Just how much more stupid are smokers than non-smokers

[RB TexLa]

Just took a quick glance at some of the anti-tobacco threads so just wanted find out where we rate.

[JeffR]

1. No mas! No mas!

[Psephos]

2. What, exactly, is the point of this "poll"?

To promote feelings of superiority?

Here's my question: how much more stupid are people who feel the need to lord something over others?

And no, I don't smoke.

Peace.

[Touchdown]

17. Nothing to promote.

They're already so far superior, their bumping their heads on the smoke barrier ceiling.;)

[Psephos]

30. lol n/t

[RB TexLa]

26. Just what I said, to see where we rate

Just wanted to find out how many of them tell their children "one day, I may not live to see it, but one day you will just be able to blow their heads off when you see them."

[ixion]

3. actually, smokers are smarter

that's a fact. ;-)

:smoke:

[diamondsndust]

6. so true... the proof is in the OP...

at least we can spell tobacco.

[RB TexLa]

7. Actually I am a smoker

as it says to see where "we" rate. LOL

[diamondsndust]

10. then why use that wording in the OP?

It defies logic.

[RB TexLa]

13. What wording?

[diamondsndust]

15. umm.. try reading your question

"How much more stupid are smokers than non-smokers"... it implies that smokers are naturally or inherently more stupid than non-smokers as a given, but you are just seeking to learn just how much more stupid we are.

I could see your point better had you asked "are smokers more stupid than non-smokers"?

[RB TexLa]

24. just trying to get votes

[hfojvt]

39. It is a question which is leading the witness

and there are no "good" answers for non-smokers. And example of which would be "RGBolen is a dingbat" which would win in a landslide IMO if it was available.

[RB TexLa]

42. Most polls on DU where people don't like the answers

they just put their own. If you will notice in this poll 14 or so people chose the first answer instead of doing that. That IS the one that is WINNING. At least we find out what some people really think.

[hfojvt]

47. you have no idea what people are thinking

since 14 people probably gave that answer just to be a smarta$$ or just to pi$$ off the smokers and invalidate the question.

edit: and, as in any DU poll, the vast majority choose not to vote.

[RB TexLa]

48. I'm certian they are being honest

just read through some of the other threads.

[RB TexLa]

29. The poll is for them, just read some of the other threads

there is no question they think they are smarter, I wanted to find out how much more smarter they think they are. And from the poll you see the answer. We have our answer in the poll, just sit back and watch how many of them think we are such lesser human beings that we should be lined up and shot.

[RedStateShame]

4. I assume the "smart" non-smokers

also abstain from alcohol and any other unhealthy substances like fast food and cola?

[nickinSTL]

5. I do abstain from alcohol, and most fast food...

I do drink about one cola a day.

But, there's a HUGE difference between cola or fast food and smoking.

My drinking a Pepsi doesn't increase the chances of everyone around me dying of a host of illnesses:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=46133&nfid=rssfeeds

[Boomer]

9. Try this scenario on for size

Winding two-lane road, late Friday night. You're driving a small car.

Who would you rather meet coming the other direction, a trucker who's been drinking? Or a trucker who is smoking?

So, I'd say that drinking alcohol also increases the chances of other people dying, only a lot sooner.

(And no, I don't smoke.)

[Kingshakabobo]

18. Boomer, The Straw-Man Slayer. Nice job. n/t

[nickinSTL]

54. how exactly did he slay ME as a straw man?

I didn't defend drinking alcohol at all.

In fact, if the two of you READ my post...I DON'T DRINK ALCOHOL!

The fact is, if alcohol is used RESPONSIBLY, it isn't a threat. My friends who drink don't drink and drive...they ALWAYS have a designated driver.

But, if you smoke around non-smokers, there is NO safe way to do that.

[Kingshakabobo]

58. I agree. That was directed at him.....he made the straw-man.......

...........and then slew it... Ala GWB - "some people say they would rather have a drunk truck-driver headed toward them, not me, I'd rather have a smoker....heh heh heh. Perhaps straw-man isn't the proper term? Silly comparison?

[nickinSTL]

61. ah, gotcha...

I should have replied to his asinine point, instead.

[nickinSTL]

62. that's a pointless reply...

I didn't defend drinking alcohol at all.

In fact, if the two of you READ my post...I DON'T DRINK ALCOHOL!

The fact is, if alcohol is used RESPONSIBLY, it isn't a threat. My friends who drink don't drink and drive...they ALWAYS have a designated driver.

