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Re: [ProgSoc] Have you registered to vote yet?



Nathan de Vries wrote:
It sounds like the only person who is fearful is you.
What's happening is pretty disgusting, and it's clear that the people 
behind it have an outcome in mind that is far more extreme than the 
present situation: http://antismoking.org/ In their self-serving "do 
good" ignorance they plan to manipulate the system all the way through 
to "smoking is illegal".
They know exactly what they mean to achieve, and they are what I like to 
call "evil manipulative oppressive lying arseholes".
The thing that hasn't quite registered in their brain is: It's Not Going 
To Happen. All the "Go Team!" and persecution in the world is not going 
to remove smoking culture. Forget it. Not happening.
What will happen? Well, the same thing that always happens. The same 
thing that's already happening. First of all, the state will run FUD 
campaigns to promote hate and persecution, and they'll apply 
disproportionate consumption tax. Consequently, the black market for 
tobacco will start to flourish. By the books it will look like there's 
been a "tiny little dent" in the sale of tobacco, except that's not the 
case -- what happened was that people couldn't afford it, so they 
created demand for a black market.
You start polling people and asking them if they smoke or not. Cognisant 
of the fact that smokers are being persecuted, what happens? People lie! 
They say, "Oh, yeah... totally. I don't smoke. I used to, but not any 
more, hey. Nah, not me. I heard that shit gives you cancer!" But... they 
do smoke, and so do most of their friends, one in five of them unashamedly.
Once you have a black market, especially one that something in the order 
of twenty percent of the population is interested in, and at least half 
sympathetic to, then suddenly you have a pretty big problem. See, it 
used to be the case that you could apply the force of law, but there 
starts to be a few quirks. Firstly, at least one in five policemen 
become corrupt. They're not much interested in persecuting smokers, 
especially when they can make some cash. Same goes for pretty much 
everyone else. Doctors, lawyers, politicians, teachers, union officials, 
etc. So suddenly you have this problem. The state loses its credibility. 
Organised "crime" increases. People can't go to pubs any more, so where 
do they go? To private establishments. People know the state is fascist 
and corrupt, so they don't respect it. Who do they turn to? The underground.
Violence increases, law enforcement fails, corruption ensues, and 
ultimately reason prevails and culture is restored. It's kind of a shame 
that a few autocratic arseholes seek to put everyone through it "for 
their own good", but it's just one of those social things that is apt to 
happen from time to time.
Although, that's not *really* what's going to happen. The only *real* 
interest in all of this is the interest of pharmaceutical companies that 
want to get people addicted to nicotine. They need people to be in 
places where it's not practical to smoke (for "legal" reasons) and 
"consuming" nicotine "therapy". So, what will happen? They'll create a 
level of social angst that approaches "corruption and violence" but 
doesn't push it all the way into heavy duty social stress and creates 
"just enough of a market" for people to be smokers *and* consumers of 
"nicotine therapy" which can satisfy their addictions when it's 
otherwise impractical to smoke. While it's not legal to advertise 
"tobacco", it is legal to advertise "nicotine", and that's what's 
happening. High-school kids still get the message that smoking is a 
rebel's activity, and they smoke when they can, and wear patches and 
chew gum when they can't.
In the mean time I'll have to listen to a bunch of autocratic dickheads 
who are too stupid to understand what is happening telling me how much 
they hate me, and when I reproach them for their hypocrisy watch them 
take refuge in "we're just here to help", or "but what about *my 
rights*!?". The future is bright.
You're claiming that people who dislike / hate smok*ing*,
consequently dislike / hate smok*ers*. I don't believe that to be
the case (except for an extreme minority of people).
Oh. Right. So, I don't hate Christ*ians*, I just hate Christ*ianity*. 
Christians are just pitiable fools waiting for me to liberate them.
Is that how it works? It's so simple!


















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