Smokers vs. Non-Smokers
There's been a lot of debate about the whole smoking ban in NYC lately. But I didn't feel the need to add my two cents until today. I had a smoke on the way back from lunch. As I walked down the hall to my office afterwards, a particularly annoying busy body I work with made a loud SNIFF and said, "SOMEBODY has been SMOKING!"
I popped my head into her office and said, "Yup, and I enjoyed every drag." I just got a roll of the eyes.
So...this (plus the fact that I'm utterly bored at work) prompted me to post about this sensitive subject. I live in Jersey. So far we're still allowed to smoke in bars and clubs. More and more restaurants are becoming non-smoking, but that's by their decision. There are still plenty of places to go to eat that have smoking sections. And my favorite place to go for lunch by the Pit is this Irish pub, Kinchley's, where they have a big sign hung up that says, "This is a smoking restaurant. There is no non-smoking section, which is entitled by law." I love that sign. This place kicks ass, and makes a great bar pie.
But there is legislation being tossed around that will turn Jersey into a NYC. No smoking ANYWHERE. What the fuck? Were we suddenly taken over by natzis? I've only been in the city a couple of times since the ban. And lucky me, the weather was terrible each time, forcing me to suck on my cancer sticks in the rain. Needless to say, I've been clubbing and bar hopping in Jersey since.
What I want to know is, what the fuck gives the government the right to tell us what we can and can't do to our own bodies? Oh, I've heard the whole second hand smoke argument. You know what I say to that? Go fuck yourself. You don't want to smell it, breathe it, whatever? Don't go near it. First off, smoking and drinking go together like chocolate and milk. You poll every person in a bar and I'll bet more than 75% are smokers or don't care if people smoke around them. If I bar wants to be non-smoking, that's fine. If a resraurant wants to be non-smoking, fine. But forcing businesses to take a hit like this is wrong. And I thought they wanted to boost NYC's economy. I know many New Yorkers who now come to Jersey to hang out, drink, and spend their money.
I would never blow smoke in the face of someone who didn't want to breathe it. So why am I forced to step outside for these fucks? They can go to a non-smoking section or non-smoking establishment. Since when did their rights become more important than ours? Cigarettes are legal right? So we have the right to smoke them. We're already getting raped with these new taxes that go up every year. Shit, I'm thinking about buying my butts online from other countries and having them delivered. I'd rather go a day without eating than go without my cigarettes. Sick? Maybe. Any of your business? No. Let me smoke, get lung cancer, and die. What's it to anyone else?
A friend of mine that was debating this subject on an email group I belong to had a very good point. If you're going to ban cigarettes, why not alcohol. That probably kills as many or even more people than smoke. Where does it end? Sure, right now they're picking on smokers' rights, so you non-smokers feel safe. What about when they start coming after you? We live in the United States of Fucking America people...since when is trampling on people's rights what we're about?
Smoking is a choice. Yes. Is it an addictive habit? Yes. But it should be up to the smoker whether or not he/she wants to quit, not the government. If I can choose to sit in the non-smoking section of a restaurant because I don't want my daughter breathing smoke, and take my smoke breaks outside during dinner, a non-smoker can choose to sit far away from the smoking section and be perfectly safe. There is no need to isolate us and treat us like we're shit. We pay our taxes just like everyone else. We spend our own money on a perfectly legal product. This ban makes no fucking sense.
And just so you tree-hugging, non-smoking, fascist assholes know...I do want to quit smoking. It's a process that takes time, effort, and a lot of patience. I will quit when I'm ready...not when the government tells me I should. And if I die of lung cancer, it's no one's fault but my own. And it's none of anyone else's business. So you can all go to hell.
Now I need a smoke.
There's been a lot of debate about the whole smoking ban in NYC lately. But I didn't feel the need to add my two cents until today. I had a smoke on the way back from lunch. As I walked down the hall to my office afterwards, a particularly annoying busy body I work with made a loud SNIFF and said, "SOMEBODY has been SMOKING!"
I popped my head into her office and said, "Yup, and I enjoyed every drag." I just got a roll of the eyes.
So...this (plus the fact that I'm utterly bored at work) prompted me to post about this sensitive subject. I live in Jersey. So far we're still allowed to smoke in bars and clubs. More and more restaurants are becoming non-smoking, but that's by their decision. There are still plenty of places to go to eat that have smoking sections. And my favorite place to go for lunch by the Pit is this Irish pub, Kinchley's, where they have a big sign hung up that says, "This is a smoking restaurant. There is no non-smoking section, which is entitled by law." I love that sign. This place kicks ass, and makes a great bar pie.
But there is legislation being tossed around that will turn Jersey into a NYC. No smoking ANYWHERE. What the fuck? Were we suddenly taken over by natzis? I've only been in the city a couple of times since the ban. And lucky me, the weather was terrible each time, forcing me to suck on my cancer sticks in the rain. Needless to say, I've been clubbing and bar hopping in Jersey since.
What I want to know is, what the fuck gives the government the right to tell us what we can and can't do to our own bodies? Oh, I've heard the whole second hand smoke argument. You know what I say to that? Go fuck yourself. You don't want to smell it, breathe it, whatever? Don't go near it. First off, smoking and drinking go together like chocolate and milk. You poll every person in a bar and I'll bet more than 75% are smokers or don't care if people smoke around them. If I bar wants to be non-smoking, that's fine. If a resraurant wants to be non-smoking, fine. But forcing businesses to take a hit like this is wrong. And I thought they wanted to boost NYC's economy. I know many New Yorkers who now come to Jersey to hang out, drink, and spend their money.
I would never blow smoke in the face of someone who didn't want to breathe it. So why am I forced to step outside for these fucks? They can go to a non-smoking section or non-smoking establishment. Since when did their rights become more important than ours? Cigarettes are legal right? So we have the right to smoke them. We're already getting raped with these new taxes that go up every year. Shit, I'm thinking about buying my butts online from other countries and having them delivered. I'd rather go a day without eating than go without my cigarettes. Sick? Maybe. Any of your business? No. Let me smoke, get lung cancer, and die. What's it to anyone else?
A friend of mine that was debating this subject on an email group I belong to had a very good point. If you're going to ban cigarettes, why not alcohol. That probably kills as many or even more people than smoke. Where does it end? Sure, right now they're picking on smokers' rights, so you non-smokers feel safe. What about when they start coming after you? We live in the United States of Fucking America people...since when is trampling on people's rights what we're about?
Smoking is a choice. Yes. Is it an addictive habit? Yes. But it should be up to the smoker whether or not he/she wants to quit, not the government. If I can choose to sit in the non-smoking section of a restaurant because I don't want my daughter breathing smoke, and take my smoke breaks outside during dinner, a non-smoker can choose to sit far away from the smoking section and be perfectly safe. There is no need to isolate us and treat us like we're shit. We pay our taxes just like everyone else. We spend our own money on a perfectly legal product. This ban makes no fucking sense.
And just so you tree-hugging, non-smoking, fascist assholes know...I do want to quit smoking. It's a process that takes time, effort, and a lot of patience. I will quit when I'm ready...not when the government tells me I should. And if I die of lung cancer, it's no one's fault but my own. And it's none of anyone else's business. So you can all go to hell.
Now I need a smoke.
posted by Meghan at 2:15 PM
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