Tall, thin, blonde, female daycare provider - probably late '40s - frequents the park with a few young children in her care (toddler & pre-school) - SMOKING. Asked twice by a mom to put out her cigarette and ignored her. When she was finished smoking she yelled at the mother and threatened to hit her. All of this was in the middle of the playground where the kids were playing. Last summer I often saw this woman with another tall blonde woman (sister?) on the Danforth (Woodbine area) with kids in tow and cigarettes in their hands. One would push the stroller with a smoke and the other would have a child in one hand and a smoke in the other.For sure they are daycare providers - they were not with their children. If only I had known this site existed I would have paid better attention to the details - but if you live in the Danforth/Woodbine area and your daycare provider is tall, thin & blonde, you might want to ask if she smokes around your child.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
East Lynn Park @ Woodbine/Danforth
Monday, September 15, 2008
51 comments:
Smoking is not a CRIME and is really a petty thing to report. If I smoked (I don't), and someone asked me to put it out (if I was outdoors), I would ignore them as well.
No child is going to have any sort of symptoms of any sort if a wisp of cigarette smoke happens to go by their head. When I was growing up, half my friends' parents smoked -- in the car -- with the windows CLOSED!
This country has gotten so overprotective to the point of fanaticism.
I disagree allison. I was one of those kids who's parents smoked with the windows rolled up. I have chronic bronchitis due to it. I've been denied health care because of it. I agree people don't need to freak about a wisp of smoke but I believe children should have the right to breath clean air so put out your flipping cigarette!
Smoking should be a crime. I think we should be allowed to slap anyone who smokes within 500 feet of us. I hate the smell of ciggarettes and it sticks to the smokers like stink on shit. They don't know it though, but yeah you stink like shit smokey smokerson.
And also, you're gonna die soon.
You won't be laughing then, will you smokey joe?
Sara I love you.. I posted a sighting about a nanny I saw smoking recently and to my surprise the majority was quite OK with her smoking around the little girl, to which I was mortified. But people's opinions are their opinions; That, we can do nothing about. I too think smoking should be a crime and children should be allowed to breathe fresh clean air. The air around us is already polluted enough as it is to have smoking cigerettes adding to it.
Also we people seem a little uneducated about what second hand smoke could do, or have we forgotton?
It is a killer. A KILLER!!
We do not need smoking to be glamorized around our children people!
STOP IT! JUST STOP IT!!
While all of you are at it what other rights would you like to take away from people??
Maybe those who like to drink wine while out to dinner and get a little obnoxious?
Those who like to chew gum and crack it as loud as they can?
How about chicks who like to show off their new thong when bending over to tie their shoe?
All because you find it annoying?
Really..smoking can be harmful to your health and yes second hand smoke can be dangerous..but taking away the rights of people who smoke while outside? You people have gone too far.
These nannies are staying active with their charges. Not at home sitting on their asses and if they are smoking as much as you describe,there is no way in hell that mom and dad are not going to smell it on them!
I do not smoke.Nor do i like the smell. I also think it looks horrid!
My parents both do and did when we were kids.
We do not have any health problems because of it. Nor do my parents.
I am sorry for the person with the bronchitis. It sucks and I would not wish it on anyone.
They have taken smoking away from people while out to eat,when at the beach and in most indoor places here where we live.
Lets focus on real crimes. Gangs, drug sales,rapists and child abusers..quit acting as if smoking is a crime..until it is illegal(and I hope that day never comes)go after the real criminals! Smoking OUTSIDE is not harmful to a child unless you are blowing each puff directly into their faces!I doubt highly that these two smoking guns were doing that!
Silly,silly post! really
there is a lot of things wrong with smoking.
it is not a crime.
I do smoke, and I'm a nanny. However it comes down to COMMON SENSE.
you don't smoke on the job. period. If you want to smoke on the job, then don't take care of children. its their innocent right, being under 18 to not be subjected to smoke.
listen, I do smoke. not on the job. its wrong to smoke around a child. however, it is not a crime.
Sex isn't illegal either, but I bet you'll be arrested if you do it in a park full of children.
