This Really Happened To Me.
I used to work at a fast-food joint where we had a breakfast buffet on weekends. One Saturday, a lady informed me that she had told another customer to put out his cigarette because she had seen that we didn't allow smoking in our establishment. But her next comment revealed where her true sympathies lay: "You won't let us smoke, but your buffet has enough fat to give a heart attack to over 50 people."
Um, Excuse Me, But...
I managed to hold my tongue, since I really did not want to lose my job. But if I could go back and do it all again, I might have taken the chance, just to be able to say, "Well, ma'am, that may be so--but people can't get heart disease from the smell of fried food."
Because second-hand smoke can give you cancer. Which is why in many places, smoking is forbidden inside public buildings, restaurants, and clubs.
This has created something of a backlash. People refuse to frequent a bar or a restaurant where they can't light up, or they follow the rules but make snarky remarks about "harassment" and "political correctness," or they sneak into the restroom to catch a few puffs, thinking nobody will find out (doesn't work; that smell is so obvious that everyone passing by knows what's going on).
But mostly, they complain and want to know why they can't smoke anywhere they like.
And as chewing tobacco and e-cigs are growing in popularity, businesses are beginning to forbid those as well--"No Tobacco Use" is a sign I'm seeing more and more, and "No Vaping" or "No E-Cigs" started being added to that list almost as soon as doctors began reporting on vaping deaths.
Of course, the grumbling by users has increased accordingly; they're the only ones it's hurting, right? So nobody should be able to tell them they can't chew or vape, right?
Well...yes, we should. And here's why.
Park Your Butts!
Part of my job is to sweep fallen/windblown debris off our parking lot and access sidewalk.
Guess what I sweep up the most? Old receipts? Fast-food wrappers? Dirty diapers? (Yep, I get a few of those; people can be such yahoos sometimes...)
Of course not. By far, I sweep up more cigarette butts than I do any other trash. And not just the butts; I also get the cellophane from packets, the foil inner wrappings, and the empty packets themselves. Not to mention the stogie ends and the plastic filters from Swisher Sweets.
Now, here's the not-so-funny punch line: We have--not one, but two cigarette catchers right near our front door! Plus a trash can--a big 55-gallon model--in which customers could easily throw their non-flammable cigarette leavings!
Why they don't make use of these conveniences, I have no idea. And before you make excuses for these litterbugs, like saying, "Well, maybe the wind blew all that junk into the lot"...well, all I can say is, I've watched the people get out of their cars with their lit ciggies in hand, and as they get close to the door with its no-smoking icon, they simply fling the burning end sideways, trusting that it will simply go out on its own! Same goes with opening a new pack: the clear plastic comes off and gets flung aside.
These days, I'm not shy about calling out a careless customer for such actions. Especially if our county is under a burn ban, which means nearly all the time. If it's windy and the humidity is anything less than 100%, a tossed lit cigarette can cause a wildfire. And while companies have changed the design of cigarettes so they are less likely to cause a fire if left burning, it's still a crap shoot, because even though that flung butt may not ignite the wet grass, it still might ignite that big round bale of dry hay, or, if the wind is gusting enough, a shed or a barn. Honestly, why take the chance when there is a perfectly-suitable disposal option just a few feet away?
Ptooey!
Okay, I don't know about you, but I am getting mortally tired of spit.
You would think that with a pandemic in full swing, people would lay off the chaw and the Snus, especially since one way COVID-19 is spread is through liquid secretions from infected persons...but no. Expectoration, alas, is still everywhere. People still spit on sidewalks and even on floors and shelves, as well as into trash cans, urinals, and--I shit you not--drinking fountains! Can I get a good, loud "EEEWWWW"???
And that doesn't even count the actual used wads and Snus packets that are also deposited, directly from people's mouths, in all the places I find the spit!
Besides being nasty and unsanitary, this is just plain rude,folks. If you can't refrain from your chewing habit for the half-hour you plan to spend in a store, or the hour you'll be spending in a restaurant, then your addiction is out of control.
Oh, and BTW...that cup or bottle you think is fine for spitting into? Even grosser than the free-range spitting. Because if you set that open container down, and it spills...sweetie, just leave your Copenhagen can in your car, okay?
At least think of the danger to the front-line people who have to clean up after you.
Ah, Sweet Smell Of...
I understand that e-cigarettes were first created as an aid for those trying to quit smoking, not as a "clean" substitute for regular cigarettes...but here we are.
An electronic cigarette, or "e-cig," uses a rechargeable battery to heat up liquid to create vapor, which you then inhale through a little mouthpiece on one end. It's kind of like a little hookah, but without water, and the liquid comes either in a bottle from which you resupply your e-cig, or a disposable cartridge that you insert--depending on the brand.
The way they were first advertised, it would be a wonderful thing. No more worries about second-hand smoke pollution. The "cigarette" was reusable, so no more litter. And the liquid came in nice scents, so no more complaints from the "non" sitting near you. Terrific, right?
Sure. Except this technology was so new, it hadn't been regulated yet. Even kids could buy the things at first, and since e-cigs still had nicotine in them--and in some cases, more nicotine than a traditional cigarette--we now had children getting addicted to the stuff. Then somebody invented a tiny e-cig called a JUUL, which looked a lot like a computer flash drive and had little disposable pods instead of being refilled from a bottle, and the problem exploded. Parents began putting pressure on governments, and finally, state and federal laws were passed that placed e-cigs under the same regulations as regular cigarettes. This meant that you had to be 21 to buy any vaping supplies. And stores, restaurants and bars began to outlaw vaping inside their establishments.
Companies tried to get sneaky; their newest trick has been to sell liquids and pods with no nicotine at all in them, so they would technically be okay for any age. Nice...except there are still no regulations for the quality and compositions of these products! Analyses have shown that the liquids contain heavy metals and chemicals that can actually damage a person's lungs, sometimes in a matter of days...and sometimes fatally. If a federally-illegal drug like THC--the active ingredient in marijuana--is present in the pod, it can be even worse.
And as if that weren't enough, the e-cig can explode, causing injury. Face burn, anyone?
Oh, and hey...I'm now starting to find spent e-cig pods among the litter I sweep up. Just what we need--more trash. *Sigh.*
The Problem Here...
...isn't actually your habit.
It's how you use it around others.
Thoughtless littering, blowing smoke or vape into our faces when we ask that you not smoke in our vicinity, spitting everywhere (either with or without the "solids")...really, folks, these are not the actions of mature adults. It's what little mean kids do when told they should be polite and considerate of others.
Smoking and chewing tobacco have both been proven beyond doubt to cause cancer (lung cancer for smoking, mouth and throat cancer for chewing). Vaping is even worse in that a bad batch can destroy your lungs and kill you in days.
This isn't "political correctness," or the "nanny state"--it's people who decided they were tired of the mess and the fire and health hazards and the lack of consideration. Those people bucked the tobacco companies' ad campaigns and lit a different kind of fire under the feet of those who represent them. And for once, the reps listened. We are slowly moving toward a culture in which nicotine may no longer be considered an acceptable social pastime.
And that would be a good thing.
Stay Tuned...
I'm predicting that it won't be too long before I have to write a sequel...a few months after my state legalizes recreational marijuana. But maybe not. Maybe we'll lean more toward pot chocolates and Alice B. Tolklas brownies. We'll see.
