Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Pet Peeve x 1,000

Sometimes I get fired up about things. Hopefully i'm usually an even-tempered person but there are things, I will admit. And one of those things, something that has to be near the top of the heap, something I have such repulsed disdain for is.. cigarette smoke. I hate it, and I'm going to go as far as to say I hate smokers. I hate people who smoke. Sorry if you smoke and this offends you, but I'm also sorry at how many times your smoking has offended me. And at least my blog doesn't make you physically unwell just by being exposed to it. I think smoking is the stupidest, most absurd, and ridiculously rudest thing. I cannot understand why anyone would ever feel the least bit inclined to engage in such a foul-some act. Here's what smoking does, that i can see:

1- makes you stink
2- makes ME stink
3- gives you foul breath & gross teeth
4- makes me hate you
5- gives you cancer
6- gives ME cancer
7- makes you look stupid

Maybe there's a nice calming effect of nicotine in there but somehow it got lost in all the many many reasons that tell you why smoking is stupid. And really, how nice can it be when it's an addiction and causes so many bad things.

I try to hide my feelings on certain things. I try to have a bit of tact. But regarding smoking and smokers, it's really hard. When i'm walking outside and i find myself approaching a smoker or two out puffing away and i know i'm going to walk near or into the cloud, I will take a huge breath before i get there and exhale the entire time i'm walking by. I tell myself i do this only because i don't want to breathe it in but i think a little bit of me does it to also send a message to the smoker: Stop trying to give me cancer you stupid jerk!

I also really hate walking behind someone who's smoking. That's the worst.. you are caught in their trail. So you totally have to speed up and pass them which might look totally awkward if they're already walking at a quick pace. And, ok, when i walk by a smoker, i might exaggeratingly fan my arm back and forth (while exhaling obviously.) I have yet to start coughing profusely but i would if it was really making me cough and i probably wouldn't try to muffle the cough. I just had a thought of hacking in the face of a smoker and saying, "oh, i'm sorry... i thought I would return the favor.." :) But anyway, I don't cough because I make my best efforts not to breathe it in the first place.

Maybe this is mean to do but really, I'm not saying anything rude to the person. What they're doing is incredibly rude and mean to me, so why can't I protect myself? It's not as if I carry around a tank of poisonous gas to spray in the faces of smokers who blow in my face. Althooough... interesting... ok, j/k. maybe.

I don't understand how smoking isn't against the law. Driving drunk is, drinking in some public places is.. and if I'm standing near someone who's drinking, i'm not going to be harmed necessarily. But cigarette smoke has been proven many many times to be damaging to your health, so what the hey, everybody?? I mean, am i the only one who thinks this?

thoughts?

7 comments:

Natalie R. said...

What I wonder is why Congress keeps passing laws making it harder to smoke. If they want it illegal(which wouldn't bother me) then just do it instead of being sneaky.

You have to agree, though, that smokers look dignified, right? Especially as they hack up their tarry lungs.

Joel said...

I had a similar rant a few months back.

)en said...

Good article, Joel. Your argument is much better than mine--"it's stupid!"

Natalie! Thanks for the comment. Dignified as they hack up their tarry lungs-- niiice. :)

Amy said...

The worst is when you are in a restaurant and someone starts smoking. Even if you are in the "non smoking" section, that stinky smoke creeps over. It makes my food all of a sudden not look so good. Fun fact: Indiana is the 2nd leading state for smoking...behind KY. So yeah, I hate it too.

Darby said...

I hate the smell of cigarettes as well. And the smokers cough/hack is so annoying.

Scoresbys said...

Kids can come in really handy for this. Whenever we pass someone who is smoking, Grace says, "Gross mom. That's stinky!" really loudly. And I don't even try to cover for her. I just nod and say, "Yes, it is." Ha. Take that smokers. Out of the mouth of babes. . .

Anonymous said...

Thanks for good stuff