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I read an unexpectedly interesting article published in the
Weekly Standard in February of 2003 that gave
me the courage to write on a subject that has been
on my mind and at the tip of my pen, probably since
the time that I started writing this column. The
piece, titled “Ashes to Ashes”, is an assertion that
the current “crusade” against smoking is far from
being morally neutral.
The crusade against smoking in public places has yet to hit
our doorstep, although I have been noticing the
increase in the number of establishments that do not
permit smoking on their premises over the years. I
find this to be more the choice of management than
any quest for a health friendly environment. There
are still plenty of places to light up a cigarette,
and it seems to me that the smoker and non-smoker
live quite well in this confused metropolis.
I would not have a single problem were smoking to be banned
from public places. I do, after all, understand the
effects of second-hand smoke and the smell, dust,
suffocation and irritation that it can cause in
enclosed spaces. But in a nation that is still
inhaling huge amounts of toxic car fumes on the
streets, smoking, or the banning thereof, does not
seem to be a high priority.
From the position of the smoker, it is wonderful to have
the freedom to be able to enjoy all of the liberties
of those that have made the choice not to indulge in
nicotine. It would get annoying if you had to step
out of bars and restaurants when you are out trying
to have a good time with friends.
But more to the point, smoking is not something that is
socially acceptable, neither in traditional nor
modern thinking. Female smoking is, to boot,
probably included among the Ethiopian deadly sins. I
have heard people openly yell, jeer, insult and mock
women who are seen smoking in public, particularly
in the daytime. It is as though all the respect that
could possibly come her way is thrown out of the
window because, hey, she is a smoker.
And do not think for once that this sort of archaic
thinking is relegated to the older generations.
Though many of the younger folks in town smoke, they
do not want girlfriends who do; they would not take
‘that kind of girl’ home to mom and dad. Makes you
wonder about all of the things that are associated
with the cigarette.
To quote the article, “...[S]moking today is cast as an
extremely bad choice that a certain rotten or
pitiable type of person makes…”. Being a smoker
automatically means that you are maladjusted in some
sort of way. It does not permit the person,
participating in their own conscious choice to be a
smoker, to be decent and well adjusted in the eyes
of society no matter how many accomplishments.
I have heard time and again from people my age, and more
particularly those in older generations, speak of
someone’s accomplishments and then add the horrible
‘he is a smoker’ to make them seem completely
irrelevant. Even in self-comparisons, people are
quick to quip ‘ well at least I do not smoke’ as if
that makes them a whole lot better than their
competitor.
Granted that smoking is a disaster for your health; but the
truth remains that it is quite simply a choice. It
is the choice of a person to be a member of the
society of smokers. Being that the smoker’s body is
neither owned by the state nor by society, it is far
from being their business to tell people what the
right thing to do with their bodies may be. Healthy
living, or the unhealthy living is a conscious
choice that is made by reasoning and logical adults.
If one is to judge a person by their choice to smoke, then
it should also hold true for all the other unhealthy
choices that people make. They should be judged in
the same manner for eating greasy foods, drinking
alcohol and coffee, frequenting sweets, or putting
their bodies through extreme stress. There are
dozens of things that I could add to list that are
potentially as harmful to a person as smoking, but
never are people considered morally inferior because
of them.
This rant is neither in support of smoking nor in the
opposition of the crusade against it. The point here
is why not just live in harmony without having to
turn it into an issue? |