Why do people keep using the argument that smoking isn't illegal? Well drinking isn't illegal until you get behind the wheel of a car and are now endagering the lives of people around you. Smoking should be the same way. It has been PROVEN that smoking is hazardous to the smoker and those around the smoke, so why do we have to keep begging you to stop harming our lungs along with yours? It's all about respecting others and being curteous.
Point: If you want to harm yourself...fine, but please leave me and my children out of it.
Thank you!
Wouldn't the parents know if their child was around a smoker? I assume the child would smell like smoke, right? So maybe the parents are smokers as well and don't mind. That is just one thought, which could be way off base. But regardless, I do not think the nanny should be smoking around the child and she should know better. From what I understand, second hand smoke is really dangerous, especially for small children!
"Sex isn't illegal either, but I bet you'll be arrested if you do it in a park full of children."
Ridiculous comparison. Nobody can get arrested for smoking in public.
Puleeze!
The point I was making is that they should be arrested for smoking in a park full of children.
Even though it's not illegal to smoke (like sex), it's not appropriate to do in front of children.
Yes, smoking is harmful and disgusting. However it was not your place to ask the caregiver to put her cigarette out-unless there were signs saying no smoking in the area. It is her free right( as gros s as it is) to smoke wherever the law allows her. Would it have been nice for her to not expose small children to the toxins of her cigarettes? Yes. But unfortunately is really wasn't your place. What I would have done was removed my children/charges away from her. This is just my opinion though, and it is a good sighting because maybe the parents will see this and know their poor children are being exposed to smoke and a neglectful caregiver.
It's a shame that someone would need to post a sign that say's NO SMOKING for people to know it's an idiodic thing to smoke in an area for kids.
I'm sick of hearing "my right to smoke, my right to smoke". Well what about my right to not be exposed smoked filled air.
No, smoking is not a crime. But, as a parent and an ex smoker, i do not want anyone smoking around my kids. Even when i myself smoked, i never, ever smoked when my kids were with me. i know how bad smoking is for you and it was my choice at that time to pollute my body with it, no need for my kids to suffer also.
I cannot stand people who smoke around kids! ugh, nasty!
That said, how could these parents not smell the smoke on the kids when they go home? My child used to go to a friend's house where the dad smoked in the kitchen and I could smell the smoke on him when he came home, drove me nuts!
haha. sarah, you're a spaz.
I haven't been reading this thread, but had to look and see why somebody thought sarah was a "spaz"...hehe. Sara, you're funny.
And sydney white,
Since you asked, the rights I would like to take away from people are the "rights" that do actual harm to innocent bystanders in their vicinity. And the "rights' that cost taxpayers billions of dollars every year...totally needlessly. And the rights that cost thousands upon thousands of lives every year. Just those, thank you.
If we could get rid of smoking I would gladly look at your butt crack in your thong and listen to you pop your gum loudly...without complaint even. (Altough I may secretly snicker behind your back and point it out to my husband or friends so they can have a good laugh too if your butt hangs out too much, OK? But if it looks really gross, we'll make a pukey face instead and mutter amongst ourselves about whether you realize just how disgusting and NOT sexy it actually looks.)
Nah parents wouldn't know if you smoked. I used to smoke around my charge and even in the car. I realize now it wasn't the best choice but I was a selfish 23 year old. I used a lot of bodyspray. I made a concoction of Scope and tide and water and put it in a spray bottle and I would squirt me and the kid with it throughout the day. This was before the genius of febreeze, but I guarantee you there are nannies all over westchester febreezing your babies!
And ciggarette smoke is the least of what they are covering up.
People who smoke are just plain stupid. I personally want to run them over with my car and the government should compensate me for getting rid of them.
Seriously, smokers should be allowed to smoke but I wish they have to pay 3 times as much for health insurance due to all the damage they do to the innocent.
If you smoke you not only look stupid but you reek. Your breath is bad. Your clothes smell like a garbage bin and you annoy me.
I get satisfaction in the fact that you will have bad skin, nails, teeth and cellulite before me. That's the least you can get for annoying me.
That's just my opinion. So go ahead and light up.
For the record there are now companies that FINE their workers for smoking and being fat because it raises the cost of health insurance for them. Awesome. And thank you Cali for making it illegal for mommy and everyone else to smoke in the car with their kids.
