Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Second Class Citizens


Children look at me like I am the Boogy Man and hide behind their mothers skirts. Teens with piercings, bald heads and combat boots spit at me. I am not allowed in restaurants or even bars. Very few private homes allow me in. Now that Black is the new White we seem to need a new Second Class Citizen.

Yes you are right, I am a smoker!

First a bit of history. If the Native Americans had not shown the early settlers how to grow tobacco to create some income they would have had to return to England or die of starvation. If that had been the case we may have well been, God forbid, French.

Smokers are indeed Americas Second Class Citizens. We are bombarded with the evils of tobacco. The "What were we thinking" anti smoking ads always make me nostalgic for the way we were. We were equals then. We were accepted as fellow members of society. Live and let live was the norm.

I am a sixth generation smoker (maybe even more). My generation was expected to smoke. Just wait until you're grown so you don't "stunt your growth"

If you were in the Military you received free smokes in your C Rations. Smoke em if you got em. And they made sure we had em.

Young attractive women gave out small packs on street corners.

More Doctors smoked Camels than any other brand.

C'mon guys, we are not evil people. We are just trying to get along like everyone else. GIVE US A BREAK.







4 comments:

  1. This is a great post. Well said, well written. I concur with everything you said, but then I am a smoker.

    The secret to attracting other readers is to read other bloggers and comment. My blog roll is a good way in. All the blogs on my big blog roll are linked to interesting sites. I remember Naj following you home and talking to you here. But did you go to her place and talk to her? Well, that's a good place to start.

    As you find bloggers you like reading, copy their http thingy, carry home and start your own blog roll. Link to other blogs by doing this and build a community of bloggers. I think of many of the people who comment at my place as my friends. Occasionally I get bedeviled by an old coot called BBC. He is the only commenter not welcome on my site. I usually delete his comments.

    I get blog crushes. I have great affection for the blogger called Tengrain. Some bloggers are so articulate and smart that I fall in love with their big brains. You are smart and articulate, but your comments are not. This post and our phone conversations tell me you are smart. Start showing that intelligence in comments. You don't need to impress me. But in order to attract other bloggers to your site, you will need to prove yourself as thoughtful and informed as you in fact are.

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  2. Thank you for your comment Savage. I know you never blow smoke.
    I'm still confused about http thingys.

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  3. Oh it took me so long to learn how to link anything. And I had lots of help. Keep skipping about commenting and ask someone like Lisa at That's Why how to pick up the http thingy and bring it home and link it for your very own blog roll. I'm always amazed at the generosity of bloggers.

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  4. A blogger called Treybald, picked up my piece on ponytail v baldness and posted it at his place. I don't know how to link in a comment, but look for Treybald on my side bar and check it out.

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