I had a bad experience today. Not really "bad" bad, but something that bothered me a bit.
Since I started vaping I generally feel better. Physically, emotionally, mentally etc. I'm also somewhat pleased that I no longer smell like a 3 day old ashtray. But before I get to the point, allow me to give you a little back story so that you understand the place from which this comes:
Last week I was out and about and found myself somewhere in Germiston. I could smell the tobacco as soon as I walked into the building, but hoped that it was perhaps coming from outside. I should have known however that I was going to be wrong. It wasn't that freshly lit cigarette smell. It was the kind that had had time to soak into everything. The curtains, carpets, chairs and probably even the wood.
As I ascended the stairs the smell became more pronounced, until I was saturated in it. Every single office was occupied by a smoker. The windows were closed, the heaters were on and all of a sudden I couldn't breath. It was a cloying, thick and muggy stench that even after I left the building, I could smell clinging to my clothing.
Not only this however, but the smell of being in that space made me feel physically ill.
Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against smokers. I was part of the crowd for close on 2 decades. But given the choices that I've recently made in my life with regards to my future as a smoker, I don't really wan't to be around it anymore. Perhaps this is how all non smokers felt about me when I walked into a room or got into a car with them. I'm rather sure it was. I have no issue with stepping outside to have a vape either. Even if it's in the smoking section. The natural movement of air means that I'm somewhat removed from the full impact of what is going on.
So imagine my shock when I was told today that I had to go into the "smoking room" to vape on Nthabiseng?(For those of you who don't know, Nthabiseng is my stunning Reo Woodvil.)That vaping was considered to be smoking and as such I was to be segregated and quarantined, despite my protestations that vaping is not smoking.
There were two things that bothered me about this suggestion. The first ties back to my experience in the dingy Germiston office as mentioned above. The second was my concern about the health implications of being in an enclosed space, in a veritable miasma of second hand smoke. (For the record, I never smoked inside my home or in any enclosed space if it could be avoided. It was unpleasant for me even as a smoker)
It was at this point that the penny really dropped for me in terms of how strongly non smokers must feel about second hand smoke. Why we have the laws that we do to protect them, and how oblivious most smokers are to this fact. I know that I was completely unconcerned during my smoking days for the wellbeing of others. It's funny how people in general and myself included only become concerned when things impact us directly. Prior to today's experience I had given little thought to the plight of vapers save that we might end up having to stand outside in the cold during winter to have a toot. All of a sudden, it became apparent to me that the issue goes far deeper.
We vapers have made a conscious decision to start a new chapter in our lives. One without cigarettes and all of the health implications that are attached to them. And truth be told, based on recent articles I have read; many of them by way of @Alex (thanks for all your hard work!) even medical professionals are now advocating the use of e-cigarettes as a significantly healthier alternative to smoking. Regardless of the propaganda that Big Tobacco continues to throw into the media, the truth is that these devices that many people still shy away from do in fact work! They get people off cigarettes, give them back a chance at a life without all of the ill effects of cigarettes and have created a strong community of like minded, passionate people who want to spread the word and help others achieve the same success that they have in putting cigarettes down.
A new age is dawning, and it is one in which cigarettes are beginning the slow but inevitable slide towards extinction (ex-stink-tion! HAHAHAHAHA!). But where do we vapers stand? I'm quite sure that we know exactly where we stand. We are no longer smokers and do NOT want to be treated as such. Society at large however does not seem to share this view. We currently reside in societal purgatory.
"Not smokers really... I don't know? Are they? It looks like smoke. It contains nicotine. Must be bad for you! But they don't really smell like smokers... And that smokey stuff that they expel from their nostrils like a great angry dragon doesn't irritate my sinuses... But it looks like smoke. And there was that article in Huis Genoot that slammed E-cigs, and Huis Genoot doesn't lie!"
All of the stigma currently attached to vaping is based on (IMHO) two things. The first is ignorance and I don't think that I really need to elaborate on the dangers of ignorance to anyone who has read this far. The second is the use and abuse of ignorance to circulate propaganda that is damaging to vapers. Why? Because all of a sudden Big Tobacco has a serious competitor. For the first time in history, a viable, healthy alternative to smoking is readily available. And guess what? The smokers are lapping it up! The revolution is coming, not in a slow plodding ascent, but with the speed and ferocity of a bullet train. So Big Tobacco is really scared. And so is Big Healthcare and Big Pharmaceutical. Imagine a world where smoking related deaths no longer existed? Then imagine the financial implications for the latter two players that I just mentioned. I could go on and on...
But let me wrap this up. As vapers, we need to be active about standing up for our rights and freedoms."NO! I will not be forced to stand in a smoking room where I have to inhale second hand smoke because people are too ignorant to differentiate." "NO! I will not stand idly by as an apathetic observer and watch as my rights are destroyed through political and capitalist agendas."
We need to be pro-active, not re-active. We have already seen what is happening in the USA and Europe regarding how vapers are treated. Let's not allow it to happen to us here, in this democratic South Africa where we have beaten all of odds at building a society where fair treatment of all is one of our core beliefs and principles.
Please take a look at the below thread. This; Community of South African Vapers™ is one of the closest groups I have ever been a part of. We all come from different walks of life, but our common passion has brought us together. Let's use it to make a difference. No-one else is going to do it for us.
http://www.ecigssa.co.za/threads/what-can-we-do-to-keep-on-vaping-in-rsa.4023/
The Struggle Continues...
