Tobacco Smokers: Society's New Pariahs?


by Jackie Winn - Date: 2008-10-11 - Word Count: 492 Share This!

Everyday we are bombarded with hundreds of ads of one sort or another telling us all the reasons to quit smoking, but they aren't always real specific. Some of the more well known reasons are cancer, emphysema, stroke, etc. and these seem to have little impact on smokers anymore, nor have they ever really seemed to. Fact is most smokers seem to have the attitude that everyone is going to die anyway and generally dies of something. The air is unfit to breathe due to all the smog and pollution emitted by cars, factories, trains, and loads of other things so why worry about cigarettes?

Many smokers are now finding themselves becoming pariahs in this society where once it was extremely acceptable, and even cool, to smoke tobacco. Things have certainly changed in the last particularly 10 years though. There is a movement in many parts of the world, and not just America, to ban smoking in many public places. Indeed, in America, smoking is banned in all government buildings and many restaurants now. There is a big movement by advocates to make it illegal for smokers with minor children to smoke in their car or home. When does such ideas become a violation to the rights and freedoms of individual smokers? According to many it all ready has over stepped the boundaries by those trying to push such legislation.

Understandably, non-smokers do not want to have to breathe in the noxious second hand smoke that is given off by tobacco cigarettes-but it is also not the right of the smoker to be able to smoke if he or she desires to do so? Should there be accommodations for both? The answer to that depends on who you talk to. Smokers say that they should have the option to be able to smoke in a restaurant after having a good meal. Non-smokers believe that smokers should keep it outside or not smoke at all.

In Britain smoking has been banned in pubs across the land much to the dismay of smokers and pub owners alike. Many pub owners have complained that their business has dropped exponentially since the law was enacted. Some pub owners have made it a point to allow smoking in their pubs in spite of the law--many making statements along the lines of, "It's my bloody pub! If I wants smokers I'll have 'em!"

This is a controversy that is not going to go away any time soon. There are millions of smokers all over the world and at least 50 million of them are here in the US alone. They aren't going to all quit and taking away their right to smoke would most likely cause a war. Tobacco companies aren't going to see their businesses crash and they have their lobbyists and billions of dollars backing them to make sure they continue on as always.
Smokers will smoke and non-smokers will gripe, and the beat goes on.


Related Tags: nicotine, quit smoking, stop smoking, cold turkey, dangers of smoking, cease smoking, why to quit smoking, stop smoking today

Jackie is the owner of
www.smokinghelper.com a website which aims to provide help, information,
tips and advice to people who are trying to stop smoking and beat
nicotine addiction.

Stop smoking today and change your life forever!

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