That's true, Janet English. I forgot about all of the ways smoking makes poeple ugly before their time.
So much for "looking cool" by smoking if you have yellow teeth, excessive wrinkles, sagging skin,cellulite, lines all around your mouth, a voice like a 90 year old lumberjack, and a witch's hacking cough. Pretty....sexy , and cool. Now I understand why they do it.
I'm the original poster.
It wasn't so much that she wouldn't put the cigarette out when asked (while leaning on the play structure, no less), it was the fact that she screamed and threatened violence once she stubbed it out (on the ground of the play area, no less).
It's irritating enough when you're walking behind a smoker on the street and inhale lungfuls of their secondhand smoke, but I don't need it to drift into my toddler's face when she's playing in the sandbox!
Here it's illegal to smoke in a car with children in it, as well as in all workplaces, bars and restaurants. I would think that it's not unreasonable to expect a children's play area to be smoke-free.
Yep..I know of these ladies too...their daycare is just north of Woodbine and Danforth.
I have seen some of the parents having a cigarette with the daycare providers on more than one occasion. There is something so disturbing about seeing a women pushing a baby stroller or holding a toddlers hand while smoking at the same time.
I am NOT judging smokers...I have one every once and a while (was a regular smoker prior to kids) but never, NEVER would I ever smoke around my children! What is stopping these ladies from smoking indoors with these poor babies and kids?
They should be ashamed and so should the parents who knowingly drop them off there.
People who smoke around children should be kicked in the head.
smoking sucks. I agree.
But the over reaction on this thread is crazy.
Mom,The tax money that you are referring to has been spent on smokers dying from lung cancer..not people dying from second hand smoke.Which is what we are referring to when we speak of people smoking in the park and the fact that it bothers us.
In order for second hand smoke to cause any illness it would have to be ingested for 6- 8 hours daily in an enclosed area for years to have an affect.Following a smoker on the sidewalk and smelling the smoke while in the park are annoying at best. Rude on the smokers part..perhaps
Several of you are over reacting though and need to get your facts straight.
I do not smoke. I never have. I too think it stinks and is gross to watch. But those who choose to do it,have that right . They
should not be made to feel like a common criminal,they simply choose a vice that you don't.
janet english,your post regarding the joy and satisfaction you get from watching smokers teeth turn yellow,skin wrinkle up and so on was repulsive. I don't condone smoking.I choose not to do it. I do however have a vice in my life as most of us do. If I were strong enough or disciplined enough to give it up,I would be close to perfect. But I am human and none of us is perfect.(although in most of your posts you portray yourself as such)
How sad that you get off watching others struggles with their addictions. How sad that you find the effects of a smokers addiction gratifying because you hate smoking.
The park is big enough for all of us to get along and co=exist.
For the record,I agree,a considerate person would not smoke at a park in the immediate area surrounding children. The woman in the post was obviously crass and rude..no argument there.
Mom,though we don't agree,your remark about the thong and gum were funny and cleverly stated.
I don't know if it's statewide, but most playgrounds here that I can recall state that smoking is prohibited in tot play areas.
Since it was not specifically prohibited in the park the woman was in however, I agree that it was out of line for the other woman to ask her to put out her cigarette. That's like asking someone who is walking a dog on a leash to walk on the other side of the street from you on the chance that their dog MAY get vicious and MAY try to attack you, and because you hate dogs. But there is no excuse for belligerent behavior and threats, especially in front of children, and she should have been arrested for that.
For the people who ask why is it not your right to not have to breathe anyone's cigarette smoke? It is. Just stay away from areas where smoking is allowed. I don't smoke, and smoking is prohibited virtually everywhere in California now, but to make it illegal is about as silly as making it a law that everyone must exercise for 20 minutes every day and eat 5 servings of vegetables daily. (Not including potatoes or ketchup).
And I don't buy into the argument that people who smoke or who may be slightly overweight are responsible for the highway robbery that is the cost of health care now. That would be the insurance companies and lawyers gouging everyone, and doctors having to buy mega-million insurance policies to protect themselves against malpractice lawsuits from all the litigation-crazed idiots in this country.
