First things first. This is likely to be the last blog entry for the forseeable future. Now, on to business ...
Over the weekend, I happened to come across a column written by Fiona Phillips - a journalist and one of the former hosts of the now defunct GMTV - who writes for the Daily Mirror. I've come across articles written by her before, so know that she has leanings towards the socialist left in her outlook. I actually agree with her on quite a few issues (the paucity of care for the elderly, how dementia is a debilitating disease and not enough money is pumped into it etc), but I also profoundly disagree with her on a great many other issues.
Her latest column is about how Theresa May has selective hearing when it comes to grammar schools and how she thinks this is wrong because it introduces 'selection' into the process. She completely misses the point that our whole lives are based upon selection - from being 'selected' through your application for specific courses in University, to being 'selected for your local rugby or football team, through to being 'selected' to take up a job as a result of your CV and interview. Selection happens at every level of our lives so in my opinion why shouldn't children be introduced to the concept at an early age ?
Anyway, I digress. The reason I picked up on her column was something else entirely and is what I want to talk about in this blog.
Have a read of her comments in the screenshot below, captured from her (above referenced) column.
I've highlighted the phrase that caught my eye in the text - SOCIAL APARTHEID !!
In her favour, I actually thought that to be a brilliant phrase - one that both Vapers and Smokers should be using a lot in future conversations with the (predominantly) left-leaning Public Health 'experts'. Undoubtedly it is NOT the way that Fiona would like it to be used, but its application is just as valid the way I am using it.
Fiona is using that phrase to point out why (in her opinion), Therea May's obsession with Grammar Schools introduces that concept. But what she has hit on is actually a completely correct concept.
In my opinion, today's society already practices Social Apartheid. Wherever Smokers are gathered in (so-called) public spaces, they are increasingly forced out into the cold as social lepers. Indeed, many authorities are even trying to put plans through to prohibiting smokers from smoking even outside with their 'smoke-free spaces'.
Of course, Vapers are not exempt to this kind of behaviour either. An increasing number railway stations and operators, bus stations and operators, hotels, pubs and sporting stadia also treat Vapers as social pariahs, despite there being not a shred of evidence of harm from Vaping.
Bearing in mind that both Smoking and Vaping are LEGAL behaviours, then surely all of the above are prime examples of SOCIAL APARTHEID.
Racial apartheid, such as that practiced in South Africa until our relatively recent past, was quite rightly abhorred across the world and pressure brought to bear on their authorities to end the practice.
In my opinion, Social Apartheid is no different because it attempts to exclude law-abiding members of society from engaging in normal society simply because they like to do (a legal) something that society disapproves of. In fact, it is not even society that disapproves of such behaviour. It is Public Health organisations that have brainwashed the general public into treating it that way with questionable science and proclamations, aided and abetted by phoney sock-puppet organisations such as ASH (the so-called Vaper's friend that supports vaping bans continuously).
Ask most members of the public if they are bothered by smoking or vaping and majority of them will answer 'No'. Society has adopted a concept of the minority dictating the behaviour of the majority and it has to stop NOW.
So a big thankyou to Fiona Phillips for introducing the concept of 'Social Apartheid' to my armoury of weapons I can use it to fight back against vaping (and smoking) bans. I didn't agree with what Fiona said in the column, but I do agree that 'Social Apartheid' is a thing and that it must be fought vigorously.
Funny how inspiration for blogs can come from the strangest of places isn't it ?