But, if you smoke around non-smokers, there is NO safe way to do that.

[shain from kane]

21. Do you want to live forever? n/t

[nickinSTL]

55. no, just want to be as healthy as I can as long as possible

I have no problem with the fact I'm going to die. I just don't want to suffer from a lot of debilitating illnesses along the way.

[Touchdown]

23. Not illnesses, drinking Pepsi just increases murder.

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Transnational_corps/RealThing_CocaCola.html

According to the United Federation of Workers (CUT) in Colombia, last year at least 129 union activists were murdered. By one count, so far this year more than sixty have been assassinated. Numbers twenty-two and ~ twenty-three were the aforementioned co-workers of Gustavo Soler, Drummond employees Valrnore Locarno and Victor Orcasita, president and vice president of me coal miners' union, respectively.
The rich deposits of low-sulfur coal in Cesar province first caught Drummond's attention in the early 1 990s. According to a high-ranking former Colombian military officer, it was in that period that the paramilitaries began aggressive operations in Cesar province, fighting FARC and killing suspected FARC sympathizers. The paras, who have since grown into an efficient fighting force of more than 8,000, now dominate the region.
-snip-
Kovalik is one of the lawyers who brought the case against the ~ biggest brand in the world, Coca-Cola, charging that the company and its Colombian subsidiary and bottlers should be held responsible for paramilitary attacks on union leaders and workers. The lawsuit cites one shooting just this past June, a union | negotiator gunned down on the street; but Colombian labor leaders have made these charges against Coca-Cola for years. Sinaltrainal, a food and beverage workers' union, alleges that workers have been killed, threatened and harassed at various bottling plants. One high-ranking labor official says simply, "Everyone knows that Coca-Cola works with the paramilitaries.
One striking case cited in the lawsuit was in Carepa, in the Uraba region, in 1996. The story, pieced together from interviews and thousands of pages of files from the official Colombian investigation, highlights troubling questions about the interplay between a company and the armed participants in the war.
While most Coca-Cola bottling plants in Colombia are owned by Panamerican Beverages, a large publicly traded company, the Carepa bottler is privately owned by a US family whose patriarch, Richard Kirby, used to be president of Panamerican's subsidiary in Colombia. Kirby now lives in Key Biscayne, Florida, and according to his lawyer, he has only once, long ago, been to his bottling plant in a region plagued by violence.
-snip-
On the morning of December 5, the union's negotiator and plant gatekeeper, Isidro Segundo Gil, was shot ten times, right next to the Coca-Cola sign on the wall, after opening the entrance. Fellow workers said they gathered around where he lay face down in a pool of blood, and saw the killers drive off on motorcycles.
Later that day, Cardona says, he was intercepted by the I L I paras. He says he was told he was being taken to see ~ Cepillo, and it was clear he was going to be killed, so .p he decided to run for it. The paramilitaries chased him down on a motorcycle, he recalls, but he managed to get to the police station. "They're going to kill me," he says he told the one police officer on duty, "simply because I belong to the union."
While there have been serious allegations of police complicity with the paramilitaries, there have also been acts of extraordinary bravery: police who take on the militias single-handedly. In this case, as the policeman loaded Cardona into a van, Cardona spotted the paramilitaries waiting at the corner and pointed them out. The police lieutenant replied, "Don't worry, I know who all the sons of bitches are." Cardona and his family were sent to safety.
That night the paramilitaries attacked and torched the union's headquarters.

How's the blood in your beverage? Refreshing?

[nickinSTL]

52. uh...not to defend Pepsi...as I'm sure they're not great...

but your entire post was on COCA-COLA!

NOT PEPSI!

If you're going to accuse me of supporting a company that backs paramilitaries (or whatever it is you're doing) at least get the company right! :eyes:

I actually prefer Dr. Pepper, but I don't drink much of that, as I have to cut down on sugar and can't have NutraSweet...and Dr.P still only has NutraSweet based diet drinks.

[Touchdown]

59. Do you think Pepsi goes to another country for their beans?

They get their coca beans from Colombia, just like Coke does. The issue is union organizing, and the murder of union members in the country of Colombia, which both companies get their beans from. Coke was exposed because of the lawsuit, and because they are part owners in the harvesting company. It's only a matter of time before Pepsi is proven guilty of the same negligence, as Pepsi has known about this story for years, and haven't spoken a single word of moral outrage, nor have they decided to change the country of origin. Coke may be the murderers, but Pepsi is the accomplice.

