How The Vape Stole Christmas

How The Vape Stole Christmas

     You could more easily find perspective by sticking your head into a spinning blender- before you would from social media. We've heard the pitch concept; Social media is an overlapping utopia, where conversations consume you and offer warm benediction. 

                                             ...but this is not this... is it, Stanley?

               Somewhere underneath the terror of fanatical theology and your Aunt Sally raising rich television personalities to martyr status- a very quiet fire died in the vaping world. I'm talking about this: 

  

For a glorious second in time- Vapor Shark (located in Miami Florida)  became the symbol for the gnawing oppression of E- Cigarette users everywhere. Or the biggest pieces of shit on planet Earth. 

Located in the skies of I95; The Vapor Shark purchased a billboard space that blandly skewered the iconic Santa Claus; sticking an undefined mod in his white glove and captioned it with a (past it's prime) internet meme. Example: I Don't Always use tired internet meme's, but when I do, I make sure they aren't funny.

  Immediately the sign drew the ire of both Child Safety and E-Cigarette proponents. 

  Posting the sign to their facebook page  - a rift in the vaping community divided people as to whether or not the sign reinforces the newly lamented stereotype, that: Electronic Cigarette companies-and their assortment of flavored nicotine juices- target their products to children. 

It Takes balls to piss off your opponents...but it takes advertising to piss off your advocates...

   One customer took to the Vapor Shark social media page to offer this;

" you're feeding right into the concerns of public health folks that you're targeting children."

Another vaper offered this opinion;

"should we also get rid of alcohol signs so kids won't become alcoholic's?"

From the Desk of The Vape Association

  Ironically enough; The Vape Association group page (where members of Vaping's largest discount program gather online to share thoughts with other vaper's and store owners) had just encountered a similar image. 

On December 13th this image was posted to our group page:

When asked about my position on using images typically aimed at Children in reference to adult products, my initial reaction was

"Some people need to feel controversial to feel human..."

But it did beg a better question. While people became obsessive regarding targeting children- or at least- protecting our ass and avoiding being perceived as targeting children; I started to wonder if there is a moral line. Should there even be a moral line? 

    Because you can say something does that make it okay to say it? Immediately, back wood constitutional scholars (otherwise known as would be politicos) will rush to defend your right to use any idea-at anytime- as protected  by Amendment 1. Furthermore- the image of a fictional character can be considered the use of "pure speech" and is completely lawful regardless of what context it's used in. 

Vapor Shark could have said, "Santa Blows clouds in the faces of Elf Children because he loves the grimacing faces of sweat drenched kiddy laborers in slavery." 

Vapor Shark didn't say anything remotely close to that... nor do I believe that anyone would, but if you concede to the fact that bringing up pretend mythological laborers is a piss poor idea- then you concede to the idea that there is, in fact, a line that shouldn't be crossed. 

Placing Santa in compromised positions for any agenda is a classless idea. Yes, he's been in some unsavory spots before. 

Santa has loved the pipe kids...

He's even been off the wagon a few times 

But is this the culture that you want? Is it really bravery that causes the vaping culture to stand on the tracks and dare a train to pass through- or is it an embittered reaction to the lies and makeshift science that has labeled us as an unsavory lot?  

Some in the vaping community feel that we have to embrace the stereo types to rid ourselves of them. Like adopting a racial slur as a pet name to take the sting of it's original context. 

Other's attribute reckless egotism as being the culprit that perpetuates the underground "fuck 'em" vaping attitude. 

In the center of these arguments is the reality... the reality that controversy is the vaping world's closest friend. The primal need to do something bad for us. Even if it's not really...that bad.

When Dr. Mike Feinstein, a spokesman for the American Lung Association told an ABC affiliate that; “People are inhaling some type of chemical vaporized compound into their lungs without really knowing what's in it," 

You have to wonder if he understood the inherent desire to do something wrong. Did he know that this report and others like it, would contribute to the massive sales of vaping- in particular to people who should not vape...people who like doing things they are told not to do...people like... kids. 

 If this guy strikes you as a morally bankrupt shit for brains... you have to ask yourself... why are we going with his marketing strategy? 

Why do things that may or may not contribute to the concept of vapers as the evil cousin to Beelzebub- even strike us as time worthy? Are we out of interesting marketing concepts?  No more funny banter?

 Oh goodness, did you use Santa as a vaper? Amazing. You're a regular Don Draper.  

Why do we want the right to do the things that big tobacco, big alcohol and big assholes have done? Can't we be a community that places a premium on learning from the mistakes of death merchants?  We quit didn't we... it's ok to not identify as smokers now...isn't it? 

Is there a line? A place you respect...maybe just out of the understanding for society and the concept of prosperity... is there a line? 

Let's be smart enough to know that there is no line...and let's be good enough to pretend that there is- because sometimes hurting people's ideas for the sake of a dollar makes you many dollars... but it always makes you a jerk-off ... and sooner or later we will become the people that made this:

The views and opinions expressed by MoocH 1 are not necessarily those shared by TheTVAshow sponsors, guests, that of the TVA and/or the human race. MoocH is certifiably wacky. But not zany. Never call MoocH zany...you wouldn't like him when he's zany...

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