Smoking

Anyone that knows me is aware of the fact that I despise smoking. I think it stinks, it makes me gag and cough, and I think it is filthy. Ever see someone that is 60 years old and has smoked for 40 years? Their skin looks like leather that was soaked in water and left out to dry in the sun for several years.

While on my first break this morning, I decided to go outside with my Mt. Dew and enjoy the sunshine. This is the same area that the smokers take their breaks at, but luckily, I was the only one out there. I was leaning against a rail, enjoying my sugar and caffeine, and looked at the area around me. There were cigarette butts all over the ground.

Look at any area where smokers congregate, and you will see an area littered with hundreds of cigarette butts, even if the place they are at gives them a convenient way to dispose of the butts. Drive down the highway at night, and you may see a spark coming from the car in front of you as the driver tosses their still lit cig out the window, even in dry places like California and Colorado. Don't most cars have ash trays? Mine does.

So, why does smoking cause such laziness? I have seen people standing next to the butt disposal can(I forgot what it is called), and instead of tossing it in there, they flick it into the wind and walk away. Is it that hard to toss it into the nice little pipe on top of the disposal?

And to top if all off, why are smokers entitled to more breaks than me? They always seem to be able to take one every hour, where as I have to wait and take one every two hours. Most will say they only take half a break, but if you time them, you will often see that this is not true.

My former job at the Seventh Level of Hell(Stream Intl.), they had a smoking section outside away from the main door. They had places to dispose of the cigarette butts, but of course, it was often ignored. The place looked like hell, and the landlords were getting pissed and threatening to get rid of the smoking section.

The response from the smokers? They said that if they did that, they would have to start smoking off the property, and then the landlords would get in trouble with the city for all the litter appearing in the area. So they seem to be admitting to their filth. I do not see that as something to be proud of.

They were also not given a covered area to smoke in. Here in the Northwest, it rains, a lot. So, they would stand under the doorways in a little crowd and smoke. What this would do is force the non-smokers to walk through the cloud. The smokers would bitch about their rights being violated because they are not given a covered area to smoke in. WAAAAAAAAAH. Guess what? I have to breathe. You do not have to smoke. Your precious rights end where my mouth and nose begin.

I am also not the only one who feels this way.

Here are ways that smokers can make themselves less annoying:

1. Dispose of cigarette butts in a proper fashion. Is there an ashtray nearby? Use it. Do not toss it on the ground. There will be less chances of a fire this way, and you will help keep the environment nice and clean.

2. Smoke away from doorways. Non-smokers have to use them. 20 feet is an ok distance, especially if there is a lot of cover.

3. Take the same amount of breaks as everyone else. You are not special.

4. If you see a non-smoker sitting down and they have a baby or small children with them, don't sit near them and start smoking. That is rude. Find somewhere else to sit. You complain that there are plenty of places for people to sit and get air. The same goes for you too.

5. Do not say that you will quit smoking when the prices go up again due to taxes. Do not say that the government will shoot themselves in the foot from taxing them so high, losing millions of dollars. We know you will not quit due to the cost.

6. If you are pregnant, don't even think about smoking. I am sure not much else needs to be said here.


Non-smokers, there are some rules you should follow too(I have been guilty of some of these):

1. If you see someone smoking, away from you, and they are not disturbing you, do not get up in their face about smoking. At that point, they are only harming themselves, and you are looking like an asshole.

2. Do not complain about what smoke itself does to the environment. The damage is virtually non-existant. Cars do a hell of a lot worse.

3. If a smoker is at your house for an extended period of time, give them a convenient way to dispose of their cigarettes, like a coffee can. Also, make them clean it up.

4. If you can smell smoke in a restaurant, and the smoker is in the smoking section, do not complain to the smoker. It is the restaurants fault for having shitty ventilation.

5. If you see a group of smokers, and there is a baby with them, leave it alone. Nothing you can do about it.

6. Do not constantly get on a smokers case about quitting. If they want to do it, they will. Constantly annoying them about it is probably going to make them keep doing it.

OK. I feel much better now.