The 7up-Dr.Pepper company is out of Texas, and since they are moving to Splenda in all their soft drinks, like A&W, Sunkist, Diet Rite, etc. pretty rapidly, then I'm sure that you'll see Diet Dr.Pepper in that soon.

[nickinSTL]

64. And I'll be happy to move to Diet Dr. Pepper when they do...

I do drink some Diet 7-UP, since it has Splenda.

I actually don't like the Pepsi company much, and as I said, I didn't intend to defend it. But, I have both weight problems and PKU (therefore can't have NutraSweet), which doesn't leave a lot of soda options.

[Touchdown]

66. What's PKU?

:shrug:

[nickinSTL]

73. PKU=Phenylketonuria

There's a warning label on products that contain aspartame (NutraSweet is a brand-name of aspartame) for Phenylketonurics (ie, people with PKU).

PKU is an inborn metabolic disorder in which a person cannot digest the amino acid phenylalanine properly. High levels of phenylalanine can lead to mental retardation in children who are not diagnosed shortly after birth and put on a low-phenylalanine diet and kept on the diet. The risk of mental retardation if the diet is stopped later in life goes down as one ages, but other behavioral problems may develop.

Phenylalanine is found in protein, and all foods (except those specially made for low-phenylalanine diets) which contain protein contain phenylalanine.

In addition to avoiding aspartame (which contains phenylalanine), people with PKU must be on a low-protein diet, supplemented with an amino acid formula which provides the protein requirements without the phenylalanine.

Some sources for more info:
http://www.pkunews.org/
http://www.pkunetwork.org/PKU.html
http://www.pku-allieddisorders.org/allieddisorders.htm

[Touchdown]

105. Interesting

...sounds a bit like a from birth diabetes mixed in with a genetic allergy. :hug:

[nickinSTL]

112. well, it's got nothing to do with sugar

and it's really not an allergy, either.

It is a genetic mutation in which a person with PKU doesn't manufacture the enzyme necessary to digest one amino acid.

[GrumpyGreg]

34. You've bought the entire ETS hysteria,haven't you?

A host of illnesses? Good Lord!

[nickinSTL]

57. want to explain ETS hysteria?

I'm not familiar with that.

As far as it causing a host of illnesses, damn right. I didn't need a study to tell me that, though.

My parents smoked until I was 12, and my lungs paid the price.

[qazplm]

8. I dont smoke, dont drink

only drink cola's about once a week, and if by fast food you mean Burger King et al. then eat that about once a week.

Smoking is an absolutely asinine habit, with no redeeming features whatsoever.

[Clark2008]

40. It does have a couple of redeeming features:

people who smoke are, generally, more laid back (they take breaks) AND
It's a weight-loss aid because it's a stimulant.

I don't quit because I'd pork out and that would be just as bad for me as smoking. When they come up with something I can use to keep the weight off (as opposed to having to get 50 or more pounds overweight BEFORE I can get the weight-loss stimulant), then maybe I'll consider it.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

89. Hi Clark 2008

NYT had an article a couple years ago. It said that people who still smoke, despite the negatives, are creative people who have gusto for life and live on the edge of danger.

Scientests also say that tobacco and nicotine spur the brain.

Laura

[Touchdown]

63. What do you do? You don't drink, you don't smoke

...what do you do. The subtle innuendos follow, there must be something inside.

[alarimer]

92. no but I don't shove the fast food down your throat

Your filthy habit does impact others around you whether you admit it or not.

More put-upon smoker bullshit.

[Spider Jerusalem]

11. Not more stupid at all...

narrow-minded self-righteousness and a tendency to be a moralising busybody are personality traits more generally associated with lesser, not greater, intelligence. Maybe smokers are just more individualistic and more inclined to take a 'live and let live' approach to what other people do. (Just a thought.)

[Kingshakabobo]

20. "Maybe smokers are just more individualistic"..LOL

Real Marlboro Men/Women...

And here I thought they were just selfish (referring to the smokers who think it's their god given right to harm other people's health).

[JuniperLea]

60. Oh, you mean as opposed to smug non-smokers who think

they have the gog given right to "butt" (pun intended) their noses into everyone else's business.

Not all smokers smoke around non-smokers. I stick to my designated smoking areas... you can kindly stay the hell away from said areas.

[Kingshakabobo]

70. "Not all smokers smoke around non-smokers"

What? Are you referring to hermits and cast-aways?

