Things you often Wonder

[snowychap]

7 hours ago, turvontour said:

When will Christmas start to be phased out? 200 years from now? 500 years?

 

Hardly anyone I know has a clue what Christmas is anymore, in its truest sense, and yet the ‘celebration’ of it is getting more and more grotesque/extreme with time. I went to church Sunday and Wednesday every week as a child, and prayed every day, my parents still go occasionally. I probably wouldn't class myself as a Christian now, I'm not sure. I love Christmas. But I love the excuse to binge eat and drink for days on end, I love the presents for the children, I love the relaxed attitude to work for a complete month where our office focuses on Secret Santa, parties, games etc (and I love that that’s accepted), I love the time off. But my actions/thoughts make absolutely zero reference to the subject/topic in hand at any point across the period; it’s truly bizarre.

 

I refer to the phasing out of Christmas as presumably there are fewer and fewer practising Christians in the UK each year (or even those that identify with a religion), while smaller religions such as Islam will grow, and therefore the need for weeks off work, lavish parties etc will be no longer necessary? Or is it too important to the economy and will be protected?

You wot? Is this argument predicated on the idea that christmas is fundamentally a christian religious occasion?

 

p.s. I hate christmas.

Edited October 17, 2017 by snowychap

[HanoiVillan]

To be fair, @turvontour gives a very generous time horizon of 200 or 500 years, in which it certainly seems possible that Christmas might have changed beyond all recognition or disappeared entirely. 

200 years ago from today, Christmas wasn't seen as a particularly important holiday and many people didn't stop labouring over the period. Amongst the Christmas traditions yet to be invented were decorated trees, Christmas cards, Christmas crackers, giving gifts (formerly mostly done at New Year) and eating turkey. 

[Chindie]

Christmas trees are actually decidedly un-Christian. The Bible specifically states you shouldn't cut down and decorate trees as idols iirc.

Which isn't surprising as the entire concept is a pagan festival Christianity nicked to encourage people to convert. 'Hey, we've still got your winter festival you like so much!'.

[Chindie]

Something I have wondered recently - will cigarettes become 'cool' again?

I've noticed walking around town an increase in the past year or so of younger people who are obviously fashion conscious smoking. A few years ago you basically never saw young people smoking. Now you see loads of people in their 30s and up vaping obviously, but not so many young people.

I think the nature of vaping being just on the side of geeky, and a bit... involved, finicky, whatever... means they come off as less cool than cigarettes, and I wonder whether we might see a switch soon where cigarettes pick up the thing they had in the 30s through the 50s, where they were cool and ask the stars smoked. I wonder whether we might get a small resurgence in younger smokers afterwards. Obviously not to the same degree because of the ad rules etc.

[Stevo985]

1 minute ago, Chindie said:

Something I have wondered recently - will cigarettes become 'cool' again?

I've noticed walking around town an increase in the past year or so of younger people who are obviously fashion conscious smoking. A few years ago you basically never saw young people smoking. Now you see loads of people in their 30s and up vaping obviously, but not so many young people.

I think the nature of vaping being just on the side of geeky, and a bit... involved, finicky, whatever... means they come off as less cool than cigarettes, and I wonder whether we might see a switch soon where cigarettes pick up the thing they had in the 30s through the 50s, where they were cool and ask the stars smoked. I wonder whether we might get a small resurgence in younger smokers afterwards. Obviously not to the same degree because of the ad rules etc.

I think smoking in general is becoming less and less popular. I think it's jumped the shark in terms of being cool.

Maybe it will come back around, but I think the health risks are so well known these days and the restrictions on them are so strong that it'll continue to decline.

[lapal_fan]

Smoking is just the worst innit.

Even if it doesn't kill you and your family, you'll still end up looking like a used teabag after about 20 years of doing it. 

Never seen the point.  My in laws used to smoke (well I've only ever seen my father in law smoke on holiday, which I copped and now he doesn't do that either ), but it took life saving surgery on my mother in-law (acid burned through her duodenum as a result of her smoking) for her to quit, despite multiple attempts.  Funny how imminent death can change your cravings innit? 

[Stevo985]

I smoke occasionally when I'm out drinking, depending on who I'm out with.

Luckily the addiction has never got me. I've been on lad's weekends where I've smoked like a chimney for 3 or 4 days. Then gone back home and not touched a cigarette for months.

