quitter?). But I don't buy my own smokes, and can go for days without. I quit back in my early 20's and started again after 2 years, but wasn't able to keep it under control like I can now. My sister only wishes she could say the same thing. |
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| Crazy Serb |
| Cigarettes don't kill people... people kill people ;) |
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| Jayx1 |
Except that the main arguement for banning smoking in smoking rooms and patios is that they are trying to force people to quit for their own health and that it costs the health care system X amount of dollars.
The real reason is because our current whiney society is less tolerent of anyone's behaviour which doesn't suit their own lifestyle. |
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| Skipper |
| quote: | Originally posted by Jayx1
Except that the main arguement for banning smoking in smoking rooms and patios is that they are trying to force people to quit for their own health and that it costs the health care system X amount of dollars.
The real reason is because our current whiney society is less tolerent of anyone's behaviour which doesn't suit their own lifestyle. |
No, the main reason is to protect the workers in that industry. Just like smoking was banned in offices and other workplaces, bars and restaurants are workplaces as well.
It has been an extremely costly campaign for the Canadian government. Don't try to say that it was all because people were "whining." |
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| Jayx1 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Skipper
No, the main reason is to protect the workers in that industry. Just like smoking was banned in offices and other workplaces, bars and restaurants are workplaces as well.
It has been an extremely costly campaign for the Canadian government. Don't try to say that it was all because people were "whining." |
Teh funny thing is how they failed to ask employees how they felt. No one ever asked me. Oh and not allowing smoking on patios and in smoking rooms is supposed to protect employees? I thought that was the reason that you arent allowed to serve in those rooms. No no no, this new law is all about big brotherism. |
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| Form&Funktion |
| YAWN!!!!! Get over it already. The VAST majority of Canadians applaude the smoking measures...far from Big Brother...in fact it's democracy to a fault if anything. Do I really need to explain this? |
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| Cal |
This guy whines about how duplicitous the gov is, but what I want to know is whether the revenue the Canadian government gets from taxing that is BIGGER than the money it sinks into leathcare, treating, for free mind you, all those people with lung cancer and other diseases that tobacco causes, in Canada.
If it isn't, he should shut the up. |
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