Originally Posted by
tom911
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.
Socially responsible or in loco parentis?
Originally Posted by
bdschobel
First of all, how many teenagers are the kind of frequent flyers who would use FlyerTalk? Probably not very many.
Secondly, I will merely observe that nobody posting here has ever suggested that he or she might take up smoking if FlyerTalk creates a smokers' forum. No, it's never one of us. We're too smart for that! It's always some other guy -- someone so gullible or easily influenced that the existence of a smokers' forum here might push him over the edge into smoker-land. Do such people actually exist? Or are we worried about fantasy creatures like unicorns?
Sure, some people smoke. Smoking is a serious health risk, beyond debate. But what does FlyerTalk have to do with that? Doesn't FlyerTalk simply exist in a world with smokers, neither creating nor encouraging them? And is FlyerTalk responsible in any way for discouraging smoking? I don't think so. Smokers get plenty of discouragement already from other sources.
Bruce
It's not a matter or being smart or not smart. Smart people smoke too, including some who participate on FT. Some smart people have started smoking as teens, some later in life, and for verious reasons they continue to smoke.
Yes, statistical studies show that smoking is highly correlated with socioeconomic status, including education and IQ, but this doesn't mean that no smart person starts smoking or continues to smoke (regardless of age).
Originally Posted by
Calchas
This is FlyerTalk, not NHS Direct.
No one reads warnings, least of all teenagers!
The emerging thread of this discussion ("why smoking is bad—you guys probably haven't heard the news yet, so let me explain it to you") is probably the best argument against the smokers' forum proposal. It will be a magnet for this kind of invective. In my view, at least.
FT shouldn't step into the nanny role that governments already assume.
Originally Posted by
goalie
Not at all-it's simply a centralized place for those who smoke to discuss where they can/cannot smoke while traveling
Why can't those who do not smoke also come to the proposed new forum "to discuss where they can/cannot smoke while traveling"? Would admission require that one certify that one is already a smoker? Would there be restrictions along the lines of how many days and how many cigaretts before gaining access to the forum?
