The Vaping 'Hierarchy Chain'

Cao Pi once said in "The Theory of Literature": "Writers look down on each other, this has been the case since ancient times." This was originally said about Fu Yi and Ban Gu, but unexpectedly became an excuse for later generations of writers to despise each other. It has existed since ancient times, so it can't be wrong. I am bold, you are graceful; I am pre-Qin, you are contemporary; I am postmodern, you are local; I am martial arts, you are fantasy; I am Han Han, you are Guo Jingming. If one day you become Han Han, then I will become Mo Yan.

Not only among writers, disdain runs deep into every level of social circles, forming a vicious cycle of mutual strife, one ring tied to another, with larger circles consuming smaller ones. High fashion looks down on luxury, luxury looks down on affordable luxury, affordable luxury looks down on trendy brands, trendy brands look down on fast fashion... Those who wear H&M disdain those in Jack & Jones, those in Jack & Jones look down on Uniqlo, those in Uniqlo look down on Metersbonwe, and those in Metersbonwe look down on Yishion... Society is comparative; denying it is useless. Admiration is rare, but disdain and jealousy are everywhere. Everyone grows up living in the shadow of the neighbor's child, and as they grow up, they inevitably seek to compensate for their sense of superiority in various ways.

The vaping community is relatively young, and while the disdain chain may arrive late, it is never absent. Those who play with numbered mechanical mods look down on those who use mass-produced devices, those who use imported mods look down on domestic ones, those who use small groups look down on those who use large manufacturers, those who use mechanical mods look down on those who use regulated boxes, those who use boxes look down on those who use kits, those who use kits look down on those who use precision-engineered devices, and everyone who vapes looks down on IQOS... Those who use pure American juice look down on those who use Shajing oil, Shajing oil looks down on Malaysian oil, Malaysian oil looks down on domestic oil, domestic oil looks down on custom blends, and custom blends find themselves at the bottom of the food chain, only able to boast about being "customized for taste".

What to do when others look down on you?

Should you slam the table and stomp your feet, retaliating with a show of strength? You don't have that confidence.

Should you remain silent, letting the winds blow around you while you stand firm? That's too cowardly.

The clever ones find alternative paths, breaking the chain, regardless of wealth, only playing with what cannot be seen. Don't you all smoke "Soft Zhonghua"? ORIS, from Myanmar, only the bumpkins smoke German originals. Once at the table, those who smoke "Soft Zhonghua" can't figure out the way, not knowing who ORIS is, all are just faces, and they can only hold their ground. The same logic applies to those who smoke Rogues; it's not just that I have a hand-carved piece by an illustrator, made by my own factory, regardless of price, it's just unique.

Those with patience may flatter, but can't bring themselves to attach to the powerful. Among a group of people, the one who just squeezed into the "Soft Zhonghua" circle, smokes nothing, just keeps joking: "I recently caught a cold, quit smoking, quit smoking." This person is often a friend of a certain big shot, feeling a bit intimidated by the mods but not wanting to spend two or three hundred bucks on gear, so they can only temporarily pretend to be sick. The same logic applies to popularizing the use of precision-engineered atomizers: "Try the flavor"; if the flavor is good, they buy the real thing; if not, they feed it to the dog.

Those who habitually steal have their own crafty ways. For example, in crowded situations, they pull out a pack of fake "Soft Zhonghua", distributing them casually, especially during drinking sessions, where a few drinks down may not even allow one to distinguish the authenticity of a cigarette. Even if they can tell, they won't know who made it. But fake cigarettes definitely cannot be distributed in full packs; this is the "slippery" way of stealing.

Those with a bit of culture directly point out that the other party cannot reach the big stage. What era is it? The modern social concept of equality and justice has deeply penetrated people's hearts; do you still want to rely on the sinful materialistic view to divide classes? Bumpkins.

Those who are observant know to watch and are always ready to fantasize about strengthening themselves. Every day they pay attention to the top of the food chain's fashion, fantasizing about "Two Ma and a Li" wearing Uniqlo, drinking a round of Erguotou, or even taking a puff of Malaysian oil; look, look, aren't the big shots just like me?

To hit someone without hitting their face, to scold someone without exposing their shortcomings, disdain is not necessarily spoken out loud; it often resides in the heart. When mountains and rivers meet, the innate sense of superiority is more stimulating than words.

Optimistically, disdain is the cheapest form of narcissism; everyone can easily list objects of disdain, find their position in the food chain, and gain psychological satisfaction from their consumption.

Pessimistically, everyone is actually at the bottom of the disdain chain, serving the lower ones; there is nothing shameful about this. The truly fortunate ones who possess the circumstances and realms of the upper class are people we never get to see alive.

Like attracts like; this is a more effective motivation for spending than material satisfaction. "What can I consume" basically equates to "What can I produce". Except for the miser and the overly confident, most people need to show their productive value through their consumption ability. Similarly, one can simply shift perspectives to judge what others consume to infer what they produce, and the facts will not seriously conflict with the expected judgments.

Therefore, in any circle, the disdain chain is not a monster; vaping should not be an exception. For consumers, it facilitates "people grouping together"; relying on lazy subconsciousness, they can judge who is on the same path, saving effort in suspicion and reducing taboos. For manufacturers, the disdain chain easily creates consumer pain points, especially during periods of technological bottlenecks; no one will buy products without topics. It can also segment the product market, weighing the added value of high-end consumption against the volume of a hundred new beginner kits; whoever raises their head first is the winner.

In the movie "Black Gold", Zhou Zhaoxian (played by Leung Ka-fai) organizes a meeting and says to a late-arriving boss: "We make Benz, we make Rolls-Royce; you drive a Mazda, no wonder you're stuck in traffic. You have no right to attend this meeting."

Regardless of whether this statement is right or wrong, it particularly reflects the pros and cons of adult society.