I'm sure many people have had to spend long periods of time in their homes, whether they're studying, writing, sleeping, visiting, eating, or whatever. Sometimes it is nice, I'm sure most will agree, to have some fresh air in this short summer we have. With this in mind I often open my window at home, and often take a nice deep breath of stinking, toxic cigarette smoke. My neighbour smokes on the porch.

Now, I'm not going to regurgitate all the negative effects of smoking. We all know cigarettes are expensive deadly poison that kill millions of people as they hold out their last pennies to the rich tobacco companies. No, if you want to cripple yourself, that's fine with me. Stupid, but fine. (Of course, Canada's health care system has smokers laughing all the way to the hospital as taxpayers pay for their tracheotomies, but that's another story.) What makes me angry is the blatant disrespect and lack of consideration smokers show for other people.

I've noticed that if a non-smoker in a group of people refuses to visit a smoking establishment (e.g. restaurant), this is considered petty and selfish. If a smoker in a group refuses to visit a non-smoking establishment, this is considered reasonable. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Consider this:

Effects of a smoking environment on a non-smoker: emphysema, impotence, cancer, coughing, congestion, reduced lung capacity, possible allergic reaction.
Effects of a non-smoking environment on a smoker: discomfort, possible several minutes outside smoking.

So, in reality, the smoker in that situation is being petty and selfish, not the non-smoker.

What really baffles me is people who light up right in the face of non-smoking loved ones. The reality here is the smoker giving an ultimatum: spend time with me or preserve your health. "If you really love me you'll inhale toxins for me." What's a non-smoker to do? Never spend time with their loved ones? A smoker can go outside for a butt. Is a non-smoker supposed to go outside to not smoke? How someone could do that to someone they love, I'll never understand.

If someone wants to drink themselves to death, shoot heroin, snort coke, or eat too much bacon, they're stupid, but flying solo, not forcing anyone to join them. A smoker thinks, "Do I want to smoke now? Yes, I do," then smokes. The non-smoker beside them thinks, "Do I want to smoke now? No, I don't," then has to smoke anyway. Smokers force others to smoke too. They say lame things like, "Well, you don't have to be here," after they invite a non-smoker to a night club. There's another fabulous ultimatum: social life or healthy lungs. Fortunately non-addicts don't have to avoid movie theatres, buses, libraries, supermarkets, or donut shop's.

Smokers often behave bizarrely when it comes to their addiction. Like, "Your house is a non-smoking house, mine is a smoking house. If you don't like it, don't come over," then getting upset when you turn down their next invitation. Hey, my house is non-smoking for a reason. They say non-smokers are uptight, and what's the big deal? If it's not such big deal, try not stinking for an hour or two in a non-smoking coffee shop. Personally, I don't want to hold a microphone up to a hole in my neck to talk. The chicks don't dig that.

Smokers say smoking is a reality, just accept it. But that's just ludicrous.

Many may get offended by this, but not as offended as I get when someone lights up, their smoke forming a speech balloon that says: "I don't give a damn about anyone's health but my own. This may be hurting everyone else, especially my friend here, but too bad for them, I want to smoke." If you're a non-smoker with loved ones who smoke in your presence, give that some thought. Their words say "I love you"; their smoke says they don't.