[tonyh29]

14 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

I smoke occasionally when I'm out drinking, depending on who I'm out with.

Luckily the addiction has never got me. I've been on lad's weekends where I've smoked like a chimney for 3 or 4 days. Then gone back home and not touched a cigarette for months.

same  , though not like a chimney  ... I'll have a couple if I'm in a bar that allows it , no way am I going outside to stand under a lean to with a B&Q heater though

also , depends which group of mates I'm with as well , as the main group , surprisingly , we don't have a single smoker amongst us

[choffer]

2 hours ago, Chindie said:

I think the nature of vaping being just on the side of geeky, and a bit... involved, finicky, whatever... means they come off as less cool than cigarettes, and I wonder whether we might see a switch soon where cigarettes pick up the thing they had in the 30s through the 50s, where they were cool and ask the stars smoked. I wonder whether we might get a small resurgence in younger smokers afterwards. Obviously not to the same degree because of the ad rules etc.

I saw a "joke" recently which went along the lines of:

Doctor - Do you smoke?

Patient - No, I vape

Doctor - No point asking the next question about active sex life then.

 

Not sure it's necessarily relevant but as a smoker of many years, I'm prepared to take the stigma. 4 weeks of vaping instead of smoking and I'm already feeling the benefits. Already down to a low dosage of nicotine too so I'd imagine I'll be quitting the vape within 6 months or so.

 

In answer to your question though - given the price of smokes these days, it's a wonder anyone can afford to do it so I'd doubt the younger crowd will be taking it up in droves. 

[AVFCDAN]

Vaping not cool? Have you not heard of Vape Nation?

[sharkyvilla]

I've noticed that smoking has become far more frequent in TV programmes recently.  It might be due Netflix etc taking over from network TV so there is less pressure on them to cut it out.  I wouldn't be surprised if younger people are getting influenced by that.

[Xela]

7 hours ago, Stevo985 said:

I smoke occasionally when I'm out drinking, depending on who I'm out with.

Luckily the addiction has never got me. I've been on lad's weekends where I've smoked like a chimney for 3 or 4 days. Then gone back home and not touched a cigarette for months.

I'm the same (sometimes). Couple of my best mates were smokers and after a few scoops I'd start. But like you, never felt the craving the next day. 

[Xela]

9 hours ago, Chindie said:

Something I have wondered recently - will cigarettes become 'cool' again?

I've noticed walking around town an increase in the past year or so of younger people who are obviously fashion conscious smoking. A few years ago you basically never saw young people smoking. Now you see loads of people in their 30s and up vaping obviously, but not so many young people.

It seems to be, in my experience, younger women that smoke more then men of the same age

[Seat68]

I am in a fairly well paid job, an ex smoker but I gave up in 2002, I look at it now and think there is no way I could afford to smoke, let alone all of the evidence that it would kill me.

[Rugeley Villa]

I've been meaning to post this for years. Is there a worse smell than baby shit? 

[Rugeley Villa]

I'm so glad I never smoked. i see blokes at work that buy 20 a day and that's without anything else they buy for work. 

[mjmooney]

9 minutes ago, Rugeley Villa said:

I've been meaning to post this for years. Is there a worse smell than baby shit? 

Millions of things. I find (and I've had to do it all over again as a grandparent) that I adapt remarkably quickly to the smell of baby shit. 

Rotting garbage, vomit, and in my case, cooked spinach, all trigger my gag reflex instantly, where baby shit just produces a "Poo, smelly!" Beano-style chuckle. 

[Rugeley Villa]

Just now, mjmooney said:

Millions of things. I find (and I've had to do it all over again as a grandparent) that I adapt remarkably quickly to the smell of baby shit. 

Rotting garbage, vomit, and in my case, cooked spinach, all trigger my gag reflex instantly, where baby shit just produces a "Poo, smelly!" Beano-style chuckle. 

It proper makes me gag where I have to hold my breath. I can take to most things, but bitter baby shit really gets me. 

[Rugeley Villa]

The portable toilets on site is pretty grim. When the wagons come to clean them out and empty them it's horrendous.

[Xela]

3 hours ago, Rugeley Villa said:

I've been meaning to post this for years. Is there a worse smell than baby shit? 

Rotting corpses?