In the UK, most adults smoke, and they somehow do not have the insane problem of astronomical health care costs, which they surely would if smoking were the root cause of our problem.
i don't think it's a good idea to smoke around anyone. i don't want to breathe anyone's second hand smoke either. it's bad for adults too, you know. but when it happens, at least i know it's a temporary situation and it's not everyday. no one should have to be in close contact with second hand smoke on a consistent basis.
by the way Sydney White, you seem pretty smart.
I agree pink nanny, I always love what Sydney White has to say.
"By the way, I'm still learning how to speak priss" - Sydney White, the movie. LOL
Sydney White,
I respectfully disagree. I have asthma...not really bad...but asthma nonetheless. Sometimes I have symptoms and other times I am perfectly normal.The times when I am unavoidably in the vicinity of second hand smoke I immediatley beging to cough...and sometimes have symptoms continuing even into the next day. If it stays in my lungs that long, it stays in yours too...you just don't feel it so acutely. Most of the time I try to leave immediately when smoke is in the air...but there are times when its not feasable.
There are plenty of kids and adults with lung issues and it seems quite unfair that others can engage in a vice that causes them immediated physical distress. I have plenty of friends with normal lungs as well who just can hardly stand to be encircled by smoke and end up smelling badly themselves as a result to boot.
I just think if we have laws limiting other activities because they are bad for our health, it is a mystery that smoking is still legal when it is such an undeniable detriment to people and to society and has no positive value. Why do we have to wear seatbelts and motorcycle helmets if we don't want to? Why can't we smoke marijuana? Why can't we cross in the middle of the street?
PS I realize that the bulk of the medical costs attributable to smoking are for people with self imposed diseases (which in itself is tragic)...but I still don't think its a good idea for our country to allow something like this to occur when we have so many people who need help in ways that are actually unpreventable and we don't have the money to handle those.
And with us having the knowledge of how addictive smoking is, how can we allow people to become trapped in this vicious cycle of trying to quit? How many people have you known who started smoking as a teen, not having the maturity to know the full weight of what they were getting into, and then spend decades trying to quit...often unsuccessfully? And then they get cancer or empheseyma, or some other disease that seems on the surface not to be smoking related, but actually is, because their body is so broken down and weakened from the smoking?
And to help these people fight against all odds to the bitter end until they die painful deaths, too young, we pay billions of dollars that could have otherwise been spent helping those same people get better educations when they were in the public schools, get higher paying jobs when they held jobs as teachers, police officers, firemen, soldiers, etc, or helped them out with a better funded,less burdened, healthcare system when they had some unavoidable health issue.
I don't know, the whole thing just seems like lunacy to me when you sit back and look at what it costs...in human terms as well as monetary.
mom, I agree with you 100% when it comes to allergies and Asthma. Un fortunately that is just like those allergic to perfumes and colognes..it is a part of life and a part of learning to co exist with people in this world.
It is unrealistic to think that we will never run into someone who smokes outdoors in public or who wears cologne. The best we can do if we suffer from allergies or Asthma is be prepared..make the best of it..jam your happy little butts to a new location at the park or beach(both are always big enough to accomodate smokers and non smokers or smelly perfume wearing skunks)
Life is so much easier when we find a solution instead of making a big deal out of things.
I once accompanied my friend outsie of the cafe we were eating at while she smoked. I don't smoke but grew up with parents that did. I don't care for the smell and always stand up wind of those smoking.I will tell you my that friend is always aware of who is where when smoking and will try and find the least populated area.She is very courteous that way.
A rather large woman(upwards of 300lbs)passed by us on a motorized scooter/chair(like a Hover Round). I would guess she was 40 at the most.She was eating a pack of Twinkies. When she got in front of us she muttered something about my friend affecting her(the lady on the scooter's) health by smoking out in public. It was so rude but I said "yeah, like you are concerned with your health..why not have another pack of Twinkies?"
I don't know where that came from or why I said it except that I was so incensed that this woman,obviously in too poor of health to walk,grossly overweight and shoving a Twinkie in her face would even consider saying anything to someone smoking but otherwise minding their own business!
I usually do not make such comments outloud.
It was obvious though that this woman was complaining just because she could.Like so many others.
Some have valid complaints..most do not.
If this woman were at all concerned about her health,she would shove less twinkies down her gullet!