[JuniperLea]

74. Dude... you better light up

That doesn't sound in the least like something such a smart non-smoker would say.

What, I can't smoke in my designated area that is at least 50 yards from public walkways? I can't smoke in my own house?

Get a grip.

[Kingshakabobo]

78. Are you saying you never smoke around non-smokers? n/t

[JuniperLea]

82. That's right

When I go to Dodger Stadium, I smoke in the designated area. When I smoke at home, I'm home. When I have non-smoking guests at my home, I take it outside. There are no longer smoking restaurants or bars in California.

Mainly, I refrain from smoking in public so I don't have to be ridiculed by self-righteous assholes.

[Spider Jerusalem]

108. I only smoke out of doors and in designated areas.

I don't even smoke indoors at HOME. I make an effort to respect the boundaries of nonsmokers with regard to my habit. Way to wield the broad brush, there.

And just out of curiosity, how many tons of pollutants do you put into the air in a year from driving? (I'd bet money it's probably more than a two-pack a day smoker)? Is that somehow different?

And what of NON-smokers who seem inflicted with a Puritanical zeal to control the behaviour of other people? Or is that just fine with you?

[Warpy]

12. A cognitive study was done a decade or so ago using three

groups: nonsmokers, deprived smokers, and satisfied smokers.

As was predicted beforehand, the nonsmokers outperformed the deprived, Jonesing smokers. The surprise they found was that nonsmokers also outperformed the satisfied smokers to nearly the same degree.

Smokers are impaired, although the impairment is generally a very slight one. That has nothing to do with native intelligence, but it does affect functional ability.

Sucking smoke into your lungs just isn't good for body OR mind.

[azurnoir]

19. ah huh, there's

also a study that proves that the MSM is liberally biased

[Warpy]

27. Addiction is a disease of denial

No antitobacco bias on the part of the researchers was ever suggested, let alone proven. Additionally, they fully expected the satisfied smokers to at least equal and possibly outperform the nonsmokers.

Woops.

[azurnoir]

95. who did the study, more to the

point who paid for it? As this poll proves there is no such thing as no bias against smoking. And yes addiction is a disease of denial, but I was not denying anything, my point was that studies tend to reflect the views of those paying to have them done other wise the study doesn't see the light of day. The subject line of this thread was offensive to begin with. The very way the poll was worded began with the premise that non-smokers were superior. It should be noted that I worked as a waitress for many years, what I and others I worked with noticed was that non-smokers tended to sugar junkies or they were the ones ordering things like pecan pie with icecream and hot fudge. If they were non-smoking and vegetarian that went triple. No this is not a statement of any superiority, just that everyone has a vice.

[Swede]

14. And they're stinky.

:nopity:

[deaniac21]

16. I'm so tired, I'm feeling so upset

Although I'm so tired I'll have another cigarette
And curse Sir Walter Raleigh
He was such a stupid get.

[bobby911]

22. should start another poll

who's more stupid...smokers or the OP?

[transeo]

25. WTF? Neither.

Lots of very smart people have bad habits/addictions. has nothing to do with intelligence at all, and I'm not a smoker.

[JuniperLea]

65. Actually, more very smart people have bad habits/addictions

Think of all the artists and musicians throughout history who did...

It may well be an escapism tactic... to get away from dumbasses who make up ridiculous polls and have undeserved delusions of grandeur and unsubstantiated conceit.

[Quantess]

28. Since I would guess MOST smokers got hooked in their teen years

The question really should be: who was a wiser teen?

[Mend]

31. smokers are smart enough to know that everyone dies...

they are dumb to pick lung/throat/stomach cancer as their way out...that's an ugly way to go.

[mongo]

32. Can I get a light off your flamebait? N/T

[acmejack]

33. How much stupider than a normal poll is this poll?

Much Stupider
A lot Stupider
Yes
Mega stupid
Very

edited to comply with du rules

[RB TexLa]

36. I just gave them the choices

it's 14, right now that think they should just be able to shoot us. I wonder who else the think are lesser human beings then themselves and they should be able to shoot.

[Kingshakabobo]

103. Maybe you can write a book: "Liberals Want To Shoot Smokers"..

....you can use this poll as evidence. Hey, it worked for Michele Malkin. Maybe you can contact her for tips.

[RB TexLa]

107. Who?

[Kingshakabobo]

110. This one....

She wrote the book, "Liberals Unhinged", based on hate mail etc. she's received (as if liberals are the only people sending hate mail).