Since I started vaping I generally feel better. Physically, emotionally, mentally etc. I'm also somewhat pleased that I no longer smell like a 3 day old ashtray. But before I get to the point, allow me to give you a little back story so that you understand the place from which this comes:
Last week I was out and about and found myself somewhere in Germiston. I could smell the tobacco as soon as I walked into the building, but hoped that it was perhaps coming from outside. I should have known however that I was going to be wrong. It wasn't that freshly lit cigarette smell. It was the kind that had had time to soak into everything. The curtains, carpets, chairs and probably even the wood.
As I ascended the stairs the smell became more pronounced, until I was saturated in it. Every single office was occupied by a smoker. The windows were closed, the heaters were on and all of a sudden I couldn't breath. It was a cloying, thick and muggy stench that even after I left the building, I could smell clinging to my clothing.
Not only this however, but the smell of being in that space made me feel physically ill.
Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against smokers. I was part of the crowd for close on 2 decades. But given the choices that I've recently made in my life with regards to my future as a smoker, I don't really wan't to be around it anymore. Perhaps this is how all non smokers felt about me when I walked into a room or got into a car with them. I'm rather sure it was. I have no issue with stepping outside to have a vape either. Even if it's in the smoking section. The natural movement of air means that I'm somewhat removed from the full impact of what is going on.
So imagine my shock when I was told today that I had to go into the "smoking room" to vape on Nthabiseng?(For those of you who don't know, Nthabiseng is my stunning Reo Woodvil.)That vaping was considered to be smoking and as such I was to be segregated and quarantined, despite my protestations that vaping is not smoking.
There were two things that bothered me about this suggestion. The first ties back to my experience in the dingy Germiston office as mentioned above. The second was my concern about the health implications of being in an enclosed space, in a veritable miasma of second hand smoke. (For the record, I never smoked inside my home or in any enclosed space if it could be avoided. It was unpleasant for me even as a smoker)
It was at this point that the penny really dropped for me in terms of how strongly non smokers must feel about second hand smoke. Why we have the laws that we do to protect them, and how oblivious most smokers are to this fact. I know that I was completely unconcerned during my smoking days for the wellbeing of others. It's funny how people in general and myself included only become concerned when things impact us directly. Prior to today's experience I had given little thought to the plight of vapers save that we might end up having to stand outside in the cold during winter to have a toot. All of a sudden, it became apparent to me that the issue goes far deeper.
We vapers have made a conscious decision to start a new chapter in our lives. One without cigarettes and all of the health implications that are attached to them. And truth be told, based on recent articles I have read; many of them by way of @Alex (thanks for all your hard work!) even medical professionals are now advocating the use of e-cigarettes as a significantly healthier alternative to smoking. Regardless of the propaganda that Big Tobacco continues to throw into the media, the truth is that these devices that many people still shy away from do in fact work! They get people off cigarettes, give them back a chance at a life without all of the ill effects of cigarettes and have created a strong community of like minded, passionate people who want to spread the word and help others achieve the same success that they have in putting cigarettes down.
A new age is dawning, and it is one in which cigarettes are beginning the slow but inevitable slide towards extinction (ex-stink-tion! HAHAHAHAHA!). But where do we vapers stand? I'm quite sure that we know exactly where we stand. We are no longer smokers and do NOT want to be treated as such. Society at large however does not seem to share this view. We currently reside in societal purgatory.
"Not smokers really... I don't know? Are they? It looks like smoke. It contains nicotine. Must be bad for you! But they don't really smell like smokers... And that smokey stuff that they expel from their nostrils like a great angry dragon doesn't irritate my sinuses... But it looks like smoke. And there was that article in Huis Genoot that slammed E-cigs, and Huis Genoot doesn't lie!"
All of the stigma currently attached to vaping is based on (IMHO) two things. The first is ignorance and I don't think that I really need to elaborate on the dangers of ignorance to anyone who has read this far. The second is the use and abuse of ignorance to circulate propaganda that is damaging to vapers. Why? Because all of a sudden Big Tobacco has a serious competitor. For the first time in history, a viable, healthy alternative to smoking is readily available. And guess what? The smokers are lapping it up! The revolution is coming, not in a slow plodding ascent, but with the speed and ferocity of a bullet train. So Big Tobacco is really scared. And so is Big Healthcare and Big Pharmaceutical. Imagine a world where smoking related deaths no longer existed? Then imagine the financial implications for the latter two players that I just mentioned. I could go on and on...
But let me wrap this up. As vapers, we need to be active about standing up for our rights and freedoms."NO! I will not be forced to stand in a smoking room where I have to inhale second hand smoke because people are too ignorant to differentiate." "NO! I will not stand idly by as an apathetic observer and watch as my rights are destroyed through political and capitalist agendas."
We need to be pro-active, not re-active. We have already seen what is happening in the USA and Europe regarding how vapers are treated. Let's not allow it to happen to us here, in this democratic South Africa where we have beaten all of odds at building a society where fair treatment of all is one of our core beliefs and principles.
Please take a look at the below thread. This; Community of South African Vapers™ is one of the closest groups I have ever been a part of. We all come from different walks of life, but our common passion has brought us together. Let's use it to make a difference. No-one else is going to do it for us.
http://www.ecigssa.co.za/threads/what-can-we-do-to-keep-on-vaping-in-rsa.4023/
The Struggle Continues...