It has become the PC thing to not smoke. Funny, in the 40's & 50's it was the PC thing TO DO.
Complaining for a valid reason is fair but complaining just because you can..well that just sucks!
Wow. Good analogy, sydney! I can't STAND strong perfume. I choke, and it makes my eyes water. I hate smoke too, but I get more of a physically violent reaction from perfume.
Dear Moniker,
Wow that was an ugly story. :(
If the fat ass was eating twinkies and spitting them in your face, then you could complain.
The problem with smokers is they don't walk around in astronaut helmets. I don't want to smell their smoke and I sure as hell don't want their smoke in my lungs, and my friend, I am no stranger to hostess products.
Well, for the record, I do not harass smokers in any way. And somebody like BLBs friend, who tries to be considerate...that's always appreciated.
I have been thinking about this issue today and I have come to a conclusion about why I probably feel so strongly the way I do.
I think it is probably because I was always brought up, even as a small child, to consider first how my actions affected everybody around me. I was just short of the "free to be you and me" generation...which my sister, four years younger, was a part of. I think its so ingrained in me to not bother other people that I am typically bothered when I see people who don't seem to have regard for how others feel...even if they are behaving within their rights. I'm aleways thinking, "Do they really have to do that right here, when they could move 15 feet and nobody would be affected?" (About any variety of disruptive behaviors...not just smoking.)
My sister is also way more "me first", which bugs the crap out of me. And I bug her because I am a rule follower, and therefore, what she condiders "Boring."
It may just be as simple as a few years difference in the "cultural mindset" that we grew up with that forms our opinions. I just don't think "Because I can" is ever a good excuse for not being as considerate as possible of how others may feel.
Until smoking becomes illegal then you have to put up and shut up. She can smoke outside and the average cigarette lasts 5 minutes, move away from her.
Twinky, as I stated, the comment was very unusual for me.
I never complained about anything my friend.I simply made a comment about eating another twinkie as that was surely good for her health!Right?
whats worse for me????
lets see... a pack of twinkies a day combined with no walking and an obvious weight problem or the stench smell of someones smoke for 5 seconds as I pass by them. yeah thats a hard one to figure out!
neither are good for you so what gives? She did not complain because she was worried about her health but because she is an unhappy person wanting to spread greif to those all around her.Like most people who over react and make big deals out of things.
And BTW Twinky, I am a plus size penny all the way and am not fat prejudice. I am however prejudice against people who complain just because they can..just to cause greif to someone else and just because it is the PC thing to do.
Perhaps it is you who should walk around with an Astronauts helmet to ensure your pure air in your perfect world? Why should someone else have to cater to you. Perhaps you should cater to yourself? Just a thought.
Mom, I hear you. I too was raised too pay close attention to those around me. I don't like smoking. I don't like people who suck face or swear in public.(especially around children!) I think they are all rude. I choose not to do any of those things.But as they are all legal,I simply MMOB and relocate,making the best of it while setting a great example for my children.(trying to change others is usually useless,changing yourself is always successful)
I guess however I am fortunate because most smokers I run into are much more polite than otherwise obnoxious people out in public.
I agree..its yucky and I don't like it.
should it be illegal..hell no!
Such hysteria!
Second hand smoke is far less dangerous than the pollution that spews out of every combustion engine all day long.
To say you would like to run over a smoker with your car is not only pathetic and hateful, it is the height of ignorance and hypocrisy.
Stand in a closed garage with 10 chainsmokers. You could stay in there for a month straight, and come out stinky, but mostly fine.
Stand in a closed garage with 1 running car and you will be dead within the hour.
dangitall (aka joe camel),
"Stand in a closed garage with 10 chainsmokers. You could stay in there for a month straight, and come out stinky, but mostly fine."
What? Mostly fine? A sealed garage with no incoming air and 10 chain smokers? Are you psychotic or just on the board of Marlboro?
And for the record, I don't park my charge's stroller next to idling cars, not even for brief moments!
dang it all..you are right but people refuse to get the truth when it comes to second hand smoke.
Well here it is!!!!
In 1975 British delegate Sir George Godber informed the World Health Organization how to get smokers to quit: Foster an atmosphere where it was perceived that active smokers would injure those around them,especially their family,infants and young children who would be exposed involuntarily to the smoke in the air.
