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Poll: What do you think of smoking? (71 member(s) have cast votes)

What do you think of smoking?

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#91 dognapot

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Posted 18 August 2004 - 04:43 AM

the hell is "man health"? i can't remember what country's structure of language translates into that garbage.

if you click on the link that i provided, you'd see the conclusions of a real study as aversed to an online pamphlet translated from euroslavia. second hand smoke can't kill you unless you smoke backwards. if you do actually smoke with the lit end in your mouth then chances are you need an adult.

Lmao, do a search on google, the study you have was from 1998, you dumbass. You know back in 1970 they still didnt see any harm in inhaling grey smoke.
You do know kids start smoking because of talk like that...i really couldnt care less if you liek to smoke yerself in the grave. But please dont be a selfish bish and say what you say to make it look right for yerself cause you're taking innocent children with you...

C'mon you haven't shown anything but you're own ignorance, say what you like i couldn't give a f every sensible person knows im right.

/t Lich you have 2 kids, say all you want about how it doesnt matter, just close you're eyes and your fine.


anyone with brain knows that inhaling smoke isn't good for you. however, people forget that without excess, it isn't well linked with being bad for you. campfires have more toxic smoke than ciggarettes yet everyone considers a bonfire to be great fun. go figure. i linked that study because it seemed to take into consideration, factors that are often skipped over in other studies. also, i linked it because it was a study, as aversed to an uncited paragraph in a pamphlet/webpage/article/blog. while it may be five years old, it was well done in the first place. you need to take more into consideration with studies then when it was published. there is bias abounds in this area of research and you got to ask questions sometimes.

now in addition to studies being bias or woefully inadequate, they tend to jump to logically unsound conclusions without skipping a beat. it boils down to correlation and causality. the two are different. i will give two examples. one you will recognize, and one you will laugh at.

1. a remarkable amount of persons growing up in homes where one or more parents smoke go on to develop cancers that are characteristic to that of smoker's. therefore, enviromental smoke the causal factor in these cancers.

2. a remarkable amount of pedophiles grew up drinking fruit drinks high in dyes and sugar. therefore, high sugar and dye fruit juices are the causal factor for pedophilia.

correlation is not causality.

then there are also the abundance of factors that studies routinely forsake even before jumping to conclusions. such as what kind of smoke are they being subjected to, where are they being subjected to it, how long on average per day, for how many years, if it's ceased then for how long, occupational hazards, other enviromental smoke a person is subjected to.

moving on there are also problems to be found in sample size. the questions listed above all represent different outcomes with a different relevance to the study. it's not just "cancer" and "not cancer". in a relatively small study the conclusions can be completely worthless if all the relevant factors aren't weighed porportionally. if 300 out of 600 nonsmokers were surveyed in a refinery town that burned toxic chemicals each night (i've lived in one of these), the study would be completely worthless without identifying and isolating cases that could be attributed to other types of smoke or inhaled toxins. just as it would be worthless to have a study of 12 friends whose parents smoke. the sample would be too small to be any use at all.

then there's survey errors. people do lie. i bet you've lied on a survey also. i have. it's fun. some people don't lie, but just can't remember correctly for retrospective questions. "how many hours were you around smoke last week?" that can be quantified into a monthly or yearly average where a one or two hour error could dramatically skew a survey either way. then consider the size of the survey and it could be absolute crap when you consider the margin of error if everyone couldn't get it close enough.

winding up here, i'll link a study that was well done, and simple. the meat of the matter is this "There is a publication delay for passive smoking studies with nonsignificant results compared with those with significant results". which means that studies that don't come to sensational conclusions are tougher to get published. well duh, but it does go a long way to explain why so many people accept those conclusions without question. it's been engraved on your forehead. while the study was smaller than i would like it does give credibility to what has been always obvious in publishing.

now lastly, does it even make sense? does it make sense that someone who inhales a fraction of a ciggarette 5 days a week to get cancer as result of it? not really. risk should increase with exposure. compare ETS studies to smoker's studies. compare passive smoker studies to ETS studies. some times there are some seriously screwed up results. if a people who inhales 1/5 of a ciggarette through ETS develop emphysema at the same age as heavy smokers, ask yourself: does that make sense? there's probably something wrong with the study, and it's probably covered in one of the paragraphs above.

and for the record. if kids start smoking because someone tells them inhaling the smoke from burning embers isn't bad for you... well then they're retarded and once again "need an adult". smoking is bad for you. no arguement. second hand smoke won't kill you. you can hang out with people who smoke. it's ok. unless you hang out with them in an unventilated box for several hours a day over the course of several decades, chances are you'll be fine. however, if you do... i'd put money on the both of you suffocating rather quickly. in the end, i think second hand smoke is a common sense issue. it could be harmfull in extreme situations, but most people aren't going to be in that kind of situation, and are probably smart enough to avoid them.

