26 March, 2006

all those lovely, injurious tars and resins...

I smoke. I love smoking. I'm smoking right now (not really but by the time you read this I could be). Every day I contemplate quiting and everyday I think about it over a cup of tea and a ciggy. Of course, I smoke in the privacy of my own home where whether I am allowed to smoke is never comes into question.
I joke that the reason that I smoke is because it is clever and grown up but its not. I kid myself that I will give up when they reach a certain price (£4.50, £5, all came and went).
Because I shouldn't smoke and I don't think anybody else should either. The Packets say it all: emphysema, heart disease, cancer, cancer, cancer and, the loveliest of all, impotence (I don't understand the packs that say - DON'T START, presumably if you have dedicated a, considerable, amount of money for this pack I would guess you had already started smoking).
But I enjoy it. It's gross. It stains my lungs. It kills people. It goes so well with my tea. It de stresses me, and I love it.
I fully appreciate that other people dislike smoking. If I am at someones house where they do not smoke I have no qualms about going outside (I do this at my Parents house.) .
Anyway didn't Oscar Wilde say: "Let us go and lie on the grass and smoke cigarettes and enjoy nature." (I'm rather proud at finding that quote.)
People argue that 'It's perfectly legal to have sex, be naked, urinate, but try doing any of those things in the dining room of a restaurant and you're looking at a hefty fine, if not jail time. The same should hold true for smoking.'
This is a very strong point - but why can't we have smoking bars and non smoking bars? Forest, the 'pro-choice' smokers rights society (they even have awards) have suggested this from the start. Their argument is if you are going to ban it in some places ban it everywhere, don't victimise people over a lifestyle choice. They use the D-word (Discrimination) a lot.
Anyway I shall be watching the progress in Scotland carefully, it is a sign of things to come.
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On a similar note - there is a film out in the states called Thank You for Smoking, which delves into the American lobbying system, following a man who represents the tobacco industry. It looks rather good - I wonder if anyone has seen it?
Interestingly they have their own MySpace and the director(Jason Reitman) has his own blog too. Is this becoming the norm for all film promotion?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

What does injurious mean?

Do you mind if I eat while you smoke?

Alex Pullin said...

It's a quote from the Seven Year Itch. Injurous means to cause injury.

No you are fine eating!

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