[ Post a Response | The Sublime Desire of Cigarette Smoking ]
Posted by vesperae The topic range of this forum is a partially a subset of the NDSF, but also goes beyond it, is much more specific, and is summarized in the main index header, and in the header of every message here: What I am especially NOT interested in for this forum are lengthy meditations on taking pleasure in what is assumed to be the "helpless, unthinking" addictions of others, especially when it comes from someone who has never smoked, and is completely resigned to never smoke, because these discussions are essentially antithetical to the central premise of this forum - that the smoker has a complex and significant psychological relationship with her/his smoking. That's the reason that I disabled replies in Alicia's "addiction" thread. I hope that she reposts her comments to the NDSF, as I see that Pete already did before I disabled further replies. Her discussion is perfectly valid, perfectly reasonable, and absolutely deserves to be discussed, but there is already an ideal forum for this sort of DS contemplation of others from a distance, and it's the NDSF. Addiction to nicotine is certainly a part of the whole picture of the experience of smoking, but it is neither the most significant or interesting part IMHO, and has been discussed to death everywhere else over and over and over again at this point. Let's go further. Let's go deeper. Let's break some new ground. That's what I'm trying to accomplish here. Now, I have allowed and participated in discussions here that are peripheral to the central topic range (which could give some ample reason to be confused about what is and isn't on topic here), but following Alicia's comments, I decided that it was time to step in and remind us of why we're here, and what makes this forum different from the NDSF. (And to Alicia, if you're reading this, please know that I was on the verge of posting my administrative message anyway, and my reaction is in no way personal to you specifically. I'm sorry that you found my introductory "Please Read Before Posting" comments to be off-putting, but I honestly don't understand why. I state in my comments that the topic range here is bound to be seen as esoteric by some, and that I don't expect that everyone will relate to it. So what? That doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with those who don't get it. We're all different. If you're interested in understanding the seemingly paradoxical idea of taking pleasure in doing something that you know is Dangerous and Risky, great, welcome aboard. If not, you don't have to. But that doesn't mean that you have the right to change the subject just because you aren't interested in relating to it. I sometimes feel like I'm hosting a forum intended for bicycling enthusiasts, with some vocal participants who have never even been on a bike, but who still feel that they are perfectly qualified to tell me why I'm wrong about my personal thoughts on the appeal of cycling, and then decide to use the forum to talk about how much it turns them on to see women/men in bicycling shorts. Now, "spectators" are perfectly welcome to comment, and to discuss my thoughts and to even express dissent, but I am much more interested in hearing from those that actually "cycle", and I suspect that most of the other "spectators" who read this forum would be as well. The other main difference between the NDSF and this forum is that I'd like to keep the discussions open and accessible to smokers who don't have a SF, but happen to find their way here anyway, like our friend Bill, who hasn't checked in for awhile. Now, I'm not naive. I know that the vast and overwhelming majority of visitors here have a SF with significant DS interests, and I respect and appreciate their visits and participation. But I would like to at least try to also allow the participation of a larger population, and I think that everyone would enjoy the discussions here a lot more if this were the case. And again, there is no point in duplicating the NDSF. My administrative message was a long time in coming, and I finally reached the point where I felt that we were at risk of starting to duplicate too much of it, and felt the need to refocus things. I hope that this clears up at least some of your confusion, and that of anyone else out there who shares your feelings. Cheers, * * * * *vesperae
on August 8, 2007, 1:09 am, in reply to "Re: Please Read / Refocusing Our Purpose Here"
Hey SpyPlane, 
What has become increasingly clear throughout the discussions here over the last year is that if you don't smoke and enjoy it, or have never been seriously tempted to smoke, it is very, very difficult to wrap your head around the Sublime attraction of cigarette smoking. It's one thing to get turned on by the Danger/Risk aspect in the smoking of others, but an entirely different thing to understand it firsthand, or to want to try to relate to the firsthand experience. And this is perhaps the most significant distinction between the NDSF and this forum, and why I specifically asked that we prioritize discussions about the firsthand experiences of smokers.
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