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#41
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A Politically Incorrect Postage Stamp
On Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:18:04 -0400, Tracy_Barber wrote:
One very weird but VERY serious problem some people face is the intake of perfume, deodorants or other "smelly nicey" things. There was such a woman at a place I did some consulting. Talk about walk on tiptoes. It was a very serious condition and although the in-house staff knew about it, I wonder how many other people did? I heard she had at least one "attack" while at work. This was nobody's fault - really - but how do we know? And just this past weekend, to go full circle, a friend at a stamp meeting was very upset about a plane flight he was on in which he couldn't *open* a bag of peanuts. He seemed not to be aware that aerosolized peanut flour can cause fatal anaphylaxis in seriously- allergic people. It's all on a continuum. Presumably some people avoid parks where dogs are allowed due to life-threatening dog allergies. I, for one, have to enlist a friend to buy my dye- and perfume-free laundry detergent for me because I cannot even walk down the aisle in the store without a serious allergic reaction. And I can't really go on picnics either -- not even semi-mandatory corporate picnics -- because I react to lawn grass the way most people do to poison oak (and poison oak hospitalizes me.) The main phenomenon with smoking is that the zeitgeist has changed. Yes, it is true that the health risks of ambient smoke in public outdoor locales is drastically overplayed -- but culturally, the mores in many locales have shifted to the point that even non-risky smoke is eschewed. For those who think I'm being insensitive to those who despise secondhand smoke, note that I can't even *walk* *into* a grassy park, especially if the grass has recently been cut, whether or not smoking is allowed there. My tax dollars are contributing to the maintenance for that park, and it would be insane for me to insist that all city parks be covered in gravel for the benefit of those like me. It is an irony that in California, where one is not allowed to smoke in bars, the bartenders will continue to serve one drinks well past the point of sobriety without inquiring as to whether the person has driven to the bar or not. And I absolutely guarantee you that the risk from a single drunk driver on a single night exceeds, nearly infinitely, the risk of contracting terminal lung cancer from one afternoon in a park where someone is smoking. No, I don't like cigarette smoke either. But a bit of perspective is called for, methinks. -- Joshua H. McGee, Los Angeles, California, USA Member: APS, ATA, ISWSC, AFDCS, MBPC, MCC, BPS President: http://www.penguinstamps.org Trade?: http://www.mcgees.org/stamp-offers/ |
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#42
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A Politically Incorrect Postage Stamp
"Joshua McGee" wrote in message
... No, I don't like cigarette smoke either. But a bit of perspective is called for, methinks. And some tolerance and compassion for those who cannot quit too. -- Victor Manta |
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