TPG4 Anti-smoking Zealots are Bullies

There is nothing worse than a fanatic with a cause. I can't remember where I heard this, but it is true in the case of anti-smoking lobbyists. I would never argue that smoking is good for you, but is enjoying tobacco the worst thing in the world? Perhaps to someone who has the time and wherewith all to join a lobby group. What a sense of power, what a rush that must be to actually change the laws of the country, and dictate to others how they must live their lives. Congratulations! You have made my life miserable.


Has anyone really looked at this social movement? I have been bombarded with insulting anti-smoking commercials and questionable propaganda/research. I have been segregated from people as if I were a leper by laws that are humiliating and unfair. If you think past go, you can see this whole movement is social bullying. This whole campaign has become hateful and downright mean. It reminds me very much of getting bullied on the playground as a kid. The strong pick on the weak. That's the law of the animal kingdom.

This could be construed as a class war. The privileged don't want these dirty people messing up their perfect little world. These privileged people feel compelled to minister unto others regarding adult behavior. Fair or unfair they get their point across. They have the power! I would bet that the majority of smokers are the unpowerful - the poor! Anybody check that? I would like to question all this research that says smoking causes everything from cancer to herpes. Smoking or second-hand smoke that's it? Causes everything? Hmmm... Can't prove that can you?

When I see the bars and graphs on the packages of smokes of how "smoking killed a small town last year", I have to wonder...

Most importantly, did they control for socio-economic status?

Who smokes more? Advantaged or relatively disadvantaged? Do you even know?

Did they control for diet, exercise, or stress?
How about genetics? Half my family on both sides have died of cancer. None of them smoked or were near second-hand smoke. Can cancer simply run in the family?
The closest to a comprehensive study on health determinants that I have seen, is a PBS special on determinants of health and longevity. Unnatural Causes: In Sickness and in Wealth was a very interesting program. According to them the biggest health determinant hands-down is socio-economic status. It is stronger than smoking, drinking, drugs etc. Poor nutrition, stress at work, little control over their lives are cited as factors having the biggest influence on physiological and psychological problems in poorer North Americans. http://www.pbs.org/unnaturalcauses/
Even if you are part of the poorer crowd, you still need some kind of relaxation or reward for hard work. Okay, let's go out to a movie. You need transportation, a movie ticket, maybe a drink and some popcorn. Oh yeah, if you have kids, you will also need a babysitter. Minimum $30 per person for a night out - approximately 2 hours of (probably guilt ridden) entertainment, and you are too broke to go for a coffee after. It better be one hell of a movie. When you are living on mac and cheese, this a lot of money! This is not a relaxing night at the symphony or the theatre, dressed to the nines and feasting on some elite chef's $100 pate de foie gras!


I can see why poorer people choose buying a package of smokes that lasts a couple of days, with satiation every couple hours. Hmm... even at $10 per pack, (the heavy price being greatly influenced by the anti-smoking zealots) that sounds like a reasonable option. In other words, stay home, make some popcorn and watch a movie. Or, quit smoking so you can go on one cheap night out per week.

Because smokers are beneath contempt, even a small break like going for walk and stopping for a coffee and smoke is now impossible. The laws have made it quite clear who belongs in this world and who doesn't. Smokers are sentenced to being at home unless you enjoy a smoke standing outside at -30. Nowadays smokers are lucky to even find a place to live. Where did all this hate come from?

The whole movement started as a health concern. Everyone gets emotional over cancer. But it is a complex disease. Unfortunately, it has been reduced to one cause and one villain - smoking and smokers. If this was the case, illegalize smoking and cancer is cured. The methods used to supposedly help people to stop smoking are disgusting and hateful. According to the ads, smokers are unattractive, have filthy teeth, they smell, they are lazy and they are obviously not too bright. If these kinds of things were said about a race or any other minority it would be considered a hate crime.

Imagine what this kind of bullying does to one's self esteem? Now add to this, the humiliation of not being allowed to join the 'others' anywhere! Not being allow to smoke in a bar is ridiculous. Alcohol consumption is cool, we have a seat for you. But smoking? - Go OUTSIDE! Number one, its cold outside and I would like to sit please. The worst thing about standing outside is the social stigma, people glaring and sneering at you as they walk by. Perhaps even a put-down or two to remind you of who you are - less than. Ironically, of the 12 people in the bar, 10 of them probably smoke. There are more people outside the bar than in. This doesn't sound like health concern to me, it reminds me of bullies in the school yard. Rich people telling me how to live my life. All a smoker gets from this social movement are feelings of shame, frustration, depression, anxiety and low self-esteem.

