Since coming to this forum a few days ago, I feel that i have a better understanding of your position as smokers. As a disclaimer, I still think there's more for me to understand.

Much of this interest is as a result of an English research project. This is an eleven week course, I'm six weeks into it. I have to report both sides of the issue and be fair to both sides.

I just have some questions I'd like to ask from you folks. You can chose to answer or abstain from any question. All results will be kept as anonymous and for my personal use ONLY.

THIS INFORMATION WILL IN NO WAY BE RELEASED TO OUTSIDE SOURCES WITHOUT CONSENT.

My email is ajensen_22@hotmail.com if you'd like to email it to me.

I'm making no attempt to trick or swindle my way into an answer. If you feel a question is unfair, then by all means, you my abstain from answering. If you have any question's feel free to ask.

Thank you.



BACKGROUND
1)What is your age?

2)What was your age when started?

3)What influenced you to begin smoking [top 2 if more than 2]?

4) Do you consider yourself a light, medium or heavy smoker?


[yes/no]
5)Did your parents smoke?

6)In your present family, are you the only smoker?

7) Do you feel that you are addicted?


Agree or Disagree: Quotes
1) "Once a smoker - Always a smoker."

2) "The cigarette habit is so much more than a question of inhaling smoke."

3) "There are those who would say that money is more precious than virture, but tobacco is more precious still."

4) "The fight against tobacco is a losing battle."


Agree or disagree: Cigs
1) Cigarettes are really as dangerous as they say.

2) Cigarettes and their affects are over dramatized.

3)It's ok for anyone to experiment with smoking.


Agree or Disagree: Laws and Regs
1) I feel that the tobacco industry is preyed upon by Anti-smokers.

2) I feel that laws which regulate my freedom to smoke are unfair.

3) I feel that laws which regulate smoking are part of a conspiracy against smokers.

4) I feel that the health care system is part of a conspiracy against smokers.

5)I feel that my concerns are not being represented in policies that regard smoking.


Check the following which you agree with the most.
[ ] There is not a link between smoking and Lung Cancer.

[ ] There may be a link between smoking and Lung Cancer, but its not like they say or its over-exaggerated.

[ ] There is a definite link between smoking and Lung Cancer.


Personal reasons for smoking: Agree or Disagree.
1)Smoking helps my mood.

2)Smoking helps to reduce tension.

3)Stopping smoking would produce difficulties in tension-reduction.

4)I value the psychological affects of smoking.


--------------

I think thats all for now.

Thanks again.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Aaron,

I guess, for you guys it is not enough to just steal from us, so you can tell our kids at schools how rotten we are, while living of the fat of the smokers land. You still got enough chutzpah left to come here trying to waste our time and our bandwidth. Why don't you give your bio (preferably on your own web site) and a detailed accounting of your costs/benefits for us whose money is paying for your troll trip. Maybe we ought to charge you for being the net minus.

quote:

I ain't lookin' to compete with you,
Beat or cheat or mistreat you,
Simplify you, classify you,
Deny, defy or crucify you.
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.

No, and I ain't lookin' to fight with you,
Frighten you or uptighten you,
Drag you down or drain you down,
Chain you down or bring you down.
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.

I ain't lookin' to block you up
Shock or knock or lock you up,
Analyze you, categorize you,
Finalize you or advertise you.
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.

I don't want to straight-face you,
Race or chase you, track or trace you,
Or disgrace you or displace you,
Or define you or confine you.
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.

I don't want to meet your kin,
Make you spin or do you in,
Or select you or dissect you,
Or inspect you or reject you.
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.

I don't want to fake you out,
Take or shake or forsake you out,
I ain't lookin' for you to feel like me,
See like me or be like me.
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.

Translation to make it more accurate:

I guess, for [the evil] Anti-smokers it is not enough to just steal from us [by taxing our cigarettes], so they can tell our kids at schools how rotten we are [clearly a cognitive perception of self], while living of the fat of the smokers land [should of just left it "the fat of the smokers"]. You still got enough chutzpah [guts] left to come here trying to waste our time and our bandwidth [because you know your forcing my face to the monitor MAKING me read everything you write]. Why don't anti-smokers give their bio (preferably on their own web site) and a detailed accounting of their costs/benefits for us whose money is paying for their troll trip [because Aaron hasnt gotten a single penny from me]. Maybe we ought to charge anti-smokers for being the net minus [clearly its the anti-smokers fault that I smoke. Not only did they place the cigarette in my mouth, they force me to continue smoking, and in turn, force me to pay money becuase of the habit they MADE me start]. [This nation is completely unfair. Its everyone's fault but mine.]



Me in the UK:

The last post reminded of a quote by Harry S Truman (1884 - 1972).


"I never did give anybody hell. I just told the truth, and they thought it was hell."

