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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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