"In 1936, the American social scientist Robert Merton wrote an article in which he attempted to formalise what social scientists have long understood, but activists, policymakers and politicians have either ignored or denied. Merton argued that both individual and government actions have effects that are unforeseen, unintended and all too frequently unwelcome."
What was already known in 1936 is increasingly ignored and denied in our times. Policy makers are as prone as ever to madness but have clearly grown more obtuse over the years. ETS is not a valid concern in the first place but of course reality plays no part here. The modern eugenicists essentially contend that ETS is the greatest of all menaces to mankind. Thus they ban smoking everywhere the public congregates, and thus, as columnist John Luik suggests, smokers smoke more at home. The dreaded exposure is displaced rather than reduced. Of course, it never occurs to our eugenic stewards that permitting free choice in public accommodations always did allow smoke-free venues in accordance with demand, while also permitting folks to smoke, or don’t, amongst others who smoke, or don’t, as they please and as the have happily for centuries. Harmony, and a genuinely healthy disregard for ETS health scares, scare the Hell out of Anti. So she has segregated sanity out of society the only way she could, by increments, and by diktats, over decades. Yes, we smoke as much as ever, and no, banning smoking in our homes won’t work either. The vicious reign of anti-smoking fanaticism is coming to an end. We are going to destroy it everywhere.
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