Lets talk about adults making their own decisions. In the good old days, I would walk at least a mile everyday. My reward was reaching a target destination where I could sit down, do some writing while enjoying a coffee and a smoke. The exercise was great, but the simple fact I could participate inside society and be treated as a human being, was good for my physical and my psychological well being. I was Happy!! There is another site I have come across that says being happy can buy you an extra 5 to 10 years. Here is one of numerous sites that talk about the health implications of happiness: http://www.researchmatters.ku.edu/2009/march/happy.shtml


Maybe I am a weakling, I need a reward at the end of the walk. Hmm... do others reward themselves with a treat after a work out? Remember even going out for a cup of coffee is relatively costly. The other reward that seems to satiate is food. Since poor people typically can not afford "good" food, carbohydrates prevail. More than 10 years ago, I made a comment to a table of friends. "Most people gain weight when they quit smoking. These types of zealots have to have somebody's ass to pick, so I bet within the next ten years they will be picking on the fat people!" Sounds prophetic now, but even way back then I had several people agree with me regarding the 'picking-on' part of my statement. There will be bullies always! They don't change a lot when they grow-up, just become a little more sophisticated with their talent to make people feel less than human, even a monster.

Here is where an adult decision comes in...

As a teenager, I weighed 60% more than I should have. It took me 5 years and a lot of discipline, sacrifice, exercise and yes, smoking to attain a BMI of 20. For a lot of people smoking is a very effective appetite suppressant. I looked so forward to my daily walk, it made me fit and happy! I am now confined to my residence.


Let's talk health costs! I have paid huge taxes (100% now) on every package of smokes I have bought during the course of my life. In other words, I have paid for my cancer! I want a private room and a good looking nurse. Hey, within six months, I am gone - no problem. If I quit smoking, no more taxes in the kitty, I quit exercising, gain weight and develop type 2 diabetes. OH MY! Think of the health care costs of that disease? And, it lasts for years...


First I find it hard to believe the research as it has been set out by the anti-smoking zealots. The ban from a social life reduces my physical activity. The vicious ads and social stigmga that has been attached to an otherwise happy and reasonably well-adjusted individual have been brutal to my social self and my self-esteem. Think past go! You took away my happiness and replaced it with the feeling that I am on the playground again, at the mercy (ha ha) of those stronger than myself.

e-mail: xntrkpublishing@gmail.com

TPG3 What Part of The House Wins Do They Not Understand?

Every single night for almost 5 years, on my way home, I had only one thought running through my mind...

What Part of The House Wins Do They Not Understand?

Of all the addictive type people I have met in my life, alcoholics, druggies, etc., gamblers are the the ones with the least ability to Think Past Go!

Casinos work on fixed and immutable odds in their favor. It is a very profitable Business!

People come to the casino every day before the machines or tables open. They enjoy the security of the building and the courteousness of the waitresses serving breakfast. Guess what? Costs to the casino to provide all this mid-morning comfort are not covered by the purchase of ham and eggs and a cup of coffee...

Costs?
Land the building is sitting on
Structural building
Maintenance - plumbing, electrical, sidewalks etc.
Utility bills - electricity wow slot machines, water, cable...
Staff - Servers, chefs, maintenance, security, cashiers, dealers, and management salaries...

Breakfast is over, the 'Machines' open and the dealers are checking the cards...
The race is on. People are claiming their favourite machines (probly the same one they played last night until closing).
There are three people sitting at the Blackjack table already. Are these people exceptional mathematicians? Obviously not, or they would work at the casino. Can they at least Think Past Go?

All day long the 'Players', as the casino likes to call them, fight the odds - fixed and immutable odds.

Ask any dealer what a whiner is? Its the cards fault, the dealers' fault, the casinos' fault, even the other players' fault... ALL Day Long!

Player: out loud "I hate this dealer, he/she always takes my money"

Dealer: "I pay and take bets, that is my job. I promise that I will not reach over the table into your pockets and take your money. However, once you put your money on the table as a bet, it becomes HOPE's money..."