Edited by dognapot, 18 August 2004 - 04:44 AM.

wouldn't it be funny if rich had registered this name first, and you were bickering with him?

#92 Mercutio

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Posted 18 August 2004 - 05:49 AM

Didn't read all the posts, don't need to and it's late.

First off, I read the word "risk" a few times.. it's not a risk. It's a certainty. You smoke, you lose years. Not hours, not days. Y-e-a-r-s.

Secondly, don't try to make smoking out to be a 'good' or 'victimless' thing. Just because you may or may not be addicted is no reason to make others accept your decision.

Since I haven't had the experience of addiction, I can't comment on how hard it is to quit. But it is extremely easy to go to the store, see a pack of cigs and not pick it up.

I won't say smokers are stupid, even though I want to, because I know some very intelligent people who smoke.. they just can't seem to bring logic to that area of their lives...

I hate the idea of smoking. I have no respect for those who claim addiction as a reason to continue. But that's just my 2.5 cents. Won't matter, but there it is.
You call it nagging. I call it constructive criticism.

#93 newb

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Posted 18 August 2004 - 08:49 AM

1. Didn't read all the posts, don't need to and it's late.

2. I won't say smokers are stupid, even though I want to, because I know some very intelligent people who smoke.. they just can't seem to bring logic to that area of their lives...

1. Yes, you do need to. This isn't a chat room, it's a discussion board. In order to participate in a discussion, you need to know what's going on. What do you need to do to know what's going on in the thread? Read it.

2. Smokers themselves are (usually) not stupid. However, their choice to begin smoking wasn't a very good one.

Edited by newb, 18 August 2004 - 08:51 AM.

Westcoast


#94 Mercutio

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Posted 19 August 2004 - 01:44 AM

1. I don't need to know what everyone else thinks to make my own informed opinions. My mom smokes, my dad smokes, and my little brother (age 12) smokes. Aside from the other dozens of smoking relatives. I realize this is a forum, but I have no need to read what you have to say to say what I already know to be true.

In short, what others say will not change my view of smoking, so I do not need to read all of the posts.

Again, just my view, don't like it.. skim over it.

2. People in general (usually) (including myself) are stupid. I'd bother to ask why someone would ever want to smoke, but I've heard enough bs excuses to do stupid things in my life.
You call it nagging. I call it constructive criticism.

#95 two

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Posted 19 August 2004 - 07:35 AM

people in general are not stupid, they are average. otherwise they would not be part of the general populus that you speak of. i don't see how the majority of peope would be less than the stand they set, but ok.

just my view, read half of it, skim it, plunge into it, knock yourself out. in short, what others say will not change my view of how smart I am... and i'm a mooseing genious.

i won't bs ya, i smoke to relieve tension and to get a little high.

and if what others say will not change your view on smoking, why would you bother to ask someone why they would smoke?

well, you convinced me of something, you do come off rather stupid.

#96 Epic

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Posted 19 August 2004 - 02:04 PM

Today im going for a no smoking day, i've been smoking alot more then i used to(a pack would last about a week or so, now i go through a pack in 3 days or so, 5-7 more cigs a day)now that im working...i've been asked to try not to smoke today so thats what im gonna do..TRY..so we'll see how it goes, work..no smoke.... :P

Edited by Epic, 19 August 2004 - 02:06 PM.


#97 Mercutio

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Posted 20 August 2004 - 02:43 AM

people in general are not stupid, they are average. otherwise they would not be part of the general populus that you speak of. i don't see how the majority of peope would be less than the stand they set, but ok.

just my view, read half of it, skim it, plunge into it, knock yourself out. in short, what others say will not change my view of how smart I am... and i'm a mooseing genious.

i won't bs ya, i smoke to relieve tension and to get a little high.

and if what others say will not change your view on smoking, why would you bother to ask someone why they would smoke?

well, you convinced me of something, you do come off rather stupid.

Being as stupid is highly subjective, it's pointless to argue on the intelligence level of any group of people. I can only say that people who don't bother to spell genius correctly when referring to themselves need some time to reflect.

Your excuses are bs. It won't matter how much tension you've relieved or how high you are when you're dead. So light up your cancer sticks and watch the clock, because the only permenant change you're making is speeding it up.

Surely you can find something better to do than try to rationalize suicide.

People will defend anything these days...
You call it nagging. I call it constructive criticism.