"Malkin uses extremist bloggers and airheaded celebrities as exemplars of the left, cherry picking the most egregiously tasteless examples of ill-conceived commentary or inflammatory behavior to bolster her case "

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0895260301/103-5416309-4687853?v=glance&n=283155

Makes about as much sense as you posting a ridiculous-self-admitted flame-bait push-poll and then claiming there are people here that want to shoot smokers.

[Avalux]

35. That first choice is offensive.

Might be tongue-in-cheek, but shouldn't advocate shooting anyone. Very poor taste. :thumbsdown:

[RB TexLa]

37. Yet, I am not surprised at all in how many of them chose that option

[Kingshakabobo]

45. Did it occur to you that some people are choosing that option.......

.......for snark reasons? You know, garbage in - garbage out. Or, flame in - flame out.

In other words, you ask a "stupid" question you get a "stupid" answer.

<insert other cliche here>

[RB TexLa]

46. I'm sure they are being honest, you must not have read the other

threads about smoking.

[Kingshakabobo]

51. I'll admit. I voted that choice because I think this is.......

......a "stupid" flame-bait poll. No offense. Instead of having a discussion on the health issues versus personal freedoms versus public health versus worker's safety, you chose a "woe is me I'm a poor victim and the big bad non-smokers are pickin on me" thread......wha wha. Hey, it's mostly free country.

I guess my point is, if you want to be taken seriously and not sound like a baby, don't post push-polls.

[MadJohnShaft]

38. 'Cooler' not stupid, 'Cooler'

[JuniperLea]

71. Damn straight!

:smoke:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

41. Quite a bit.

Now, normally I consider smokers to be mental equals to non-smokers, just regular people with a bad habit.

The "smokers" on these threads, however, that is- the ones claiming a war against smokers, a veritable holocaust for smokers, take the cake for utter stupidity.

[Catchawave]

43. I love to "smoke" (less than a packer/day)

It's still legal, right? But like everything else I do, exercise, balanced diet portions, love water, green tea and my daily red wine, I do everything in moderation. I'm thin, happy, married 37 years and almost 60! And dammit, I feel great :toast:

Pssst: don't tell the pharmaceuticals about me, it might hurt their diet pill and smoke cessation pill 'studies'. Not to mention, the psychiatric, weight loss, corporate (can you say Jenny Craig?) clinics/gym clinic industries !?

Moderation is the key word to not only a healthy life, but a "happy" life too.

By the way, those "Smoking Beagles" from the 60's studies, never did die of lung cancer, they died of STRESS!

[RB TexLa]

44. agreed

:toast:

[Catchawave]

56. Thank you RG !!!

I do believe "reality is liberally biased" too :hi:

[JuniperLea]

49. Get over it

Or I'll smack you in the head with my Mensa membership card in one hand and a cigarette in the other!

Just kidding... I'd never smack you, physically anyway.

Just get over it... The only difference between smokers and non-smokers is that smokers smoke and non-smokers do not.

You are not prettier, smarter, more fun, easier to get along with, richer or anything else.

Snap out of it... don't you have bigger fish to fry than your need to control others? Isn't that what we at DU are trying to get away from? Why do you feel the need to control other people?

[Kingshakabobo]

80. Straw-men for sale! Right here in post #49. Get 'em while they're hot!

We got "prettier", we got "smarter" we got "more fun".....several straw-men - no waiting! Step right up!

[JuniperLea]

85. You should really look up the definition of strawman

And I'd pit my IQ against yours any day of the week, which is your main point, right? That you are smarter than me. That's making me laugh so hard I may just have to go have a smoke and reflect on the stupidity for a while.


:rofl:




:smoke:

[Kingshakabobo]

91. .

"A straw man argument is a logical fallacy based on misrepresentation of an opponent's position."

Ok, tell me where I said I was smarter than you? Ah smilies, the last refuge of a losing argument. Too bad they don't have a mental-masturbation smilie....you could use it.

[JuniperLea]

97. You have repeatedly asserted that non-smokers are smarter

than smokers. Give me a break. A straw man argument does not include the exact thing the other person presents. I merely added to the stupid rhetoric you spouted.

Your insults with regard to my choice of smilies is very telling. Methinks thou doest project too much.

[Kingshakabobo]

98. Making things up out of whole cloth is very telling.

But hey, knock your self out.


edit:spelling

[JuniperLea]

101. That all you got? n/t

[Name removed]

104. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[JuniperLea]

109. I do not lie and I do not appreciate being called a liar

But for the sake of argument, please point out my alleged lies.

