Welcome! For some
esoteric reason,
you've become addicted to those little
carcinogenic sticks of death. To some people, you're cool. To others, you're a social
pariah. You're a little fed up with the
anti-smoking crusaders who won't
cut you any slack, but you'd like to be a
nice polite member of society and not
adversely impact the rest of the world.
Here are some tips for you.
- You radiate smoke
- No, really. After you smoke a cigarette, especially if you had to suck one down on an erstwhile "smoke break," there is a stale odor all over you. Many people can feel this aura at ten feet. Most can smell it. So what do you do?
- Don't go to a non-smoker's cube right after your smoke break.
- Don't suck down a cigarette right before getting a ride from someone.
- Smoke blows downwind
- You go outside to take a well-earned nicotine hit, find a nice spot in the sun, and light up. Actually, you probably lit up as soon as you stepped outside, but that's another problem. Check out the wind. Did you just grab the upwind table in the courtyard? Don't do it. Try to sit downwind. Give somebody who wants fresh air a chance to get it.
- Don't defend yourself
- You're a smoker. There are no smoker's rights, just as there are no alcoholic's rights. If someone wants to convince you you're evil, give them the same stare you give to religious missionaries at your door. But don't try to tell the nonsmokers that you have a right to smoke.
- Non-smoking area means don't smoke
- You'd think this would be obvious. Odds are, you pay attention to these. But if you miss one, and someone points it out to you, look sheepish. Don't give them an evil glare for it.
- Don't make comparisons about the evils of other vices
- Just as a nonsmoker sounds stupid when they compare nicotine to plutonium, you sound stupid when you compare it to alcohol or car fumes.
- Open windows suck
- You live in an apartment, and you walk onto the porch to smoke. See that open window on the first floor? Someone who enjoys fresh air opened it. Now, you're shoving smoke in at them. Move.
- Properly dispose of your butts
- Don't stamp out the butts into someone's front yard as you walk by. Don't flick them to the ground to let them burn themselves out. If you want to smoke in your car, use your ashtray. A cigarette butt is litter. Dispose of it properly.
You'll note that none of these "rules"
infringe on your right to do as you choose
in the privacy of your own home. The purpose is to allow you to demonstrate
good faith as a
smoker to be
courteous to others.
About the noder: cordelia is a rabid nonsmoker who watched two grandparents die foul deaths from lung cancer. cordelia also spent several years as a bartender working in smoke-filled bars. cordelia is that person who will ask you to extinguish your butt if you're smoking somewhere you shouldn't be.