RedEye Master

Ok, this is something I wrote way back when I joined Yahooka. I thought it might fit in here better than it did back then. This is still something I feel pretty strong about. Some people will say I'm drawing lines that don't need to be drawn, or making pointless distinctions between terms. The term isn't what is important, it's the idea behind it. It's about being a responsible user.

Just gonna take this time to share my beliefs on being a stoner, etc.
As far as I see it, there is a distinct difference between being a stoner, and being a pothead. Some people use the terms interchangably, but I don't. I am a proud stoner, but hate being called a pothead.

A stoner smokes pot, but his/her life does not revolve around it. A stoner will smoke pot responsibly, and realizes there is a time and a place for consuming marijuana. A true stoner realizes his/her personal limitations, and is aware of how marijuana will positively or negatively affect their work, etc. In other words, a stoner knows whether or not they can smoke without it affecting their productivity at work, or at home. A stoner isn't going to go to work high if he knows it's going to negatively affect his ability to do his job, or smoke when he has important shit to do. Some events and/or occasions are just not appropriate for smoking, and a responsible user knows this. For example, it is not cool to go to a funeral or something and be laughing because you are fucked up(unless of course it's a hippie funeral, different rules apply in that case). Anyways, a stoner can use marijuana without it being the focal point of their existance. It's called recreational for a reason.

A pothead, on the other hand, lives to smoke pot and get high. These are usually the people who give users bad reputations because they make it a center of their life, and make it out to be a mental addiction. A pothead smokes for all the wrong reasons, and doesn't know when to lay off. They will go to work and/or school high regardless of whether or not they can handle it. These are the nasty bitches who crush seeds and smoke them, or actually sink low enough to steal people's shit to buy marijuana. They are the bane of your existance as a stoner, because they make you look bad because you use marijuana. They are the equivalent of a serious alcoholic, a fall down drunk, someone who cannot function without drinking. Marijuana remains illegal because these people sustain the belief that all marijuana smokers either are, or will eventually be like this.

This is how I see it. Of course, it isn't black and white. You don't necessarily fit into either category, these are just the opposite ends of the spectrum. I'm making this point because people need to realize that we are as much responsible for keeping pot illegal as the politicians. We need to be smart, and set an example. It isn't assumed that if you drink, you will be an alcoholic regardless of your personality, but it is assumed that if you smoke pot you are or will eventually be a pothead. We need to change this by demonstrating the difference.

I do not like being called a pothead. It's like calling a person who drinks responsibly an alcoholic. If you want to smoke, use marijuana, don't let marijuana use you.

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snapshot

I do enjoy your definition of stoner and would gladly use that if I was into labeling, but the pothead one was more of an insult rather than a classification. Also the stoner has more of a holier than thou attitude. RedEye Master needs revision and maybe the paper has no potential, but I think you do if you evolve your ideas form a basis of duality rather than good and bad.

You can still give good connotation and bad connotation, I just got the feeling that this paper was more personal than indifferent, which is what I assume most people are trying to go for when they classify such things.

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Flowerchild

I agree with you on most points. But I dont think a stoner is any better than a pothead, which is what it seems like from your description.

give_me_fritos

We're all equal in the dealer's eyes.

RedEye Master

It's more about the image that is put out. You don't think there's a difference between someone who can responsibly use marijuana, and someone who has to be blazed at all times, regardless of how it affects what they are doing?

Like I said, not everyone who drinks is an alcoholic, and not everyone who smokes is a burnout. The government's drug policies and massive spending has managed to convince many people that everyone who smokes pot is going to end up being an addict (hah...) and start stealing shit to buy weed.

If we have any hope of convincing people that marijuana isn't as harmful as "the man" says, it is by being responsible tokers, and demonstrating that not everyone who smokes is a burnout.

Of course, people in high (no pun intended) places are wary about being public with their recreational drugs because of the stigma that comes with them. They don't want to lose their jobs because of their hobbies anymore than the average worker who is subjected to drug testing.




