“I’m Dr Joel Ingersoll and today we are going to BUST five myths connected to vaping,” says Ingersoll in his Linkedin video.
‘Ah, great,’ you might be thinking, ‘I’d love to hear from a genuine expert on the subject. One who has his finger on the pulse of current research findings.’ Ten seconds in to the appallingly produced film, suffering from an aural onslaught of white noise, you might be changing your mind.
“So, myth number one: e-cigarettes and vaping are healthier options. What if I told you that you are consuming bleach? Would you drink it?”
Ingersoll is then shown drinking bleach from a container before hamming up spitting into a sink.
“Of course not. These toxins are going to damage your body like benzene, car exhaust, antifreeze. And this is what it does to your insides: it tears them actually up. These are cancer causing neurotoxins.”
Ingersoll then squishes some fruit pudding between his fingers to amplify the danger posed by vaping.
“Myth number two: vaping relaxes you. Nicotine is a stimulant stimulant stimulant stimulant stimulant stimulant. So that’s impossible! What relaxes people is how they breathe and when they vape. So, if you want to relax, take a straw – seven seconds in, seven seconds out.”
Then Ingersoll demonstrates what it must be like to drink from a McCola in Invisibleland.
“Myth number three: everyone does it and it’s cool. It may seem cool now but wait for 5-10 years when the damage is already done. Brain functioning becomes impaired, DNA becomes impaired, and you may suffer from a chronic illness. And, look, this is real! 85% of people who die from lung cancer were smokers. And, one JUUL pod equals twenty cigarettes.”
He claims to hold a Ph.D. and be a “Licensed Psychologist”. Foundation for a Smoke-Free World’s Charles Gardner explains what some academic qualifications actually stand for: “BS = BS…MS = ‘More of the Same’…PhD = ‘Piled Higher and Deeper’.”
The “Certified Master Coach” is a school counsellor who offers advice to others on how to live their lives, particularly students who have parents with money and are susceptible to fear and nonsense. He also sells his services to talk to students at other schools.
“Myth number four: It doesn’t effect academic performance or success.”
He wags a finger at the camera.
“Hang on one second, I’m going to get my brain.”
By now it will surprise nobody that he’s been operating without one. He drops a lump of meat onto a work surface, announcing he’s going to “cut of the functioning of my prefrontal cortex.”
No need Dr Joel, it was never connected.
“How can you be successful with less brain functioning?”
You seem to be coping, Ingersoll.
“And the metals contained in e-cigarettes cause symptoms similar to Parkinson’s. That’s right.”
“Myth number five: there’s no smoke so it doesn’t cause any lung problems. Actually, it causes a condition called ‘popcorn lung’,” adds the charlatan, while turning on a microwave oven. “Which is scarring of the lung tissue – it’s IR-REV-ERSIBLE!”
The popcorn begins to pop.
“Can you hear that? That’s your lungs. These are your lungs burning and scarring.”
Actually, Joel, it’s the sound of our brains collapsing due to the profound level of stupidity you are coming out with. You are a liar who is misrepresenting facts and evidence for personal gain. You are a sociopathic criminal who is putting the lives of smokers at risk with your complete nonsense.
POTV Myth Number One: Employing Dr Ingersoll to speak to your students will benefit them. It won’t. Show them this video featuring Dr Caitlin Notley instead:
Resources:
- Ingersoll’s video – [link]
- Public Health England, Clearing up some myths around e-cigarettes - [link]
- Cancer Research UK, Are e-cigarettes harmful? – [link]
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
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