It's interesting how much tobacco plays a role in our perceptions of others these days. Recently, I've noticed that when people talk about others, they often add that the person smokes as a way of putting them down. For instance, the other day I was speaking with some friends about another friend with whom we had fallen out. Somebody said that he wasn't doing so well and was hanging out with a disagreeable crowd. Another friend then said, "Oh, and he's smoking now too."
What does the use of tobacco really reveal about a person? Yes, it might indicate that the person has an addictive personality, and some people would even say that smoking shows weakness in a person (either from succumbing to peer pressure or not having the willpower to quit). I, for one, would be hard-pressed to make the latter judgment, not having been addicted to tobacco myself. What else could you say about a person that uses tobacco? Could you determine a person's level of intellect, or judge a person's emotional stability? Do you know anything about their interests and hobbies? These are things that you won't find out about a person until you actually talk to them, and letting one of their habits determine your entire perception of them will only impede that communication. I mean, even though I probably wouldn't make out with a person that regularly smokes or dips, I wouldn't let that stop me from getting to know them. If the smoke bothers me, I'll ask them to stand downwind or stay away until they're finished.
These days, I find it hard to believe that a person doesn't realize that cigarettes contain known carcinogens and radioactive elements, and that tobacco use is the "single most important preventable risk in human health in developed countries" (CDC). Not only that, but it is also an expensive habit to maintain. If, given all that information, a person decides to use tobacco, we just have to realize that the person made a choice, and that the act of using tobacco itself certainly does not make someone a bad person.
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As an interesting and totally unrelated side note, How about the Ethanol Burner's Corner? Rep. Bartlett made an interesting speech about ethanol as a replacement for gasoline and fossil fuels. He makes the often overlooked point that you need to consider the fossil fuels that it takes to produce the corn to produce the ethanol. According to him, it takes nearly three times as much energy to produce the ethanol than the energy released by the ethanol. The nitrogen fertilizers used in growing the corn is produced from natural gas. The energy released by the natural gas to create the fertilizer is equal to the energy produced by the eventual end product of ethanol. Something interesting to consider in your daily consumption of ethanol.
You're right, all that needs to be taken into account. Leaving aside the details of producing energy, the point is that it would be beneficial to us all if we could find a renewable source of energy. If fossil fuels would really be used at the same rate as before, converting to ethanol would not be as beneficial as people are now thinking. However, converting to ethanol leaves open the possibility of independence from fossil fuels. We'd just need to find different methods of extracting ethanol from corn or different methods of growing the corn.
By the way, the term "Smoker's Corner" was a throwback to my high school days. I did not smoke, but the existence of this place was well-known among the student body.
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