Until reading that the Northampton Board of Health was poised to ban nicotine products for anyone born after 2005, I was not aware that one generation had the legal authority to impose its tastes on another. There are many vices which could be banned such as alcohol, marijuana, and fried foods. All are hazardous to health in sufficient quantities.
I am sure the Board of Health did not research all the possible health hazards and decide to ban the worst one.
They just don’t like smoking. They don’t smoke. They think it’s disgusting. They don’t want their kids to smoke. They think it’s low class and are shocked that it is becoming more popular again.
“Why can’t younger people just have the occasional cocktail or some pot to unwind like we do?” they must wonder.
Armed with the knowledge that we can fight generational taste wars via municipal boards, I have a proposal as morally and legally legitimate as the nicotine ban. Let’s ban playing pickleball for anyone born before 1975. The hazards of pickleball are well-known. The ball comes quick, and shots to the face can take an eye out. The prognosis is of course worse for older people. The noise of the sport is a nuisance, leading to bans in some areas.
But we should not take away the freedoms of anyone who has grown up playing the sport, so that’s why the generational ban is fairer than banning it for all. Let’s protect our elders from themselves by making sure they steer clear of the menace of pickleball.
Andrew Ettenger
Chesterfield