Its parrallel to this issue i think.

quote:

Me in the UK:...

Me in Russia:

quote:

Originally posted by Aaron:
The last post reminded of a quote by Harry S Truman (1884 - 1972).
"I never did give anybody hell. I just told the truth, and they thought it was hell."
Its parrallel to this issue i think.

I couldn't care less what the antismokers say. Their yapping their business. I do care when they steal $30 from me on every carton I buy.

Me in my car.

quote:

Originally posted by nightlight:
I couldn't care less what the antismokers say. Their yapping their business. I do care when they steal $30 from me on every carton I buy.

Its such an evil loop. First, they FORCE you buy cigarettes by the carton. THEN, they FORCE you to smoke them! JEEZ!... no wonder you dont like non-smokers!

quote:

Originally posted by Aaron:
First, they FORCE you buy cigarettes by the carton. THEN, they FORCE you to smoke them! JEEZ!... no wonder you dont like non-smokers!

I see, you're making things up kid. It must be passed your bed time, so go now snuggy with your teddy. Thanks for the discussion, though. We'll tell your special ed teacher you did well, considering the age and the handicap.

quote:

Originally posted by nightlight:
I see, you're making things up kid. It must be passed your bed time, so go now snuggy with your teddy. Thanks for the discussion, though. We'll tell your special ed teacher you did well, considering the age and the handicap.

Oh. Your ruthless. You brought out the "kid insults."



You must be reachin deep to pull out the all powerful special-ed lines!!... jees... you 'smoked' me with that!


Do you know what cognitive dissonance is?


I'll give you a hint. Think back to Psychology.

quote:

Originally posted by Aaron:
... First, they FORCE you buy cigarettes
... Your ruthless.
... You must be reachin deep to pull out ...
... Do you know what cognitive dissonance is?

And don't worry, there is nothing embarrassing about it. I am sure your English will come back to you after you get your twelve hour sleep to recharge those two ounces of neurons.

Dont like answering questions do you?

I'll infer that you dont know what cognitive dissonance is by your lack of response.

Its a condition of conflict or anxiety resulting from inconsistency between one's beliefs and one's actions. Such as opposing the slaughter of animals and eating meat.

The human tendancy is to seak homeostasis (or equality), when two things conflict each other, the result is to remove or deny one of the inconsistancies.

How does this apply to smoking? (I dont expect an answer, but I'll see if you can actually use your unsinged remaining neuron to process this.)


Also, I was in the military. I couldnt sleep 12 hours if i was tied to a bed and forced. I usually sleep about 5 or 6 and I get up every morning at 6:20am.

quote:

Originally posted by Aaron:
... Dont like answering questions do you?

I'll infer that you dont know what cognitive dissonance is by your lack of response.

Its a condition of conflict or anxiety resulting from inconsistency between one's beliefs and one's actions. Such as opposing the slaughter of animals and eating meat.

The human tendancy is to seak homeostasis (or equality), when two things conflict each other, the result is to remove or deny one of the inconsistancies.

How does this apply to smoking? (I dont expect an answer, but I'll see if you can actually use your unsinged remaining neuron to process this.)


Also, I was in the military. I couldnt sleep 12 hours if i was tied to a bed and forced. I usually sleep about 5 or 6 and I get up every morning at 6:20am.

The more you write the deeper you sink. You better get some sleep before you have to change your identity here (it's probably too late, anyway).

You changed the font to red on my contractions of 'do not' and 'could not'... I dont get it... whats the deal?

So seriously, where are you from?

Actually, it doesnt matter. You'd be a fool no matter what part of the country you found yourself in.

quote:

Originally posted by Aaron:
... Its a condition of conflict or anxiety resulting from inconsistency between one's beliefs and one's actions.

... How does this apply to smoking? (I dont expect an answer, but I'll see if you can actually use your unsinged remaining neuron to process this.)

You changed the font to red on my contractions of 'do not' and 'could not'... I dont get it... whats the deal?

I am sure it's not your fault (probably those darn genes got tangled up the wrong way). Unfortunately the more you talk, the more of real you shows through. I would guess that if you sign up here with a different name (just don't pick Aaron2 or Aaron3) and stick to a short sentence or two per post, you could probably go on for the entire week before everyone knows again what they're dealing with. Until you grow a new and this time complete brain (and don't go for the cheap immitations again), sad to say, but you'll have to do with what you were dealt.

I am sorry for the way you have been treated.

I wrote an article for a local business journal to rebut claims made by a former resident of California about the fact that employees were allowed to smoke off premises in her town. I received a few emails from it but one surprised me the most. A student nurse, in Illinois, wanted my thoughts about a school paper her class was assigned. The paper or project was to design an anti-smoking campaign and she wanted my help. I turned her down.