#98 dognapot

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Posted 20 August 2004 - 07:25 AM

people in general are not stupid, they are average.  otherwise they would not be part of the general populus that you speak of.  i don't see how the majority of peope would be less than the stand they set, but ok.

just my view, read half of it, skim it, plunge into it, knock yourself out.  in short, what others say will not change my view of how smart I am... and i'm a mooseing genious.

i won't bs ya, i smoke to relieve tension and to get a little high.

and if what others say will not change your view on smoking, why would you bother to ask someone why they would smoke?

well, you convinced me of something, you do come off rather stupid.

Being as stupid is highly subjective, it's pointless to argue on the intelligence level of any group of people. I can only say that people who don't bother to spell genius correctly when referring to themselves need some time to reflect.

Your excuses are bs. It won't matter how much tension you've relieved or how high you are when you're dead. So light up your cancer sticks and watch the clock, because the only permenant change you're making is speeding it up.

Surely you can find something better to do than try to rationalize suicide.

People will defend anything these days...

it's hard to understand what smoking is from the point of view of being outside the experience of smoking and being addicted to smoking. i wouldn't suggest that anyone try and gain insight into the mind of the smoker. however, that's the only way to get there and until you are there it'd be decent of ya to refrain from throwing the know-it-all high-falootin' stink of false superiority all around.

it's good that you don't, and it's good that you're of the kind of mind to not be tempted to smoke. it's not something anyone who hasn't smoked should want to do, because there isn't a way to go back completely. people smoke for lots of reasons, the most prevalent being the enjoyment they get out of it, and thier unwillingness to quit. you can't simply say that it's stupid because it doesn't justify the affects to your health, and expect it to change the world. it's been known for ages that inhaling smoke isn't good for you, and in the last couple decades it's become the mantra that's been parrotted by every pack of cigarettes, every store that sells them, every level of public and private education, national ad campaigns, and activist groups. how well is it working? is everyone just not as smart as you? maybe, just maybe, health isn't an important issue to the healthy, maybe addiction isn't a fathomable concept to everyone who has never experienced it. your ego tells you that you can quit later, before it becomes a great risk. which makes perfect sense to someone who doesn't smoke yet. why would they be concerned about addiction? look on the pack "may cause cancer, complications in pregnancy, emphysema..." certainly doesn't say "will make you want to keep smoking for the rest of your life".

it's good that you know smoking is not something you want. i don't think anyone would condemn you for saying that, but your arrogance is not needed. if you don't want to read the posts, i don't care, but don't go on believing you have some sort of higher understanding of the issue. the mental aspects of smoking and addiction are alien to you, and you'd be well off to keep it that way.
wouldn't it be funny if rich had registered this name first, and you were bickering with him?

#99 Mercutio

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Posted 20 August 2004 - 04:44 PM

I'm assuming by 'false superiority' you didn't take the time to read where I openly referred to myself as stupid.

And having worked in a cigarette warehouse, I know for a fact that some packs indeed say that 'cigarette smoking is highly addictive', and that seems clear enough to me.

I understand that smoking is everyone's choice and that most already have their minds set, but those who smoke don't need to hype it up or make it out to be this grand thing that has no bad side effects. As you said, if people wanna smoke, they'll smoke. If people wanna skydive without parachutes, they'll do that too. Don't try to make it out to be a sensible choice.

And the mental aspects of smoking and addiction are far from alien, I can simply look around at my family and see all the stages of addiction. I don't need to be addicted to understand the power of it, just like I don't need to be shot to know that it hurts. The basis of learning and understanding is observation.

I've had addictions, I know how they take hold of everything. Addictions are only as strong as you are weak. If this offends anyone, good.

Edited by Mercutio, 20 August 2004 - 04:45 PM.

You call it nagging. I call it constructive criticism.

#100 dognapot

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Posted 20 August 2004 - 06:16 PM

i'm just trying to give you some insight into smoking. i know you seem to be surrounded by it, but you're observations, however numerous or haughty, on smoking leave much to be desired. i've tried to explain the process that you've scientifically explained as 'stupidity'. as modest you might be with calling yourself stupid, your opinion of smokers sets an easily inferred hierarchy.

my last post (summarized and dimmed down) was this: you can't call smoking 'bs' and expect anything to happen. that's all, not making it out to be grand and harmless. it's great that you know smoking isn't for you, but you're not proving anything here. people enjoy smoking, they throw caution to the wind sometimes and start the habit. it's not complex, and it's not highly illogical, but it is often done without a full understanding of what may come. now i know you have your own opinions here, and they're not changing, but if you want to assert them so heavily, please try and be fair. your opinion is not fact, what is enough for you isn't for everyone else. that doesn't make them stupid, and that should be obvious, really.
wouldn't it be funny if rich had registered this name first, and you were bickering with him?