[dogday]

111. What lies?

Can you please point out these lies of which you speak... When a DU member calls another a liar, it is always best to show the proof....:shrug:

[Kingshakabobo]

113. "You have repeatedly asserted that non-smokers are smarter"

[JuniperLea]

116. Here's one for you

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1540257&mesg_id=1540708


The other "assertions" are based on your replies to other posts and it would be cumbersome to post all the links.

That being said, I think there are plenty of smart smokers and non-smokers who can connect the dots quite nicely.

[Kingshakabobo]

121. You lose.....

You accuse ME of saying smokers are less intelligent and then you link a post from someone else. You are kidding right? Too cumbersome to link to evidence of your assertions against me but you link to someone else?

Is this a joke?

I call BULLSHIT. There is that better so you won't run squawking?

Really. I'm done with you. I said, good day!

[dogday]

119. Einstein smoked, so I guess that settles that

Einstein, on the other hand, was very passionate about his pipe smoking. During one lecture, he ran out of pipe tobacco and borrowed some cigarettes from his students so he could crumple the tobacco into his pipe. "Gentlemen," he said, "I believe we've made a great discovery!" He later decided that his conclusion was premature. He realized that cigarette tobacco lacks the aroma, the fullness, and the taste of pipe tobacco. But what appealed most to Einstein was the entire ritual of pipe smoking: carefully choosing from a variety of pipes and tobaccos, delicately loading the briar, puffing and tamping, and the associated contemplation. "I believe that pipe smoking contributes to a somewhat calm and objective judgment in all human affairs," he said in 1950 at age 71, when he became a lifetime member of the Montreal Pipe Smokers Club



http://reason.com/9407/col.newcombe.shtml

[Kingshakabobo]

122. Care to comment on what we were talking about?

Or are we changing the subject in the face of evidence. I never said smokers were less intelligent.

[zbdent]

50. I think that the best case against smoking is

someone who smokes who finds out his or her teenager is smoking . . . that's hypocrisy . . . "Don't you know how bad that is for you?"

[MercutioATC]

77. I don't want my teenager having sex, either. Is sex bad for me?

:shrug:

[shain from kane]

53. So those years tacked on the end of your life are really worth it? Start

saving for your medical care, puke buckets, Depends, nursing, wheelchair, etc.

[JuniperLea]

67. No... why should I want to live to be so old?

I don't want to outlive my retirement money and god knows by then we'll have no healthcare anyway.

The Who said it best... I hope I die before I get old.

[dysfunctional press]

68. how fucking pathetically arrogant are some non-smokers...?

nt

[novalib]

106. We Are Less Pathethically Arrogant Than....

Those os us who think that smoking is a filthy, disgusting habit that NO ONE should engage in, and who think that help should be provided to EVERYONE addicted to that noxious, health-endangering weed are FAR LESS stupid than people who, despite ALL THE INFORMATION CURRENTLY AVAILABLE, continue to smoke, and endager the lives not just of themselves, but of everyone around them!!!

THAT is NOT being arrogant -- it is merely being factual!!!

[dysfunctional press]

114. no. that's being arrogant.

and that's coming from a non-smoker who is tolerant of other people's right to make their own decisions about their own chosen 'vices', for lack of a better word.

but then- i suppose the arrogant assholes have an equal right to their chosen and just as offensive vice as well.

my apologies.

[KyuzoGator]

69. Self-preservation instinct is a surefire sign of intelligence.

I question the intelligence of anyone who knowingly does irreversible harm to their body, be it with cigarettes, alcohol or heroin.

"This stuff will kill you."

"Yeah, but it makes me feel good. So I'll just keep doing it."

That is a stupid conversation.

[JuniperLea]

72. I'll let the room full of smokers at my next Mensa meeting know how

you feel... I'm sure they will get a kick out of that.

:eyes:

[MercutioATC]

75. You DID read that before you posted it, right?

"Self-preservation instinct" is not a measure of intelligence at all...that's why it's called an "instinct".

:eyes:

[JuniperLea]

88. LOL!!! Good catch!

Yes, you can contribute that to your cave man brain stem:)

[shain from kane]

76. If it's instinct, then it is not learned behavior. Intelligence is learned

behavior.

Otherwise, we would be like mayflies. When you are born, you have to rely on your instincts, and don't necessarily think about tomorrow, because you have no knowledge that tomorrow even has the possibility of existence.

