[mint2]

More apt analogy than one would think. lighter fluid and any product specifically labeled a fire starter do not really help if one has a basic understanding of fire except in extreme cases like for some reason the wood is soaking wet. And they have significant downsides in cost. lighter fluid is just gross. With even a modest understanding of how fire works all one needs is wood. Newspaper is good for charcoal.

“Fire starter” products are mostly only useful to people who don’t know what they’re doing or aren’t actually using it to start the fire but want to squirt in lighter fluid just to see big flames.

[MAGZine]

we're missing the point here, but newspaper isn't good for charcoal. You need sustained heat to activate charcoal--paper burns too quickly. The one time I tried to do this, I ended up slathering it in olive oil which would retard the flames a bit and drag the burn out.

It's fine if you don't like to drink, nobody is saying you have to, but saying that it doesn't lubricate social situations is just naive. Is it a crutch? In some cases, sure. In other cases--an enhancer.

[mint2]

With a chimney you use olive oil on newspaper?! Anyway enough about fire starting. To be honest if you’re having fun with campfires like once in a blue moon and don’t really know what you’re doing, a fire starter can be an okay crutch, but if you want to go camping often to have fun it’s much easier and cheaper to just use the wood and maybe a bit of paper. But that’s enough hijacking this thread to fire starting.

People come reliant on alcohol and can’t do it without it. It becomes a prerequisite not an enhancer. That sounds more parasitic than anything else.