The more attention we focus on phantom fears,the less we have left over to address actual problems.
You can all think this is silly but do the research!
Dang it all is correct..the amount of time you have to be subjected to second hand smoke is far more than what any of you "anti smokers" have mentioned.
You would literally have to inhale second hand smoke for 6 or 8 hours a day,every day,for many,many years in a row to have any significant health problems from it.
The whole anti smoking movement is about social control and nothing more.
yes, smoke can trigger Asthma, I would never deny that but so do perfumes and lotions..should those be illegal too?as for all the "hysteria" that comes with the "I simply don't like it"... what a load of crap.
Quit repeating what you have heard and get the facts for yourself!
You really will be amazed at what you find.
Janet english..are you going to run over the entire crew at your local Bath & Body store at the mall??or Oh,is THAT smell (that engulfs an entire section of the mall)tolerable?Should that store be banned or made illegal? I am sure that triggers many Asthma attacks?? Ya think??
Your thoughts are totally irrational and finding joy in others greif will only bring bad Karma your way..you might want to start ducking now!!
I don't like smoking either..it sucks..but just because I don't like it does not mean I have the right to create a hysteria around it in order to force those that do enjoy it to have to quit!
What? Mostly fine?
Yes.
A sealed garage with no incoming air and 10 chain smokers?
20 or 30 even, you'd still be ok. You are confusing "closed" with "air-tight seal". Standing in any space that is closed with an air-tight seal will kill you.
Are you psychotic or just on the board of Marlboro?
Sigh. Of all the logical fallacies, false dilemma is the least entertaining, but that's JMO. There is no company called "Marlboro", you are thinking of Philip Morris. Anyone who actually cared about the effects of smoking would know this.
And for the record, I don't park my charge's stroller next to idling cars, not even for brief moments!
Whether or not you park your charge, or your own behind, next to idling cars, unless you ARE in a closed space, is immaterial. Parking lots, sidewalks, bus stops, waiting at crosswalks, or simply walking down the road - there is always a car, or bus, or truck spewing slow death out at you.
You have to understand that just because someone doesn't agree with you doesn't mean they are your enemy. All someone has to do is mention that the "facts" may have been misrespresented and they are villified.
Smoking is the red herring in the "What's giving us all cancer?" mystery, please don't be distracted by it while the larger threat sneaks by unnoticed.
If even a fraction of the derision that is so rabidly aimed at smokers was directed at people WHO WILLFULLY REFUSE TO CARPOOL or people WHO TAKE TAXIS WHEN THEY COULD USE MASS TRANSIT, perhaps then we'd start to see some decline in the frequency of diseases and disorders of the respiratory system.
It's quite similar to the way the powers that be used false information about weapons of mass destruction to garner support for a profitable war. It's a tragedy, really.
Don't even get me started on the weapons of mass destruction disussion.
We had every right to go into Iraq based solely on the fact that Saddam refused to comply with the order to let inspectors in.
How did I do that?
Actually, the current estimation is a Kurdish population of 5.5 million in Iraq.
Listen to what the former UN Chief Inspector of Weapons has to say about the very unfortunate confusion:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n9JXgXYgQU
I certainly didn't mean to get anyone all riled up, just halfway riled up..., so here's some kitteh: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZSbC09qgLI
Mom,
"So much for "looking cool" by smoking if you have yellow teeth, excessive wrinkles, sagging skin,cellulite, lines all around your mouth, a voice like a 90 year old lumberjack, and a witch's hacking cough."
Are you trying to say that every smoker has these problems? I know people who have never smoked who have terribly yellow teeth and cellulite. I know smokers who don't have any of them.
Thank you Sydney White and dangit all for being logical and rational.
oh please,
Those are unfortunate side effects of smoking. By smoking we increase our chances dramatically of suffering those results. How old are these smokes you know who have none of those ill effects?
Write back when they have been smoking for 20, 30 or 40 years.
Well, there are also unfortunate side effects to watching daytime TV, eating Twinkies or drinking beer. Should we outlaw all those things as well?
