Anyone who has ever smoked a
Parliament must have noticed the uniqueness of the
filter. Unlike any other brand of
cigarette, all four Parliament varieties allow a space of roughly a half of a
centimeter between the foam filter and the end of the cardboard-paperlike foam filter covering.
Have you ever wondered why? Here's some theories:
- The recessed filter adds mystique to the experience of smoking a P-funk. One cannot deny that the existence of the recessed filter sets Parliament apart from its cancerous counterparts. Perhaps the makers realized this and added the feature simply to boost sales.
- It is healthier than the full-filter style. This seems like unsubstantiated poo. Not surprising, because I heard this from the same person who claimed Kentucky Fried Chicken is only called KFC now because pseudo-chickens withouth faces or wings are fed anally. It's safe to dismiss this one.
- The nook in the filter is there for cocaine. This is also probably false. If this was the case, then the makers must have planned to reach only a cocaine-using market.
- Parliaments were once sent to soldiers on the front lines. Since they would spend much of their time on the go, hardly noticing the cig in their mouth, the recessed filter prevented sogginess from cutting the smoke short. This seems logical, since a full filter would get soggy and undesirable after only a few minutes.
I find myself buying into either the first or the last story. Not that it matters, though, for I choose to fight the nic fit with Parliament because of its smoothness.