While attending various hearings about a local smoking ban I was witness to various groups of students who were also against smoking. One class of third graders developed posters, hats, and t-shirts. Each student made a presentation and then the whole class, in their tshirts and hats, sang their campaign song for all attending and the press.

What better way for the nazis to educate future generations with their propaganda than assign them the task of developing an entire campaign. Can you imagine any greater thrill for a 9 or 10 year old than to see themselves on the evening news being applauded for their presentation?

I was personally disgusted and wrote the local press, but no comment was made on the air or in print.

I was 21 before I smoked my first cigarette. I started smoking because it was something I could put in my mouth without calories and at the time they were cheap.

I was always a lousy reader, had tutors throughout grade school. I found that I could read once I started smoking and that I could enjoy it. I ended developing a large library and read whenever I got the chance.

A few years ago I stoped smoking. I also came to realise I stopped reading. I realised this when I discovered a book I had been reading before I stopped smoking, about two years before, and I picked it up and all the problems I had reading in school came back to me. I also realised I had lost my interest in life and those around me. My sister is a special ed teacher and had tested each of us as she went thru school.

I tried to discover what was in the drugs offered to students with learning difficulties and their effect on the brain. I also researched the effects of nicotine on the brain. I found them to be equal.

I then researched the costs of this medication and found that cigarettes were a cheaper alternative. ADD and ADHD drugs have risen in cost every year since 2000. They cost, on average one to five dollars a day more than cigarettes.

In order to be allowed access to these medications many months of testing are required at a cost of thousands of dollars. These tests are required each year raising the cost.

In further research I found a quote from a drug company stating the they make on average a 70% profit on these drugs. That if they could get the adult population to stop self medicating, with cigarettes, their market would increase from an annual volume of four billion dollars a year to ten billion a year.

I also started reading the studies used to support the need for smoking bans. There are no facts presented, or speculation on the possibilities that smoking has an impact on smokers and those around them.

As far as I know, I am a third generation smoker. No one in my lineage has ever had or died from any heart or lung problems. Most of these people have lived into the eighties or beyond. I have never met anyone with lung cancer.

Current actual research has started to a genetic connection with the disorder.

100 years ago, dying before the age of 50 was not unusual. Advances in our enviroment, working conditions, individual knowledge, and medical advances have doubled our life expectancy during that period. Smoke from burning: wood, coal, animal waste, oil, natural gas, and tobacco has been a part of human history since man left the caves. We continue to burn a lot of stuff and all produce toxins, but mankind stills roames the planet.

I enjoy smoking, I feel it is good for me, and I prefer it to the partial solutions offered by the drug companies. Every decision I have made in my life have had benefits and negatives. It is my life and I make my own decisions on how to live it. I choose to smoke.

I expect others to respect my decisions and where they confict with your decisions I will respect your's. You follow your own path and let me follow mine.

Aaron-If I may ask: Who has been affected/afflicted/passed on in your family-close relationship by "supposedly" activley smoking or "supposedly" second hand smoke inhilation?
The best defense is a good offense? Me thinks he doth protest too much?
Too ask a site of smokers to participate in a "dialogue" while at the same time wagging your finger at them is detrimental to your quest.
And my final mothering quote will be to you and myself: "If you don't have anything nice to say, do not say anything at all".
We all want to be accepted AS WE ARE.
Thanks for listening Aaron!
and squeezer-love the pix of you in your car!
A Madison, WI oldtimehippy/NOW consciousness raiser/GLBT supporter/lifestudent/mother/hardworking hardplaying woman/wife/EXsocial engineering participant......

Bruce:

THANKYOU VERY MUCH!

Thats exactly what I was looking for!

Thankyou.

To Bruce:

I wanted to say more b/c I had to run out of my apartment fast this morning to turn in a paper I had to write last night... and was up all night writing.

When i read your response, i had to change a few things in my paper b/c it didnt reflect a personal prospective from smokers - mostly since i've gotten a lot of resistance here. The points you bring to the table are perfect for the case on pro's and it almost brought a tear to my eye! I'm kidding, but you gave me a lot to think about in regards to an individual perspective and what statistics dont consider in this.

So thankyou again.

In response to CS:

Thank you as well.

Something thats important to know about me is that I try to keep an open when presented with new information. I'm a skeptic and I'll challenge the new information if it counters what I think I know, as would anyone i think, but I'm not afraid to look at a topic through a new lense.

Both you and Bruce have given me something else to consider and a lot more to report (with your permission). I very much appreciate you responding.

Also, thankyou for the information about your home and family. No joke, that's the information I was wanting. Honestly, b/c much of the information I got through research has had an 'anti-smoker' tint and suggested an apethy amongst smokers in regards to non-smokers. Thats tint i had this topic, I'm sure you noticed. But your adage about taking responsibility ensure proper ventilation presents option 'C' to an 'A' and 'B' question.

Thankyou.