What took so long?
“Smoking is the entire point of being an adult.” – Fran Liebowitz
When I was a kid, my dad smoked cigarettes (probably a pack a day) in every room in our house. When my grandfathers came to visit they smoked cigars and pipes. When I was in elementary school, my classmates and I made ashtrays to take home to our parents. When I went away to college my first roommate smoked in the room regularly. On buses, trains, and airplanes, passengers could and did light up anywhere they pleased. Shortly after I was married, my wife and I picked up a cheap ashtray to keep in our apartment for our friends who smoked. At professional meetings and conferences, cigarettes and tobacco smoke were considered a part of the indoor environment. Many of my colleagues smoked in their offices and in the break room and cafeteria. If you had to go to the hospital, the guy in the bed next to you lit up without the slightest hesitation. All of this was thought to be the norm. Yet none of these activities would be tolerated today for even a moment. So my question is, what took so long?
I think most people would say that it was only recently that second-hand smoke was found to be harmful (actually, the extent to which it is harmful is still much debated). This fact may explain part of the reason for the delay but it is certainly not the entire story. Even if cigarette smoke was completely harmless, wouldn’t it have been considered at least a terrible nuisance and subject to societal proscriptions? There weren’t any. Occasionally someone would ask, “Do you mind if I smoke?” but nobody every said no. The smokers smoked and exhaled into our faces. We sucked it up (literally), wiped our watering eyes, tolerated (then washed) our stale-smoke smelly clothes, coughed a bit and moved on. How could this be? I don’t think it was a general lack of manners. Like every generation we were taught to be thoughtful and respectful of others, to say please and thank-you, and to always lower the toilet seat. In a society that taught politeness, how could blowing smoke in someone’s face and stinking up the air around you be tolerated?
I was hoping after writing all of this that an answer would have occurred to me. It hasn’t. Maybe somebody else knows.
When I was a kid, my dad smoked cigarettes (probably a pack a day) in every room in our house. When my grandfathers came to visit they smoked cigars and pipes. When I was in elementary school, my classmates and I made ashtrays to take home to our parents. When I went away to college my first roommate smoked in the room regularly. On buses, trains, and airplanes, passengers could and did light up anywhere they pleased. Shortly after I was married, my wife and I picked up a cheap ashtray to keep in our apartment for our friends who smoked. At professional meetings and conferences, cigarettes and tobacco smoke were considered a part of the indoor environment. Many of my colleagues smoked in their offices and in the break room and cafeteria. If you had to go to the hospital, the guy in the bed next to you lit up without the slightest hesitation. All of this was thought to be the norm. Yet none of these activities would be tolerated today for even a moment. So my question is, what took so long?
I think most people would say that it was only recently that second-hand smoke was found to be harmful (actually, the extent to which it is harmful is still much debated). This fact may explain part of the reason for the delay but it is certainly not the entire story. Even if cigarette smoke was completely harmless, wouldn’t it have been considered at least a terrible nuisance and subject to societal proscriptions? There weren’t any. Occasionally someone would ask, “Do you mind if I smoke?” but nobody every said no. The smokers smoked and exhaled into our faces. We sucked it up (literally), wiped our watering eyes, tolerated (then washed) our stale-smoke smelly clothes, coughed a bit and moved on. How could this be? I don’t think it was a general lack of manners. Like every generation we were taught to be thoughtful and respectful of others, to say please and thank-you, and to always lower the toilet seat. In a society that taught politeness, how could blowing smoke in someone’s face and stinking up the air around you be tolerated?
I was hoping after writing all of this that an answer would have occurred to me. It hasn’t. Maybe somebody else knows.
posted by unca | 1:49 PM
4 Comments:
excellent post. What took so long, is right. And who knows what the answer is; I'm just so glad that the time has finally come. Why anyone should EVER have tolerated such a disgusting environment---totally not of his choosing---is a mystery. There are lots of bad habits we can have and other people don't have to approve of them, but if they don't impact anyone else, it's really no one else's to worry about. Smoking (publicly) does not fit into this category in any way.
This is a good post. With everybody talking about how the smoking laws are getting more & more stringent every year no one seems to ask this question.
Maybe something finally clicked in people’s heads when they started experiencing some no smoking areas and discovered how nice it was not to smell any cigarette smoke.
And weather its true or not concerning the dangers of second hand smoke most of the media is on the non-smokers side and may report only the findings and studies that agree with their point of view.
I'm too young to have experienced all those same annoyances but I do have a short story in that vein.
My first real job was an internship in IT (and this was 1988or so) and not having grown up in a house where adults smoked I was unprepared for people doing so in the work environment. It kind of puzzled me how when we would go down to the break area several of my co-workers would sit right across from me and blow smoke in my face and not be phased by it. It got to where I would take part of my break outside to get away from the billowing smoke. It certainly seemed impolite to me but I was young and thought perhaps I was being too sensitive...
hey am hailing from a country where public smoking is prohibited.So the prospective of blowing thick fumes into someone else's face never come into question here in India.Atleast you can ask him not to transgress a law.I think this model should be emulated by other countries also.As far as my knowledge goes Japan also banned public smoking.I am a smoker but i dont like to harm others by my activity.But society should stop treating smokers as pariahs and they should avoid that disgusting look when they see someone smoking.Its the most secret pleasure you can enjoy when you are tensed and its a consolation when awaiting a late train or person.So smokers should keep there manners and people should respect the right of smokers
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