Hey Paul

My alma mater, Point Loma Nazarene University (College when I was there) has received top honors from the American Lung Assosication for creating a smoke-free environment. Having been at Penn State University for the last six or so years, I'd forgotten how nice it was to live and learn in that smoke-free oasis. Or maybe I never really knew how great I had it. Here, like just about everywhere I assume, wading through dense clouds of poison gas is just part of life, whereas in my four years at PLNU, I don't recall ever seeing a single cigarette on campus. There are few things I hate more than secondhand smoke (well, I might hate firsthand smoke more, but I've never tried it).

But I guess I just have to deal with it. After all, it's a free country, yada yada yada. But why do so many (if not all) smokers insist on chucking their butts willy-nilly all over the place--what kind of slobs are these people? I just don't get it. You rarely see a person walking down the street chuck their empty soda can or big mac wrapper on the ground--and if they did, even the putrid smoker would likely register disdain. So what makes the cigarette butt different? Do they think they add to the aesthetics of the landscape? Are they marking their territory like dogs? Do they think birds come along and eat 'em up like treats? Just once, I'd like to pick up a cigarette butt that somebody just discarded and shove it down their throat. Woah, I better go take a breather--if I can find some fresh air.

Congrats to PLNU!

2 comments

Evan Jones said...: Two stories you might enjoy in your present rage against smoke: When I moved up San Luis Obispo to join Amie, who had started at Cal Poly, she took me to McDonalds, not to eat, but to show me the drive-thru window. It was solid glass. The City of San Luis Obispo does not allow drive-thru windows. She also showed me the sight of a confrontation between the McDonalds manager and a customer near the back of the parking lot. The manager was enforcing the no smoking in public places ordinance, as he understood it, by demanding that the customer put out his cigarette. The second story involves my father shortly after WWII. He was called before the Dean on graduation day at La Verne College (now University) where he was the lead singer in their choir, a real focal point at that time for a religious college, and told that the college would provide no recommendations for him. My father was stunned. He had become the darling of the campus, singing, attending conferences, even leading the school in prayer. The Dean announced, rather somberly, “It has come to my attention, Lloyd, that you use tobacco.”; Thursday, December 09, 2004
Unknown said...: real smoking is actually a lot better than secondhand smoking. well, as far as the taste and stuff goes. And it's a marking territory thing. I recently quit and am dreading going back to university where EVERYONE smokes. Everyone applaud the idea of no smoke anywhere public by 2007 (in australia). Oh and, nice blog :); Sunday, December 12, 2004