Think carefully, Forest, you're on thin ice
Tuesday, March 11, 2014 at 16:41 There was a bizarre exchange on Twitter last night.
I wouldn't normally draw attention to it but it followed a comment I gave to the Scotsman for a report about e-cigarettes (see previous post) which I then promoted via Twitter.
Dick Puddlecote, generous person that he is, retweeted my tweet then tweeted:
Re last tweet, yet again @s_clark14 defending #ecigs as matter of principle - deserves a huge pat on the back and supportive RT
Well, after my recent travels I was tired and had an early night so I had no idea how incendiary our tweets were going to be.
This morning, on the train to London, I caught up. It wasn't pretty.
One vaper had tweeted:
Forest are a spectacular failure - join ecigs on Bandwagons R Us!!!
As I mentioned last week, my first post about e-cigarettes was in January 2010 and I have written or been interviewed about them many times since so we can hardly be accused of jumping on the e-cig bandwagon. And we've always tried to be supportive.
Another tweeted:
Simon is a brilliant advocate, but sometimes overplays vapers being anti-smoker.
Both statements are of course true!
What rankles however is not "vapers being anti-smoker" (although some are), it's the fact that very few speak out on issues such as plain packaging or smoking in cars.
We know this because we monitor Twitter and other social media and we know exactly what vapers are commenting on.
The same person then tweeted:
Playing the false 'victim' of vaper attitude just won't wash
Eh?!
Another vaper complained that I had failed to retract or apologise for something I had written in a post entitled The E-Cig Summit – another view in November.
One or two were clearly spoiling for a fight.
If Simon has a dig at vapers it could backfire on him bigtime! Like poking a wasps nest.
Latest blog defends e-cigs but digs at vapers. Thin ice.
Then:
If @s_clark14 wants to create the idea of a false conflict of vapers on to smokers then he might just get a real one. #thinkcarefully
Could backfire? Thin ice? Think carefully?
This, ladies and gentlemen, is what you get when you speak to a journalist in defence of e-cigarettes and then mention, in the mildest possible way, that it would be nice if vapers demonstrated the same level of support for smokers.
Meanwhile I formally declare that Forest is the voice and friend of the vaper, on both sides of the Irish Sea.
This morning Irish Rail announced that e-cigarettes are to be banned on all its trains and stations.
John Mallon, our man in Ireland, was immediately invited to take part in a discussion on Cork96FM and as I write he is on the Niall Boylan Show on Classic 4FM in Dublin.
Sorry if this offends vapers who believe that Forest has no business defending e-cigarettes ("The problem is this associates vaping with smoking in the public mind," wrote one) but I look at it this way.
A lot of our supporters use e-cigarettes either to reduce their consumption of tobacco or as an alternative to smoking in places where it is banned.
When we talk to the media about e-cigs we are representing them not the evangelical, born again vapers who appear desperate to denounce the habit they once embraced.
Forest will continue to support vaping (and vapers). But we will also speak out when we feel smokers are not getting the support they deserve.
In the meantime I urge vapers to show their support for Forest by following us on Twitter, joining the Friends of Forest Facebook group, or registering your contact details online.
H/T Dick Puddlecote for defending Forest while I was asleep! That's the kind of support you can't buy. Priceless and much appreciated.
Reader Comments (8)
The trouble with Twitter is that a noisy minority can be very vocal while a silent majority go unnoticed.
Most vapers will by sympathetic to the plight of the smoker and be able to see the TC template being applied to them.
Some won't though, and we shouldn't expect them to be. After all, there are many smokers who believe in TC and think they are addicted and need help. If you can't rely on support from all smokers, you can't from vapers either.
Best to continue the fight as you feel is proper, expect some differing views from unexpected places and not put too much stock in Twitter.
Bravo, Simon. You are true to your roots and commitments, even though you aren't personally a smoker.
I have a few issues with a certain section of the vaping community, despite being a user of and supporter of e-cigs. And the issues I do have are illustrated in those tweets you've highlighted. I've commented on this several times on DP's blog, so I won't repeat myself here. Suffice to say that if vapers want my support, which I'm willing to give, they need to adopt a more realistic and pragmatic approach to all the issues which surround the pogrom on smoking, and which will soon (however superior they think they are) be aimed at vaping. Because in the final analysis, whether they like it or not, we're all in this together. Factionalism isn't going to help anyone.
I suppose all this illustrates the sad and divided society that the anti-whatever activists and the medical megalomaniacs have striven so hard to create. I don't smoke of vape but it is quite obvious to me that the healthists cannot be appeased so it makes sense for all who oppose their authoritarianism to unite.
The healthists are few in number and the medical establishment they rely on for support is far from invulnerable. Personally I think that from an ethical perspective, faced with choosing the lesser of two evils, I would prefer to be associated with banking than medicine. Bankers at least spare us the hypocrisy of pretending that their motives are pure and altruistic.
Instead of arguing the relative merits of one form or another of nicotine use, we should be collectively challenging the credibility of those who seek to medicalise legal recreational drugs in order to advance their own agendas and /or increase their power bases. Some of them, like the bankers are only in it for the money of course.
Not complaining about Forest defending ecigs but really annoyed that the media seem to think theirs no one else to represent us. Why ask a smoking advocate what he thinks of ecigs being banned? Why not ask vapers themselves? Because that wouldn't serve the anti smoking agenda to confuse vaping and smoking.
The propaganda is insidious. John did a good job by the way. Thank God someone did.
I have a lot of time for what Forest stands for and for the way they continue to support those of us who switch to E digs. That said I have recently become aware of a number of comments accusing vapers of being holier than thou. I can honestly state I have never met a vaper that is also an anti smoker. All those I know were lon g term smokers who have switched for health, economic or family reasons. We vapers know exactly how it feels to be demonized as until recently we were effectively you.
If we are not currently fighting on behalf of smokers rights it is probably because we have our own battle going on at the moment. One which may effect millions of smokers who may want a decent and satisfying alternative to combustible tobacco sometime in the future.
Like the comment above, I fail to understand why forest are being asked to cooment on vaping subjects when we have our own consumer association ECCA which can more properly answer questions and discuss scientific research which effects us.
My knowledge of smoking is from 35 years experience so I can talk about smoking and it's enjoyable aspects to some extent. I would not be willing to speak on behalf of smokers now because I am no longer up to date on all aspects of smoking related research and policy. 2 years ago if someone had asked me about vaping my knowledge would have been academic at best. Could forest not point to ECCA if they are asked to comment on a subject they cannot fairly be expected to know everything about?
We can support each other without stepping on each others toes surely.
Tom - As Simon said before, those that represent you do so at the expense of bashing smokers. The media will wake up one day that supporting vapers will lead to yet more attacks on smokers and seek them out wherever and whenever they can find them. The vapers' day to enjoy abusing smokers on air will come.
Simon speaks for tobacco consumers who sometimes use ecigs and thank goodness. Yes, bravo Simon and thanks. and thanks to to DP for still supporting us too.
This isn't about being on "the wining side" as vapers and tobacco controllers keep banging on about. It's about doing what's right and standing up to the bullies and thugs in both movements.
"We know this because we monitor Twitter and other social media and we know exactly what vapers are commenting on."
Utterr rubbish of course - all that's known is what Twitter users are commenting on, and they are an unrepresentative sample of the population.
We're all in the same boat. Unfortunately, not everyone realizes that....yet.