e-cigs are bad, m’kay?

It didn't take long after I discovered vaping to realize that there are people out there who are opposed to vaping. As I encountered more anti-vaping coverage in the media, and a few anti-vapers in the wild, I began to form an opinion about the opposition. They’re all idiots.

Yeah, I know, that’s not very kind of me, but it is exceedingly difficult to not question the intelligence of anyone who repeats statements about e-cigs being bad just because some of them look like cigarettes, or about how all flavored e-juice is targeted at kids because kids like flavors. And then there are the people who wave their arms around while fake coughing and then complains about the stench of smoke… Really? If smoke smells like vanilla custard in your world, then I say lets light a big ass fire, because this shit smells yummy!

The thing is, there’s a bit more than simple stupidity going on with some of these people. Or less. If the more/less scale is a measure of reasoned critical oppositions then there is definitely more less than more going on… more or less. Some of these people are really opposed to vaping. They aren't just buying into the oppositional frenzy. They've got some deep rooted animosity towards vaping going on. There’s no telling what it’s rooted in, it may be some kind of childhood trauma, or an inferiority complex. But they really do seem to believe that vaping is bad, evil, and nasty. I strongly suspect that some of them believe that vaping is the new Satan. Or maybe they believe that satan spends his time puffing away on an electronic cigarette, because, surely, they believe that he is still down in the underworld just waiting to devour the souls of the sinful and the immoral… and vapers.

Okay, so this has turned into a bit of a grump fest, so it’s time to turn thing around with a few thoughts on how to counter some of the negative voices… .

• Normalization. The very thing that some vaping opponents are afraid of. Normalization is your friend. The more that people see vaping the less they see it as a scary unknown. The more they see it as normal, non-intrusive, non-offensive behavior, the less likely they are to support those that want to regulate e-cigs into oblivion.
• Know your audience. Seriously, that person over there with two kids and an infant in a stroller? They don’t want to hear us extolling the virtues of vaping, or defending it as a safer, non-polluting alternative to smoking. They just want relatively clean air for their kids… respect that. 
• Ignore the zealots, they can’t be reasoned with, and short of a brain transplant, there is probably no way they’ll change their mind. But do pay attention to their arguments, and be prepared to counter them when you hear them again.
• And of course, speak up! Write to your local, state, and federal representatives. Write to the editor when local media runs an anti-vaping story. Don’t just type up some online comment, email, or better yet, write out and physically mail a letter when possible. Provide counter points to the anti vaping arguments, and provide sources!
• Finally, and this is important, don’t be vulgar or crass. If we sound like radical counter culture extremists, then we’ll likely be treated as such and not be taken seriously.