Originally Posted by
bdschobel
FlyerTalk is fundamentally a travel site. Travel sites are not in the business of giving (or even merely repeating) health warnings.
Have you been to many travel sites with dedicated smoking forums, though? I can't think of any I've been to and this topic is entirely new to FT. When 480,000 Americans die a year from smoking related health issues, and 9 out of 10 smokers have their first smoking experience before 18, FT needs to send a clear message to teens that smoking kills. I don't care about those that have been smoking for 30-40 years but specifically about teens. Let's be clear: I also support the creation of a smokers forums with a warning. If we treat the smoking forum the same as an airline or hotel forum, it sends the message that everything is just fine with smoking and we're not concerned. We all should be concerned about teen smokers.
I would hope that Internet Brands takes the socially responsible position of placing a warning on the forum directed at teens who are considering smoking, warning them of the serious health consequences, if the Talk Board doesn't. We don't need a similar warning on the AA or Marriott forums because those topics don't result in 480,000 American deaths a year.