McNaughton: Smokers refuse to acknowledge health problems
I still don’t understand because smokers smell and taste terrible.
Thursday, March 27th, 2008
Thank you for smoking? Never!
Except for those one or two instances of teenage rebellion, I am proud to say I’m a non-smoker.
I’ll never be a member of the “cool” group huddling outside in sub zero temperatures for a hit, nor will I ever be able to strike up a conversation with a complete stranger after bumming a light — something I’ve seen my friends do on numerous occasions.
Perhaps it is because my dad is a smoker that I refrain from the smelly, deadly habit. Either way, my lack of nicotine indulgence has not prevented me and other non-smokers alike from being exposed to smoke clouds.
In 2004, the Lawrence City Commission passed a smoking ban in all workplaces, including bars and restaurants. But when I return to Topeka, that all-too-familiar stench creeps back into my nostrils while I’m enjoying my food.
Occasional, everyday exposures tend to get under my skin more. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been on campus walking to class to find myself behind a smoker.
Non-smokers, you know what I’m talking about. Smokers, I’ll explain.
I’m enjoying the view of campus about to take in the fresh air when, instead, I inhale cigarette smoke. The cigarette hanging limply in the hand of the smoker created a cloud that I unfortunately am the first to intercept.
It appears that the sole purpose of everyone’s cigarette is to create a streaming line of smoke that heads directly for me.
Besides intercepting smoke clouds, the group huddles of smokers are another enemy for non-smokers’ nostrils. Their placement at the entrances of most buildings greets the unsuspecting on-comer with the smell of nicotine.
The little, warm nooks that attract smokers have a smoky haze despite the “No smoking within 20 feet” signs.
At the beginning of March, more signs were added to Wescoe’s doors to combat the problem.
I’ve encountered smokers’ willingness to defend the habit and each other at the drop of an ash.
But, I still don’t understand because smokers smell and taste terrible. The smell and the habit make me smell. I’ve tried to appeal to the smokers in my life by illustrating the negative consequences, but that approach never works.
I’m an advocate for not smoking because of how deadly it is not only for the smoker, but also for non-smokers.
As much as smokers have the right to smoke, I have the right to fresh air. I love the city’s smoking ban and appreciate the University’s attempt to stop the “welcome committee” of smokers at entrances, but have some consideration for non-smokers. Smokers may be good at heart, but they are blinded by their habit.
I’m pulling for you to quit, but honestly, I’m worried about my health more than yours.
McNaughton is a Topeka junior in journalism.
Discussion
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I agree. One of the first things I noticed when visiting KU's campus was the smell of smoke randomly throughout the campus. It wasn't just to the extent that I took note of it, and never thought about it again. I asked that tour guide whether or not there were areas on campus designated as smoke areas. I then was informed that there weren't, which had me seriously considering other universities. If other schools can do it, why can we?
I am a former smoker. The reason I quit wasn't your health. It wasn't to make you more comfortable in your surroundings. It had nothing to do with you. I'm sorry you're offended by smoke and worried about the health risks of second hand smoke. However, you do live in a town with an indoor smoking ban, which basically means this article is ridiculous. If you are that concerned about second hand smoke don't walk behind smokers. Take a different route. Hold your breath when entering through a group of smokers. Smoking is a nasty addiction, and no smoker is going to sympathize with your outdoor second hand smoke hypochondria.
Smokers know it's bad for them and they have for decades (well really for hundreds of years). Not to mention there have been non-smokers since the discovery of tobacco with equal knowledge that it was bad for your health, even in small doses. However the difference between Angelique (plus the other do-gooders) and everyone else throughout time is that in the past people didn't whine and complain about it. Oh, no! It smells bad! Are you going to ban farting too?
The fact of the matter is some people CHOSE to do it. If you don't like the smoke leave the bar, don't make the smoke (or smokers) leave. You're the one that's whining.
If you legislate morality and tell other people what to do with their own body or their own lives, then that's called fascism and you need to just worry about yourself.
Stop relying on the government to solve your problems. If you like a certain bar, but they allow smoking, write a letter or talk to the owner and tell him you won't come back until he changes the policy. Tell your friends to do the same. If enough people feel the same way, he will probably change the policy because businesses exist to make profit. This is called a free market.
Also, while preaching to everyone that we should be worried about your health, you simultaneously made me not care at all by being as selfish, arrogant, and egocentric as possible. Work on your snottiness next time you write an article if you want anyone to read more than a sentence, or better yet take it seriously.
gee, you smokers sure are an irratable bunch.
actually, awood, people haven't know for hundreds of years exactly how bad smoking is for you. That's why it wasn't uncommon for people to smoke around infants or for women to smoke while pregnant.
And while we're talking about whiners, no one whines more than a smoker who has to go outside in the dead of winter.
Angilique- Maybe after you have raised your children and helped put them through college as i have done and perhaps your dad is doing right now, your nostrils will not be quite as sensitive and you won't have time to "taste smokers". Grow up little girl and get your priorities straight. You have no idea what you are talking about. Do some research on both sides of the subject. Whining does not lend credibility to your essay.
Smoking may be bad for your health, but it is a choice people make. I feel like making people who smoke go outside to smoke is a reasonable compromise. Please, do not attack the smoker's last place to partake in their addiction. It was bad when people smoked inside. Bars were impossible to be in when there was a concert and people smoked. I am not bothered by people who smoke outside. The smoke is not concentrated in a single area like they are in an indoor environment. Smoking may be an unhealthy habit, but people continue to choose to do it. We should make compromises to allow them to smoke where they choose outside, a place which does not harm the health nearly as much as non-smokers.
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