Like I said, I wrote that article a long time ago, and the whole stoner/pothead comparison was the wrong way to go with it. It is flawed because it uses two simple labels that in many respects are interchangable, even in our own counterculture. The real point was the difference between someone who is a responsible user, and someone who isn't.

It just pisses me off, because everytime I see some stupid ass doing stupid shit because "Oh, I'm so high, man!", I know that's part of the reason why people are still going to jail for a plant.

After all, that's all politics is, isn't it? Creating desirable interpretations of things. The government wants the public to see us as evil, so it loves nothing more than for us to hang ourselves by displaying that kind of irresponsible behavior. You can't win without knowing your enemy, and his tactics.


Edit: Please excuse my fragmented rambling.

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You can find all you need in your mind, if you take the time.

Roach

I toatally disagree with your views on the stoner/pothead. If you smoke dope you're a dope smoker and thats that. Smoking marijuana is different for all people and people. I think you just need to do a harder drug and then you'll see marijuana shouldnt make you a lazy lethargic bastard. Therefore there is no difference between a stoner and a pothead. It's all one in the same. But really the people who smoke pot and become lazy are lazy before they smoke pot too. So my conclusion is if you smoke pot and you become useless then you're useless when your not high too. I know i smoke pot all the time... Im not lazy.. Im not just a shit stain in someone's pants. Hell no, I'm roach. I'm a pothead. I'm a stoner. And one day i will be a millionare.. So let me go upstairs and get the chinese food my mom just ordered for me.

Pitfall

amen brother!! my exact thoughts. ive known the differance between a stoner and pothead for quite some time now. i use to have some pothead friends but i ditched them coz i couldnt trust them. i still have stoner friends and theyre the most trustworthy friends yet. if i write this post it would look just like yours man. i think you should print that out and put them in places, like flyers.

i dont mind being called a pothead if its in the comedic way from another stoner ya know. i dont like being called a stoner from anyone thats against it though. even some people that just dont smoke it but arent really against it. its just weird. STONER can sound like a bad name. i mean cant we call ourselves HIGHER or something lol.
coz i never really get stoned anymore, i get high. quick differences, high is more uplifting and motivating, stoned can be the opposite. roach, stop talking out of your arse man. you didnt really make any sense. i use to smoke everyday to and i wouldnt be very lazy but red eye master is talking about people that smoke all day everyday.
weed is all they think about. if youre not addicted than youre not a pothead! i think people can CHOOSE to smoke everyday and not be addicted. we're all equal in the dealers eyes? hmm depends, most of my dealers are friends so they dont treat me like a silly pothead or whatever.

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Of contradictions infinite the slave. --Wordsworth.

Ego Tripping

Exactly. I always say that. When I started smoking, my friends were calling me a "pothead" all the time, as they held a beer in their hands. I just laughed and would say, "Yah, but I can still drive home after 4-5 bowls."

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Ego Tripping

I agree with this as well, it's not the drug, it's the person and their lack of responsibility in the first place.

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cracker

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North_of_Sanity

I don't like "stoner" or "pothead". I hate them because that implies that's all you do. Like if you go see one movie - "Oh, you're a movie-goer are you?"

I see what you mean though. The difference between someone who does it only on leisure-time and those who would skip their grandmother's funeral to get blazed.

I'm early for work every single day, never ever call in sick, work my ass off, and stay late alot. I bet I'm the last person there my co-workers would expect was a "stoner." Yet, if they found out, they'd probably totally change their opinion of me or I'd even be fired. All over a fucking plant! But, that's the way it is.

Anyway, something I've always wondered is - How many people do you talk to everyday that smoke up and they'd never tell or you'd never even notice if you talked to them for like ten years. You say we need to set an example and all that gum-flapping. But the smart people just keep it to themselves. Making it be known can only hurt you in the real world. If I win the lottery or something, sure I'd do the protest thing. But I'm not going "set an example" for other "potheads" when I have a life to lead.