These people are depressed because their HOPE is writing checks that the statistical probability can't cash (forgive me lol). No they do not have the ability to Think Past Go?

Dealer's Note: If you want to learn about someone's personality, don't use personality tests - play games with them.

In the movie Casino with Robert De Niro, his character describes very accuarately the phenomenon of casinos, something to the effect of, "We sell HOPE for cash"

Alcoholics are usually escaping from some sort of pain they can't seem to resolve, but gamblers have another idea. They are going to spend their money on redemption. The gamblers' falicy, HOPE! Maybe it is a human falicy? I always have hope, but you gotta Think Past Go!

Look at the Bigger Picture!

The casinos are not somehow subsidized by some government project to spread wealth around to those who feel deserving.

The casinos not only make enough money to pay all their overhead (see costs), but also make a tidy little profit for themselves. So much so that the casinos in our province are now substantially owned by international interests.

And this is their profit AFTER the government and the charities get their cut.

The Government of Alberta for example, makes as much or more in gaming, as they do in oil royalties.

Gamblers live in a dream world. Just take a small step back and Look at the Bigger Picture!

Do the Math! Think Past Go!

It gets better! As a public servant for over 35 years, I have a million of them and they are ALL TRUE! (names and places are changed to protect the stupid)
Stay tuned for the next edition of ...
Think Past Go!

e-mail: xntrkpublishing@gmail.com

TPG Transit Tale 2: What Exactly Is It You Want?

I know that it is a big wide scary world out there, but there are some basic skills one should really try to develop.

First social rule for people wanting "Service'' from another - let them in on it!

You might know what you want, but the person trying desperately to help you is not a mind reader.

Yes, another transit example: Imagine taking a dozen or more phone calls like this everyday. Sitting at your desk in a city office somewhere downtown...

Transit Information Clerk: "Good Morning Calgary Transit Information"

Transit Passenger 2: "What time does the bus come?

Transit Information Clerk: pause " ummm...Where?"

Transit Passenger 2 (sternly): "My House!"

Transit Information Clerk: (pause and sigh) " ah...Where is your house?"

Transit Passenger 2 (Now with anger): "In Calgary! That is where I called isn't it!"

The conversation can continue for quite some time as you can well imagine...

Or, as I used to do...

"Can you hold please?"

(Now they have time to think...)

It gets better! As a public servant for over 35 years, I have a million of them and they are ALL TRUE! (names and places are changed to protect the stupid)

Stay tuned for the next edition of ...

Think Past Go!

e-mail: xntrkpublishing@gmail.com

Think Past Go! Introduction toTPG©

This blog is dedicated to all those hard working public servants out there whose lives would be so much easier if people could (or would?) simply, Think Past Go! Now by public servants, I mean the ones in the trenches, e.g. the "Service Industry". Minimum wage and all the shit you can stand. There is a lighter side however, and this my focus.

My Father was a kind-hearted easy going trucker and it would take a lot to piss him off. However there were times after witnessing 'performances' of stupidity, he would shake his head and say, "Some people just can't think past go."

Thinking Past Go? It means, thinking past your first reaction or behaviour to a situation. It may seem to refer to critical thinking skills, nope not quite. It also includes to ability to see others past yourself, but you may have to Think Past Go alone.

Some of the best examples of Not Thinking Past Go are on the city transit system. You know what I'm talking about...

At a major bus stop downtown at rush hour, people are searching the numbers of the many buses pulling in and out, looking for their special ride home. I suppose it can be a little shaky finding your bus, getting to the door, showing your pass and finding a seat, but it is this last part people seem to have trouble with...

Passenger 1 (Thinking not saying): "O boy, I am first on the bus, gotta find a place for me! Hey look a pole right in front of me, I better grab it!"

Bus Driver (Thinking not saying): "There are 50 other people trying to get on the bus behind you and 50 empty seats ahead of you...

MOVE BACK!

FIND A SEAT!
DON'T GRAB THE FIRST POLE AND STOP! "

Please Think Past Go!

It gets better! As a public servant for over 35 years, I have a million of them and they are ALL TRUE! (names and places are changed to protect the stupid)


Stay tuned for the next edition of ...

Think Past Go!

e-mail: xntrkpublishing@gmail.com