Someone dies from Smoking every 72 seconds
Posted by
corey on Monday 08 March 2004, 11:19:08 GMT
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However, 42 someones die every 72 seconds as a result of hunger (
source), a child dies every 15 seconds as a result of drinking dirty water (
source), and tuberculosis claims one life every 15 seconds (
source). The only difference is that the people who die as a result of smoking choose to take part in the activity that might end their life, and are aware of the risks involved from the start. It's a voluntary action; you can't get infected with a cigarette addiction by breathing air, and there's no connection between poverty and smoking. It's not necessary to the continuation of one's life much like drinking water is--people choose cigarettes. Cigarette smoking is often attacked at all angles because of the impact it has on our people, particularly the youth. If it wasn't such a big deal groups like
the truth and
TIPS wouldn't exist. I don't think it's a problem. Each time you see anti-smoking propaganda recognize that someone somewhere is trying to tell someone else what to do. If a teenager smokes a few cigarettes because it looks cool and falls hopelessly into nicotine addiciton, that teenager deserves lung cancer for believing that looking cool matters to people.
You see, the number of people in the United States over 18 years of age that smoke cigarettes is declining--has been since 1965 (
source). The way the situation is portrayed, mostly by anti-smoking organizations, is that tobacco users are recruiting preteens and holding secret campfire meetings during odd hours of the night. I think our "stop doing this" effort could be focused on a larger threat to our population, like weblogging. People who smoke aren't walking around feeling bad about their lives because they like cigarettes and no one else does. Smokers don't care about you. This person decides to light something on fire and breathe through it because it tastes good and helps them relax. That's hardcore. Kids try to smoke because they're sure chicks will dig their rebelious new look only to realize the true power of smoking. When you smoke, you're not showing people how cool you are. You're really telling everyone that you couldn't give two shits about your health or what you look like or the state of the world, or anything. If you are willing to smoke cigarettes while completely aware of the risks involved, you can't possibly care about your place on this Earth at all. Don't give me this "I can't quit" crap either. One time I was addicted to NyQuil. Want to know how I quit? I stopped buying NyQuil. No one is forcing you to buy cigarettes, and using the "I can't quit" excuse to justify your smoking makes you look like a mindless follower. Blaming your cigarette tenacity on nicotine is like declaring yourself the designated driver to all of your friends, getting really drunk, and then arguing that your promise was made before you started drinking. "I can't quit" = "These cigarettes are doing exactly what I knew they would."
It's OK though, because smoking will instantly increase your number of friends. If you smoke cigarettes you usually hang out places where such activity is permitted--thus meeting other smokers. Non-smokers like myself don't hang out by outdoor ashtrays because we have no reason to. This means smokers always usually meet other smokers, thus creating a giant network of smoker friends. They aren't smoking in my bedroom or leaving their cigarette butts in my laundry; they're doing whatever they do and smoking when they want. It's a choice that some people make which sometimes kills them. It's not killing me or you, so who are we to dispute their actions? Here comes argument number two that is complete crap: second-hand smoke. I have plenty of friends who smoke and zero lung cancer. Want to know how I do it? I don't breathe in their smoke. People who die because of second-hand smoke are breathing too much of other people's cigarette smoking. Doesn't sound too much like a perplexing problem to me. I think the real problem is not enough ashtrays. Smokers exist in large numbers, and ashtrays don't. Garbage that isn't maintained will spoil water supplies and animals that we like to eat. Problem. Let's help them not litter by giving them more places to extinguish their cigarettes. Instead of whining about a decision that isn't their's to make, anti-smoking organizations could change all their posters to anti-littering and supply more ashtrays. Not only would they be tackling a problem that really affects them, but they would meet all sorts of new smoker friends at the ashtrays when they install them.
Smoking isn't a problem. It's a choice. Just because I'm right, here's a graphic that you can use without my permission anywhere you like. Anti-smokers think their arguments are meaningful, and it's my job to correct them.
nerdysouth.com
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gotta love nerdy souf <3 btw i agree with everything he is saying