Why "loss of productivity" is NOT an issue

[Lorin Rivers]

At 11:12 PM -0500 7/30/01, Jeff Bone wrote:
>Substitute "black people" for "smokers" in the above screed, and feel the
>outrage...  but Lorin will of course --- to his own subtle damnation ---
>reply that one chooses one's own habits but not one's parents...

Not so! I used to like white people when I was white, but I'm not anymore.

>Perhaps more appropriately, then:  I've known several long-time
>vegetarians who claim they can tell if a person eats meat or not simply
>by smell;  some have even claimed that meat-eaters have an offensive
>odor.  Further, for every argument made against smokers --- with the
>exception, perhaps, of the second-hand smoke issue which is more than
>adequately dealt with already --- the *same* general argument can be
>applied against eating meat:  the public health arguments, the utility
>arguments, etc.  Further, the industry required to support carnivores /
>omnivores has a much more devastating environmental impact than simply
>growing tobacco...  so surely it's a damnable thing, and meat eaters are
>to be treated with contempt, derision, exile, increasing persecution, and
>so on.  Right?

Right! I'm a vegetarian, too!

In fact, everyone who is not a native Austinite, fat, balding, 
eschewer of shifting-gears-on-bicycles, Italian motor-vehicle loving, 
vegetarian, non-smoking, formerly white person, can screw right on 
off.

>Ridiculous.  Where does it end?  What constitutes a socially-acceptable
>choice vs. an unacceptable one?  What's next, after meat?  Dairy?
>Carbonated beverages?  Processed sugars?  Twinkies?  Ding dongs?  "Blah,
>blah blah. Fat people are stinky. Our last (hopefully) fat employee just
>left, and the office already smells better."

No, you can't say that, because I am fat. Plus, as a vegetarian I and 
everything that issues from my body smells wonderful.

>Ridiculous.  Or, more to the point:  bigoted.

Huh? Jeff, can I hate Nazis? Or Klan members? Or people who aren't 
handicapped, but park in handicapped spots?

>  > If you smoke, you CAN quit.
>
>Perhaps, Lorin, they don't want to quit.

OK. I wonder if serial killers want to quit. If they don't that's 
probably OK too.

>Tolerance above all else.  When are we going to learn to simply accept
>the circumstances and lifestyle choices of other people, to respect them
>for their good qualities and forgive their "bad" (or just different)
>choices and qualities?

Well, aside from the smoking bit, she was no prize in general. I'm 
tolerant, but that didn't make her smell better.

>(Aside:  My previous mule piece was a satirical attempt to illustrate the
>absurdity in getting all riled up about *any* particular choice somebody
>else makes.  I do think mules in general and on males in particular are
>ludicrous, but hey, whatever...)

What about sling-backs? I look smashing in mine.

>To the productivity argument:  I've been in various work environments
>where the smokers and their smoke breaks formed a kind of impromptu but
>frequent "gravity session" / sync meeting, several times a day;  they
>were more in tune with each other and hence more productive than the
>recluse-like non-smokers.  Many decisions, design points, etc. were
>arrived at during the Activerse years down in the parking garage, amid
>the nasty tobacco haze...

It is possible to have an impromptu meeting without poisons. I 
personally have done it.

-- 

Lorin Rivers                      512.263.1233 x712 v
Product Manager                   512.263.1441 f
REAL Software, Inc.               mailto:lrivers@realsoftware.com
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