Well mom, let's see...my grandfather smoked for over 60 years but lived to be 90. A former co-worker of mine was in her mid 50s, has smoked since she was 20ish and she could easily pass for 40. My former boss has smoked a pack a day for 20 years, he still plays soccer 3 times a week, and he definitely looks younger than his age. And last but not least, me. I'm 41 and I've been smoking for 26 years. I have white teeth, no wrinkles and no sagging skin. I am active and 100% healthy according to my doctor.
Don't misunderstand...I'm not trying to advocate for smoking or saying that there aren't substantial health issues that can be caused by smoking. But to insinuate that every smoker is or will be physically unattractive is just silly.
Cali mom,
You're so right. My husband doesn't smoke but drinks too much beer and has an atrocious diet. He's on high blood pressure meds, overweight, always at the doctor, etc. And he's younger than me!
NO Cali.
But I must admit that those are the arguments I casually toss in when I know somebody is a smoker...maybe mentions they are hoping to quit, but sort of a little hesitant to put themselves through the agony of quitting...and maybe mentions how they are getting older looking or lines around the mouth, etc.
I dopn't harang people about smoking, because I know it won't do any good and will only make them mad. I don't tell them it can kill them, because they know that already and it will only make them mad. But the people I care about who smoke...I worry about them. So...for example, the lady who has done my hair for 15 years, and who I have come to care about, smokes. During a recent appointment she was mentioning how she is getting some medical treatments to soften the wrinkles on her face and even out her skin tone. (She is in her 30s, is getting a gravelly voice, and happens to have discolored teeth as well.) She has also mentioned that her smoking is an unwelcome vice and has tried a couple/few times over the years to quit. So I asked, "Are you still off the cigarettes?(Even though I pretty well suspected she was not.) Because that will go a long way in helping your skin to stay young looking after you finish your treatments." And she just had work done to the color of her teeth, so I mentioned how pretty they will stay if she doesn't smoke.
My hope is that if somebody I care about is under the delusion that they are immune to the severe health effects that are possible from smoking, maybe appealing directly to their vanity will make an impression. Cancer may come way down the line...and its almost always too late by then...but when we start to see wrinkles or look older it seems to get the attention of us women pretty quickly.
Here's one of the big reasons I hate that its legal. It is very addictive and dangerous. It costs billions to deal with the effects. (Money we could better spend, and as I mentioned in another thread. Our country has a lot of unresolved problems that could be much better addressed if we spent responsibly instead of the way we often do.) Most new smokers are teens...which is a bigger shame, because they lack the ability to assess consequences the way adults do, but by the time they are old enough to understand better, they are already hooked. That sucks. And I firmly believe that the tobacco lobby is so strong that our government (as in the case of illegal immigration) puts the good of the people WAAAYYYY behind the economic interests of a powerful industry in hopes of gaining their political support and dollars. And people are DYING as a result. This is not like getting fat or spraying on a half bottle of perfume and making everybody in an elevator practically faint. People are dying at an alarming rate every single day as a direct result of smoking...ONLY SO THAT SOMEBODY CAN MAKE A BUCK. I firmly believe that that is the true situation and the only reason tobacco is still legal. It kills. That is an undisputable, undeniable fact...and that should make it clear that it is unfit for human use. We regulate so many things that are dangerous...but not this. Why? Money. Sick.
We have to wear seatbelts. We cannot drive drunk. Our government is in the business of regualting us based on true safety issues. This is one. Ask yourself why the blind eye on such a huge and persistent killer.
oh please,
Congratulations to you, your grandpa, and to your friends. I hope all of those good things stay that way fo all of you. I really do. I don't wish ill on any smoker, and wish nobody would ever be harmed by it. But many, many, many are not so luck as you.
I wish my grandma, aunt and uncle had been as lucky as you and your friends. I miss them...a lot.
A test.
Get 50 smokers.
Rent a 15,000 square foot warehouse with ten foot ceilings.
Seal the doors, windows and ventilation.
Leave them with an exhaustive supply of phillip dickhead morris products.
set a clock and see how long until they drop dead.
BO
"Seal the doors, windows and ventilation."
"set a clock and see how long until they drop dead."
I'd say you wouldn't need a cigarette because you'd be dead within 5 minutes with the room closed off like that.
You sure are writing some winning fucking posts tonight, aren't you?
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