You know you’ve come a long way, baby, when you can say there’s not a single person in your circle of friends who smokes … cigarettes.
I’m always taken aback these days when I happen upon someone inhaling suicidal cigarette smoke anywhere in the United States. Frankly, I don’t know why it’s any more socially acceptable for a woman to be seen sticking a cigarette in her mouth than it is for one to be seen sticking a needle in her arm….
This brings me to the latest anti-smoking PSA.
Unlike previous PSAs, which targeted second-hand smoke, this one targets the toxins vulnerable creatures (such as children, puppies, and birds) unwittingly inhale from discarded cigarette butts. Ads for this PSA began rolling out in the DC Metro Area recently – complete with this damning script:
Cigarette toxins get into more than just your lungs.
Tobacco litter is not just an eyesore; it’s a poison to animals that ingest it.
Cigarette litter harms every living thing – no butts about it.
(NoTobaccoLitter.com)
I was in the vanguard of those protesting against smokers blithely littering sidewalks everywhere with their butts. I refer you to the very personal story I shared in “Smoking Litterbugs,” May 20, 2013.
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I have such tunnel vision on my walks to and from the metro on workdays that one might think I’m wearing horse blinders. However, this does not prevent me from making eye contact and nodding passing greetings to people who come into view.
“Passing” is the operative word here. Because no matter the person (i.e., how intriguing or inviting the woman), I literally had never stopped to chat with a stranger on these walks … until yesterday morning. And the reason will probably reveal far more about me than I intend.
I was about 100 meters from the metro when I noticed a woman standing outside an office building about fifteen meters ahead. She stood out – not only because she looked like she was posing for a sunrise fashion shoot, but, more to the point, because she was drawing on a cigarette as if she were inhaling a long noodle.
I should note here that I’m an unqualified libertarian. Which means that I believe anyone (of age) should be allowed to do anything as long as it does not interfere with anyone else’s quiet enjoyment of life. So, even though a personal turn off, that she was smoking did not matter to me.
Except that here’s what happened as I approached: We made eye contact about 10 meters away and, intriguingly enough, she did not avert her eyes (as most women would) if only out of nurtured coquettishness … or socialized fear. Moreover, in what appeared to be slow-motion action, she took one last, long draw on her cigarette, returned my courteous good-morning nod with a come-hither look, and flipped her cigarette butt just centimeters from my feet.
I couldn’t resist. I said, “You know, I could have you arrested.” Blissfully clueless (and perhaps betraying more than she realized), she exclaimed, “You don’t think I’m a prostitute, do you?!” “No, just a litterbug,” I replied.
At which point her “Kool” affectation morphed into a solicitous and earnest explanation (rife with ironies) on what a committed environmentalist she is and how “nobody thinks that’s littering.” I listened patiently, affecting what I hope was a somewhat sympathetic countenance. When she finished, I countered as follows:
You’re right, many people see nothing wrong with flicking away their cigarette butts on sidewalks. As an environmentalist, though, can you explain what distinguishes a woman like you who does so, from one who spits out her chewed-up gum (or tosses the wrapping paper) in similar fashion?
Remarkably, a light bulb seemed to go on in her head. And, after an awkward silence, she muttered a few words, but they were completely incomprehensible. I wished her a good day and went on my way….
But here’s to that light bulb going on in the heads of all die-hard smokers out there who are littering sidewalks with cigarette butts as if they were autumn leaves falling from trees.
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Meanwhile, I have a well-earned reputation for hurling indignation at people who join viral campaigns like #StopKony2012 and #BringBackOurGirls, especially when their cluelessness about the issues involved matches their fecklessness to do anything about them. Let’s face it, these twits seem to think having a social conscience is all about posting selfies on social media.
This is why #NoTobaccoLitter offers such redemption. After all, not only can anyone relate to the eyesore and health hazards of cigarette butts; anyone can also do as I did: challenge that die-hard smoker the next time you see her blithely littering the sidewalk with her cigarette butt!
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