June 5, 2008

• Some of you might know this, but as of January 1 of this year, the state of Illinois has gone smoke free in all public buildings. That includes bars and casinos. I have to be honest, I've got some mixed feelings about law. On one hand, I'm all for freedom of choice and the government should not be allowed to tell us what to do as long as it doesn't affect others. That being said, secondhand smoke has been proven to harm people. On the other hand, people have a choice about going to bars or other places where smoking is allowed. Then again, people have the right to be in a place and not have their health put in danger by others.

  All of this is besides my point. See, one of the reasons they made this law was to discourage smoking and encourage people to quit smoking. At least, that was their thinking. If they really wanted people to quit, they would make it a law that smoking is required everywhere. Now I've never been a smoker, although amongst my friends I'm kind of an honorary smoker. Sometimes I have a smoker's cough. I drink Pepsi (that's a subject for another post, long story short smokers drink Pepsi, non smokers Coke). I like to play with lighters and matches. For years when the smokers go outside to smoke I've always joined them. Its no secret, I've always considered smoking cool. People look cool smoking. In movies, they look cool and like badasses. One of my favorite scenes in my favorite movie, Goodfellas has Robert De Niro slowly taking a drag from a cigarette while the opening guitar rift of Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love" bellows in the background. All cool. Cool, cool, cool, there is no other way around it. I almost regret that I never started smoking. Of course, now its too late, nobody starts smoking at 32 years old. And now you practically outlaw it and that only makes it cooler.

  At the bar I go to every Thursday night the smokers all stand outside the building smoking and socializing, like a group of renegade outcasts who are told they can no longer do something. Honestly, who does not want to be part of that? Certainly this would be appealing to teens, I mean, teens are obsessed with being cool and rebeling. I've never been the type to do something because its in or cool but even as an adult, how could you not want to join in a scene like that? Leave it to a bunch of government squares to unintentionally make something that is cool  even cooler. Oh, and by squares I mean people who are nerdy and play by the rules, which smokers are not.

  First smokers were ran out of airplanes. Then, they were ran out of office buildings. Then restaurants. Then delivery rooms and emergency rooms at hospitals. Then everywhere else. Next thing you know they are going to make it illegal to smoke inside in iron lung. Again, its making it cooler and cooler. I mean, how do you get people to do something? You tell them they can't do it anymore. Ohhhh, smoking, how much fun it must be if they don't let you do it. Just think of sex. Its already GREAT but made even better because those over obsessed God lovers say its wrong. Its so wrong you have to do it. And cheating on a spouse? Even hotter because there is a danger of getting caught.

  So I say if they want people to quit smoking you don't limit people's access to smoking you give them more access. That will turn off people who want to smoke to be cool, because after all if everybody is doing it, where is the rebellious spirit?

  • 9:45 pm
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