Summary

Gruber explores the concept of generational law, contrasting Norway's boating license requirement (born 1980+) with the U.K.'s outright ban on tobacco sales to those born after 2009. He argues that generational restrictions (requiring a license) are fundamentally different from generational bans (prohibiting something entirely). He objects to bans that allow current adults to continue an activity while permanently forbidding younger generations, calling it hypocritical. He proposes an alternative: scaled tobacco taxation based on age, where younger buyers pay more but no adult is outright banned.

Key Insight

Generational bans that permanently divide adults into haves and have-nots based on birth year are fundamentally different from — and far less defensible than — generational restrictions that merely add requirements.

Spicy Quotes (click to share)

• 4

  A generational restriction feels fundamentally different from a generational ban.

• 6

  Adults putting additional restrictions on the young feels to me entirely different than adults banning the young from ever partaking in something that they — the current adults who are imposing the restriction — can continue to do in perpetuity.

• 6

  It's not just a violation of the idea that all adults are equals, but to me it's just blatantly hypocritical.

• 9

  If you tell me I'm not permitted to do something, but others are, it makes me want to do that thing. And it really makes me want to give the finger to whoever is imposing the restriction. Fine for you but not for me? Fuck you.

• 5

  Grandfathering devices or buildings feels fundamentally different from grandfathering people.

• 7

  A well-intentioned law with no practical benefit is needless bureaucracy; a well-intentioned law with adverse practical effects is a bad law.

• 7

  It's absurd to think about a 60-year-old man who needs to ask his 61-year-old friend to buy him smokes.

• 7

  I can't help but think everyone who supports these generational smoking bans is stuck thinking of those below the age cut-off as the 17-year-olds they currently are.

Tone

opinionated