Blowing Smoke

Though I'm not a smoker myself, I've always respected the right of someone to smoke.

Little steps, people. Since the government's already let the smoking demon loose, it's easier to just regulate the usage rather than to outright ban it. Just don't blow smoke my way. In fact, I'd probably order each building to have a special self-contained room for adult smokers to be incarcerated during break time for a ciggie. So go ahead and light up.

And I meant adult smokers. Not impressionable minors who don't want to know any better. Forget about the shockingly visceral, gory warning signs on every cigarette packet. Trust me, the threatening message is sent and received. Unfortunately the target audience - the kewl kids just don't wanna hear it. Hell, what they'll do is get a pretty nifty cigarette case to stuff the cancer sticks in and continue puffing away.


Gods, I need a smoke!
Witness a young patient of mine - who surprised even a jaded soul like me.

Paul : Do you smoke?
Patient : Yes, I do. A pack a day.
Paul : How many years have you been smoking?
Patient : Been smoking for the past ten years.
Paul : Ten years?! Wait, you're only twenty.
Patient : Umm. Yeah.
Paul : Oh.
Patient : Yes.
Paul : Ten years. Really?
Patient : Yes. Really. Ten years.
Paul : Enterprising lil kid you were.

Seriously. Though it's just too little too late already, I wouldn't know whether to whip the kid - or his irresponsible parents. While laying blame around, don't even think about leaving the parents out of it. Short of harbouring the demonic Damien Thorn in your household, any other child of ten should still be pretty malleable. If you don't know that your resourceful ten-year-old has taken up smoking as a chic hobby, you should reconsider parenting.

No wonder something like this has happened.


The smoking toddler in Indonesia, yes. And the lackadaisical parents waive the nasty habit away as something the spoilt babe wants. What he wants he gets. Would they give in as easily if the kid wanted to shoot up heroin instead?

And they dare say gay men would make worse parents?