That'd be like George Bush protesting oil-spills.

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"Condoms are stupid" - some dirty ho

SweetSativa

Seems that when someone uses a substance irresponsibly, there is an underlying problem. I don't really know that we are comparing heads and stoner or if we are comparing personalities and levels of pain. I have smoked just before or just after funerals several times and it always seems to bring peace and release.... understanding.

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"Why is it that when people talk to God, we call it praying but when God talks to people, we call it crazy?"- Touched by an Angel
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snapshot

Now thay I think of it, stoner has always meant a smarter person who smoked weed and pothead always meant stupid. Like whenever you fuck up in front of someone who knows you smoke(sometimes not) they call you "pothead."

In conclusion, potheads are stupid.

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We are all atheists about most of the gods that society has ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further.
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frank black

I dont like when you see some person acting stupid and call them a burnout just because they smoked alot of pot. Pot cannot make you stupider that before you started, sure when your high you can be a little slower or stupider if its really strong.. But people who have quit smoking and are called burnouts because they continue to act like their high 24/7 pisses me off.. Theres a kid at my school who is on probation and hasnt smoked in like 7 months and still acts like hes super high all the time, and everyone calls him a burnout, hes not a burnout, hes a dumbass.

Jam Cruiser

I think a pothead is someone who does it for the culture, or just for the fuck of it...

I think a stoner actually embraces and enjoys what he/she is doing and knows how to handle it responsibly.

SailorJerry

should i change my user name? im more of a stoner i think

Mull D

so far its been pothead is one of yours's bad images for someone who uses weed and stoner has been your good images.

By some of your responses I'm a pothead, but by some I'm not. It doesn't make any difference. But it's nice to look at people's personalities.

Pitfall

bloody oath miami toker. im not a pothead coz im sort of like a dr in weed. potheads seem to not do much research on it, care much for different smells, strains etc. they also dont appreciate it as much. theyre just like, this makes me feel good, im too lazy to make myself feel good, im not gonna use this drug to think. theyre like i just wanna feel bent, turn my mind off. so they dont use it as a tool, they just want to escape reality.
stoners will use it to get more into stuff, to explore the spiritual world, to ENHANCE reality etc. of course i cant say all potheads are real bad. i know a couple of people that smoke weed all day as often as they can but they will still stay straight for interviews.
theyre not very lazy at all, this doesnt mean they dont have a problem. theyre still dependent on weed. they may not paint etc unless theyve had a cone. other problems is some days they dont want to do anything at all for no good reason and that they eat too much junk food. damn munchies :P

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Of contradictions infinite the slave. --Wordsworth.

North_of_Sanity

That's totally true. "Dumb potheads" are the ones who could spend $70 on a 1/4 oz and want to smoke it all in one big blunt in like 20 minutes. I'd be like "If you space it out, that could last you almost a week, and you won't get too burned out to enjoy it, and too stupid to think." And they're like "Oh, I love that feeling. I hate thinking."

Those type are just the ones who have nothing better to do, no hobbies, no interest in anything, - just want to get high and "shut brain off" to help them escape from the reality of their own self-inflicted apathetic sloth.

I know I don't smoke weed to veg-out. I smoke weed to make life more interesting. I also seem to appreciate things more when I'm baked.

__________________
"His professional diagnosis: Narcissistic Personality Disorder. My unprofessional diagnosis: Nut-Job!" - Jim Rome

"I don't have a girlfriend. But I know a woman who would be upset if she heard me say that." - Mitch Hedberg

"Condoms are stupid" - some dirty ho

GreenGirl

I agree with most of this. Someone I knew once summed it up well using the term pot-aholic for those 'pothead' types. I dislike the term doper way more than potaholic. I don't exactly like stoner that much, now that I think about it. I don't like being roped into one big classification with the 'typical stoner/doper..whatever'. If I could have a label, it would be 'marijuana-connoisseur.

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