3 ms·

It seems that for a long time, people possessed an intuitive notion that smoking was bad (it makes you cough, gives you shortness of breath, etc.) but mostly ig

by rms 18y ago

It seems that for a long time, people possessed an intuitive notion that smoking was bad (it makes you cough, gives you shortness of breath, etc.) but mostly ignored that intuition.

LogicHoleFlaw 18y ago
The fact that nicotine is highly addictive probably had some influence there..
rkowalick 18y ago
If you read any old literature, even as far back as the 1800's, you get this feeling. No one ever outright says "this will kill you," but it was certainly regarded as a poor health choice. The one thing that bugs me about this was, as a kid in a health class, I was shown a video of a little girl and her grandma. The girl asked the grandma "Why do you smoke grandma?" The old lady responded "Because when I was your age, nobody knew that smoking was bad for you." The bullcrap we were fed as kids is incredible.
- qwph 18y ago
  Going back as far as 1604, King James I of England had the following to say about smoking: A custome lothsome to the eye, hatefull to the Nose, harmefull to the braine, dangerous to the Lungs, and in the blacke stinking fume thereof, neerest resembling the horrible Stigian smoke of the pit that is bottomlesse. http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~rbear/james1.html http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~rbear/james1.html
  - kingkongrevenge 18y ago
    James was also an evil fascist. Hitler hated smoking. See the pattern?
    - qwph 18y ago
      Stalin didn't hate smoking... http://briarfiles.blogspot.com/2008/06/featured-pipe-smoker-joseph-stalin.html http://briarfiles.blogspot.com/2008/06/featured-pipe-smoker-...
    - eru 18y ago
      "Scholars agree that, in addition to being a teetotaler and a non-smoker, Adolf Hitler practiced some form of vegetarianism." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism_of_Adolf_Hitler http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism_of_Adolf_Hitler) Just for historical curiousity. I do not want to start a debate about the Nazis.
    - pchristensen 18y ago
      Godwin'd!
- netcan 18y ago
  There's a need to have a logical argument. One that can't be drowned with 'but he smokes.' There should be no difference between 'he knows' & ' he's had it pounded into his head daily.' But there is.

by rms 18y ago

It seems that for a long time, people possessed an intuitive notion that smoking was bad (it makes you cough, gives you shortness of breath, etc.) but mostly ignored that intuition.

LogicHoleFlaw 18y ago

The fact that nicotine is highly addictive probably had some influence there..

rkowalick 18y ago

If you read any old literature, even as far back as the 1800's, you get this feeling. No one ever outright says "this will kill you," but it was certainly regarded as a poor health choice. The one thing that bugs me about this was, as a kid in a health class, I was shown a video of a little girl and her grandma. The girl asked the grandma "Why do you smoke grandma?" The old lady responded "Because when I was your age, nobody knew that smoking was bad for you." The bullcrap we were fed as kids is incredible.

qwph 18y ago
Going back as far as 1604, King James I of England had the following to say about smoking: A custome lothsome to the eye, hatefull to the Nose, harmefull to the braine, dangerous to the Lungs, and in the blacke stinking fume thereof, neerest resembling the horrible Stigian smoke of the pit that is bottomlesse. http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~rbear/james1.html http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~rbear/james1.html
- kingkongrevenge 18y ago
  James was also an evil fascist. Hitler hated smoking. See the pattern?
  - qwph 18y ago
    Stalin didn't hate smoking... http://briarfiles.blogspot.com/2008/06/featured-pipe-smoker-joseph-stalin.html http://briarfiles.blogspot.com/2008/06/featured-pipe-smoker-...
  - eru 18y ago
    "Scholars agree that, in addition to being a teetotaler and a non-smoker, Adolf Hitler practiced some form of vegetarianism." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism_of_Adolf_Hitler http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism_of_Adolf_Hitler) Just for historical curiousity. I do not want to start a debate about the Nazis.
  - pchristensen 18y ago
    Godwin'd!
netcan 18y ago
There's a need to have a logical argument. One that can't be drowned with 'but he smokes.' There should be no difference between 'he knows' & ' he's had it pounded into his head daily.' But there is.