"The majority of the life of the adult is spent in mating swarms."

[Nye Bevan]

79. I don't think that it is stupidity that makes people smoke

because I don't think anyone would be that stupid.

Stupid enough to spend tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege of hugely increasing your chances of getting lung cancer, bronchitis and emphysema?

Stupid enough that you're not concerned about becoming one of those pitiful old people sitting in a diner in a wheelchair attached to a huge oxygen cylinder with a plastic pipe up your nose?

Stupid enough that you don't care that you may lose your larynx and need an electronic voicebox to talk?

Stupid enough that you spend your commute to work smoking in your car so that you smell absolutely disgusting for the rest of the day, so much so that I and my non-smoking coworkers try our hardest for the remainder of the workday not to come anywhere near you?

Stupid enough that you will huddle pathetically in a doorway outside on a freezing cold night clutching your cigarette?

No, nobody could be that stupid. It is simply an addiction like any other.

[shain from kane]

81. My definition of stupid includes watching the New York Mets play baseball.

[Nye Bevan]

86. In general I would be inclined to agree....

but not this year!

[shain from kane]

93. My definition of delusional includes expecting the NY Mets to play

baseball in October 2006.

[Alcibiades]

83. Agreed-it's an addiction

but not just like any other. It really is amazingly powerful.

[azurnoir]

118. Considering your post

I really don't want to be around you and your non-smoking co-workers, being around bigots is not a privilege. BTW I quit smoking a few years ago and I swore I would not take the snotty attitude of alot of non-smokers. Reality is the snottiest are those who are former smokers themselves-you don't see that often in any other situations-weight-loss, alcoholics, drug addiction.

[porphyrian]

84. Stupidity knows no boundaries.

There are just as many stupid non-smokers practicing their own form of self-destruction despite its affect on the environment and society at large. Loud-mouthed hypocrites are always obnoxious.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

87. I am sure, just like eggs and milk, they will come out and say

that cigarettes are good for you one day.

BTW, NYT had an article a couple years ago. It said that people who still smoke, despite the negatives, are creative people who have gusto for life and live on the edge of danger.

Scientests also say that tobacco and nicotine spur the brain.

[Nye Bevan]

94. Here's a creative person with gusto for life,

who lives on the edge of danger....



http://whyquit.com/whyquit/BryanLeeCurtis.html

[Laura PourMeADrink]

100. did you win last night? I was hoping you'd help the Yankees

pick up a game against Boston...
Thanks for the picture...Think the NYT meant BEFORE the smoker got sick....

[RB TexLa]

90. This as been about as fun as I thought it would be

:smoke: :smoke: :smoke: :smoke: :smoke: :smoke: :smoke: :smoke: :smoke:


:popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

[MercutioATC]

99. Cheers!

:toast:

:smoke:

[K-W]

96. Great Poll EOM

[hiphopnation]

102. is this a push poll?

my, oh my...all this energy...it could be used printing impeachment fliers and posting them on every window, car windshield, message board, public building entrance in your town!!

c'mon folks...let us get our collective head out of our collective ass

now, if you'll excuse me, i need a smoke...

:smoke::smoke::smoke::smoke::smoke::smoke::smoke:
:bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce:
:nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke:

[RB TexLa]

120. Just giving some of them the chance to go ahead and say

"of course I should be able to blow them away, I am a superior human being to them!"

[EvilAL]

115. Well

I don't know about how stupid smokers vs. non smokers.. but heres an example of something that happened to me the other night.
Where I live there is a smoking ban in public places. It started to hurt the bar business so they found a way around it by having outside areas for the smokers to go and still enjoy a beer.
That all sounds good right. Well it can drop to -30 degrees celcius here in the winter, and they aren't allowed to have an enclosure you can smoke in. So all winter we are outside freezing our asses off to have a smoke and the non-smokers are inside and warm, happy as clams. Well guess what, it's summer now, and it's really nice outside. So the smokers venture out onto the smoker's patio, where you never see them in the winter, and hang out there.. Because hey, it's funner to be outside.
I don't care, but we were having a chat with these women and I lit up a smoke, because it's the fuckin' smokers outdoor area. This bitch has the nerve to move my ashtray out of in front of me and say, could ya move it over a little bit, the smoke bothers me. I looked at her and said "are you serious?". She was, and I said I'll do you one better lady, I'll put it out... Just as the smile started to form on her ass of a face I plunked it down in her double Crown Royal. There ya go, I said, and lit up a bigger one wishing I had a cigar.
I know not all non-smokers are anti-smokers.. but this is getting fuckin ridiculous.. they use their health on us like we are the ones causiong their suffering.. fuck off why don't ya.. Go away if you don't like it. I smell shit, I don't hang around, I leave.

