Thank You For Smoking

Went right after school today to see the movie Thank You For Smoking. Having a strong opinion about cigarette smoking I thought this would be a good movie for me to see. The movie had more stars laced in it than a cigarette has nicotine: William Macy, Katie Holmes, Robert Duval and other recognizable faces. The movie was very entertaining all the way thru even though it was only 92 minutes long, short by current movie standards. I do recommend seeing it as long as you can put up with profanity.

I remember growing up in a household where both parents smoked, their friends all smoked and a 6 year old could buy candy cigarettes with the red tips. Smoking was cool back then even for kids. I thought it was normal for families to have ashtrays full of butts and ashes. It was no big thing to see cigarette butts laying on sidewalks outside of stores. We even had one of those sand ashtrays outside of our Baptist church. I remember laying in the floor board of our family car on long trips avoiding the trapped in smoke(long before we used seatbelts or carseats.) Our house on party nights had this floating smoke line that the kids tried to stay under. Teacher's lounges had smoke billowing from them at schools. Mmmm the side effects of smoking.

But now we are a little more educated. The reduction of public smoking has been one of the most positive changes the past 10 years in society. 2nd hand smoke isn't as prevelant, especially for many educated people. I admit that I don't really feel bad when cigarette get heavily taxed although I'm not sure anyone ever benefits from the money raised.

Overall since I've never smoked it is hard for me to understand why someone would smoke. I do realize it is very addicting as I've had friends and family who have tried forever to quit with no success. Although my mother has not smoked in 10 years after having a near fatal heart attack in 1996. Years after her doctor warned her about it. Nowadays I've only got a few friends or acquaintances who smoke and they are very courteous or sensitive to mine and other's desire to not be around smoke.

As the movie basically stated, the smoker has become the outcast in society.