#101 two

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Posted 20 August 2004 - 07:34 PM

I can only say that people who don't bother to spell genius correctly when referring to themselves need some time to reflect.



i thought i spent enough time reflecting on caustic wit, but i guess not everyone got the pun intended.

and you're right, arguing the issue of the intelligence of a group of people is doomed to subjectivity principle...except when you're arguing about the population from which you pulled your standards to measure. it'd be different to measure something tangible, but when you're measuring something against itself (in this instance intelligence) and do so with an asymetrical sliding scale, the process is pretty much self defeating. now that i got completely off topic, i digress.

but you seem like a pretty logical guy. it seems that you weigh the costs/benefits to scenarios pretty rationally. you thought me relieving stress was pointless if it were to shorten my life (that's how i read it).
but i, as others, see it differently. i am willing to forfit about a year of my life so those remainder years will be stress reduced. what is the point of prolonging a life that could have been more enjoyable? i just don't see that justification.

but i do agree with your views on mild addictions: they are only as strong as the person. but then there are cases like alcoholism and heroin addiction where the withdrawal periods were so neurologically devestating, it's questionable to determine how much personal will takes into account. especially when a person's character is subjective.

and yes, you can understand through observation, but you can only attain full comprehension through experience. sure you know it will hurt if you get shot. now describe what it feels like. observing previous gun shot victims you would just be reporting other people's accounts. but the matter of the fact is that your experience could be as similar or widely different compared to those persons, and you will never comprehend what it feels like to get shot until it happens.

#102 Cody

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Posted 25 August 2004 - 07:09 AM

Keep It Up! (NOTE: Social smoking doesn't count) :P
- you will get fat if you stop smoking
- smoking makes you look big and clever
- smoking supports the NHS
- you've got to die of something
- The tobacco industry reports that it provides jobs for 57,000 Americans. This does not include physicians, X-ray technicians, nurses, hospital employees, firefighters, dry cleaners, respiratory specialists, pharmacists, morticians, and gravediggers

#103 Mercutio

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Posted 26 August 2004 - 05:23 AM

How... witty...

Anyway..

/t two Thank you, I now have that little extra piece of knowledge I was looking for.
You call it nagging. I call it constructive criticism.

#104 Thunderja

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Posted 26 August 2004 - 07:22 AM

Cig's are fine in some cases, for example if a chick is willing to put one of those dirty things in her mouth she will have no problem putting other dirty things in there.
I wouldn't mind stabbing you in the face, if that's cool with you?

#105 Thrice

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Posted 27 August 2004 - 04:25 AM

Di is an attention seeker for #1..

Apart from that i've smoked normal cigs a fair amount of times. THey bore me. Pointless. So i don't do those.

But pot. on the other hand actually does something for me so..yeah :P

#106 Epic

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Posted 27 August 2004 - 04:34 AM

My throat hurts today : o \

Edited by Epic, 27 August 2004 - 04:34 AM.


#107 Vodka

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Posted 27 August 2004 - 05:49 AM

My throat hurts nearly everyday.. :/

The only time when it gets anywhere close to being severe.. is in the winter time.

I think I'm dying though with my massive chest pains. WoOo.
When you do something right nobody remembers, but when you do something wrong nobody forgets.

Hump in game.

#108 joanna

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Posted 27 August 2004 - 09:47 AM

Someone needs to tell all those little girls that chewing gum does NOT get rid of cigarette breath

#109 Darklin

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Posted 29 August 2004 - 04:37 AM

Says who?

01010100 01100001 01101100 01101011 01001110 01100101 01110010 01100100 01111001 01010100 01101111 01001101 01100101

#110 Karri

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Posted 29 August 2004 - 05:04 AM

When I was really little, I'd sit right beside my mom while she beaded and smoked, and the smoke would go into my face and I'd choke. . . she said if I didn't like it, move away. . . I don't smoke and don't ever intend to; however, now I love second hand smoke. Since my entire familly smokes, I love going home to be in the familiar haze that I grew up in.

As the years went by and more and more of my friends took up smoking, it saddened me not because they were doing something abhorrent but because they were the same people who stood up and made speaches at CAPP assemblies (Career and Personal Planning. . .one of the stupidest ideas our wonderful government has ever had. . .and it's still going) preaching against smoking.

AND if I ever catch my brothers smoking, I don't care how big they get, I'll pummel them (yes, that means you too Dustin).

. . .and that was my disjointed post on smoking. . .




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