Weird Double Standard

[georged]

Society's Karens never tire of telling tobacco smokers how evil, horrid, and self-destructive their filthy habit is, and do everything they can to eliminate it altogether while taxing the crap out of it in the meantime.

At the same time, using a skateboard is seen as innocent "playing", the boards are sold everywhere, no taxes involved, and considered "healthy outdoor exercise" for kids.

Hm.

Serious question ---

Would you rather have your teenage son (or daughter) tell you they were taking up pipe smoking or skateboarding?

 

[mso489]

That's too far a reach as a philosophical question for me. I guess I'd rather have a nine year old tell me they were having fun with a skateboard, provided they had some sense of balance and some sense of caution, but I'd rather anyone over fifty tell me they were taking up pipe smoking and would permanently forgo skateboarding. Peoples' balance tapers off as they age. They don't heal as fast, and after a certain age they're lucky if they heal at all.

I don't see how people survive skateboarding long enough to do the stunts they do, sliding down stair rails and navigating curbs. In middle school I did one of those teeter board stunts with a friend jumping on the other end of a teeter board to launch me into the sky. After that, we had no plan, I had no plan, and broke my wrist. I was with my friends and didn't want to cry, but it hurt way too badly to cry. I carried my arm around in a bandana sling for few days, to school, an finally my mom carted me off the the ER where Dr. Wasniak with caste plaster on his dress shoes, snapped the bone back in place and wrapped it in warm plaster.

 

[Kingsley]

Skateboarding, 100%.

 

[georged]

Skateboarding, 100%.

Did you watch the video?

 

[FurCoat]

Two of my five boys smoke pipes. Two are not of age yet but I'm sure pipes are in their future. As for skateboards, they were banned to them from day one. I got them dirt bikes instead, much safer.

 

[Briar Tuck]

Propaganda, in sufficient quantities, tends to override both morality and reason quite easily.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

For some reason, the video doesn’t show up, Georged. Maybe just my connection.

The closest I ever got to skateboarding was once I sat on one as a kid and rode it down a hill. Whoopee! Ha ha. Now, I get vertigo just looking at one.

 

[bullet08]

Neither. Camping and hiking. And gun safety. My younger son finally shot a gun. He hates guns. I don't get it.

 

[olkofri]

For some reason, the video doesn’t show up, Georged. Maybe just my connection.

Ditto. I get a black rectangle with a "Watch on YouTube" sign. Some videos seem to be geographically restricted.

 

[fireground_piper]

You can be sure the same person who is actively fighting against tobacco is also the same person calling the cops for skateboarding in public property. They are not different people.

 

[georged]

For some reason, the video doesn’t show up, Georged. Maybe just my connection.

It can't be hosted "inside" a forum, apparently.

Here's the link with its first character removed:

ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wqwaIh2tYE

Just add an "h" to the beginning of it, paste in your browser, and hit enter. You'll go straight to YouTube where it will play normally.

 

[Alejo R.]

Did you watch the video?

Do you think you can prevent your children from getting hurt? What are you going to do, spend your whole life watching them?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Ugg! The video just reminds me that I would make the worst paramedic.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I’m guessing that videos of old men burning their tongues doesn’t makes good Hollywood. Ha ha

 

[Auxsender]

Neither. Camping and hiking. And gun safety. My younger son finally shot a gun. He hates guns. I don't get it.

Smart kid.

 

[Alejo R.]

I have done both, I never hurt myself too much skateboarding, but even so I had my good dose of cast and traumatology for other causes. I fell out of a tree, I climbed a library and it fell on me, etc.
My brother was a high performance athlete for 20 years (Rugby player) and that is terrible for anyone's health (any sport) and yet society holds sport in high esteem.
As for there being no tax involved, I don't think so.

 

[Auxsender]

Society's Karens never tire of telling tobacco smokers how evil, horrid, and self-destructive their filthy habit is, and do everything they can to eliminate it altogether while taxing the crap out of it in the meantime.

At the same time, using a skateboard is seen as innocent "playing", the boards are sold everywhere, no taxes involved, and considered "healthy outdoor exercise" for kids.

Hm.

Serious question ---

Would you rather have your teenage son (or daughter) tell you they were taking up pipe smoking or skateboarding?

There is no relation or equivalence between skateboarding and pipe smoking other than they are both activities. This is an absurd question that is not in search of an earnest answer.

 

[SBC]

Skateboarding is just one of many recreational activities common in our society statistically more dangerous than occasional smoking which nobody moralizes against. Heck, commuting to work once a week is more dangerous than smoking 3x a week.

The ethics of risk exist on a sliding scale and nobody seems to remember where on that scale he got sanctimonious about a guy liking the taste of fragrant smoke when he wants to do something as mundane and dangerous as riding a motorcycle.

(But just as funny are the pipe smokers with a felt need for their smoking to be recognized as uber dangerous. Sure, whatever rolls your socks up.)

 

[georged]

There is no relation or equivalence between skateboarding and pipe smoking other than they are both activities. This is an absurd question that is not in search of an earnest answer.

The question was simple and straightforward:

Which activity would you prefer your child to engage in?

I'm not sure how the choice could be made more clear.

 

[bullet08]

Noticing delicate touch of humor among new masses is lacking. Let them smoke the Velvet!