[everythingsxen]

117. As an apparently stupid smoker let me say...

I do my best to not smoke around non-smokers. Their self-righteous bullshit annoys me to no end.

I did in fact quit, for almost a year. Then I had a nervous breakdown from stress and while I was in the hospital, people hooked me up with cigarettes and I was able to deal with everything again.

For many years now, I have often desired to quit. And to convince every other smoker here in the US to quit as well. I would love to watch our economy collapse. Bullshit you say? US population: 295,734,134. Percentage of smokers: (roughly) 25% (some sites listed 30, some listed 20, so I used an average. Based on people I see all around me, every day though, I would put the odds at 50%). Ok, so lets look at our numbers. 25% of 295,734,134 is 73,933,533.5 smokers. Averages look like most people are pack and a half a day smokers, so thats 110,900,300.25 packs of cigarettes per day or 40,478,609,591.25 packs per year. The average tax on a pack of cigarettes is 91.7 cents per pack, which should be....$37,118,884,995.17625. Note that is only the taxes collected on the cigs themselves, not the lost sales tax on them or the taxes that the tobacco company has to pay. Ah but, you say, how is a few billion in lost revenues going to collapse the economy? Well lets see, if we all quit, the anti-smoking industry is out of work, and with as much energy I see exerted on anti-smoking ads and stop smoking products and what not, I have to assume a lot of people will be out of work. Not to mention all the tobacco companies, farmers, etc. We are well into the trillions at this point I am sure, but why stop there? That reminds me... the first year well quit, if we all use patches/gum/etc. there will be a little gain, however there is no extra tax on these products and they would only be used for a few months.

So there you go, many hundreds of billions, if not trillions, lost in tax revenues. Several hundred thousand people unemployed. I won't even go into the social ramifications of having a quarter of the population all going cold turkey as far incidents of violence go.

Ah, but now we can all breath that nice fresh air... *cough* *cough* Say, that's a nice car you have *cough*, and I see your home is getting its power from that coal plant *cough*. Me I live down the road from a trash disposal facility *cough*. I sure am glad we bankrupted the nation to breath free! *cough* Good thing you are there to protect me from myself. I should never be allowed to decide for myself if I want to smoke. Let's ban alcohol next. And fried food. And salt. MSG? Hamburger - that stuff has mad cow y'know! Chicken? thats got bird flu! We will save everyone from themselves yes? Soda, thats right out! Oh yeah, what about all you extreme sports types? I wonder how much lost productivity and insurance you people eat up every year after you break limbs and are out for a month. And on and on and on.....

As far as secondhand smokes eeeeeevil deadliness, why don't we load it up in bombs and drop it on people?

Oh that's right... because it won't kill you.

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/64/72529.htm

I would like to point out that every study which has concluded that smoking and second-hand smoke *WILL* cause cancer, guaranteed factually, is not lying, however the way that conclusion is reached is by putting a rat inside a small tank into which nothing but smoke from a whole pack of cigarettes is pumped. Amazingly the rats get cancer. Of course rats get cancer at the drop a hat, which I guess doesn't cont to the pseudo-scientists who conduct these studies.

Furthermore, I have never seen an actual empirical study done in which the (human) subjects were kept in a clean environment that had no toxic air seeping in from outside, no radon from the ground, no god-knows-what in the water, no high voltage lines overhead or any of the other hundreds of thousands of products we are exposed to everyday that are also known to cause cancer. What about that study a few months back that concluded that women who shave their underarms and use deodorant are going to get breast cancer? http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/AP-Deo (on reading that link, its actually older than a few months, but I only heard about it a few months ago) I don't see any boycotts of deodorant for women. I don't see any threads entitled "Are women stupid for using deodorant?"

That's most of what I have to say. Flame away oh righteous anti-smokers. In the end, it will come back to "You're dumb for smoking!!!!1"; it's as convincing an argument as "Gay people shouldn't get married because it's bad for society" or "Sex outside of marriage is immoral. Ban condoms! Abstinence only!"

[Moderator]

123. Locking.....

This has become inflammatory.