Essay #2

Robert Kidd

2/20/12

One prominent topic for discussion has, and always will be, the continued use of tobacco and or nicotine. For thousands of years people have used tobacco for medicine and as a stimulant. As many know, the use of tobacco has many negative effects; but why do we continue to use it? The big issue here is not that it gives you cancer, makes your breath smell, wastes money, turns your teeth and nails yellow, smells bad, or kills you; it is that we, as a world, put up with it.  Yes there are “No Smoking” areas but why do we allow smoking at all?  There are some who say that fighting an international habit is impossible. They say that the cigarette companies have too much money to be defeated. I disagree with this. At one time we thought that slavery was fair, that a man could be judged by the color of his skin. We truly thought it was ok and eventually realized our mistake and changed the world.  If we can fix something that we didn’t realize was wrong then I believe that we can certainly fix something that most of us believe needs to be changed.

             The public has shown that it is willing to battle issues but fighting the use of tobacco is less prominent in nightly news. Often on television we see people arguing about: politics, war, marijuana, abortion, national debt, corporations, and stocks; while tobacco usage is being ignored even though it is a global issue. It is as if we have all become numb to the idea and have accepted it as something that has existed, does exist, and will exist. Some people believe that the widespread use of tobacco isn’t their problem. They say that since they don’t smoke, it’s not their problem. They fail to respect the awesome power of nicotine. While they may not smoke their kids and loved ones may someday. The attitude that the previously mentioned individual displayed is the same attitude that perpetuates many problems that have plagued society in the past.

            There is a famous quote, which addresses the recurring problem of people ignoring issues. It reads, “Evil prevails when good men fail to act.” This could not be more relevant for the issue at hand. When we apply this quote to the issue it is important which parts of the quotes are linked to the different aspects of the issue. The “Evil” is not that tobacco kills; it is the people who dismiss the issue and ignore the people who are dying. The “Good Men” are the people who are trying to rally the bystanders who pretend that smoking isn’t a serious issue.

            The facts speak for themselves. Smoking is definitely an issue.  There are 443,000 deaths a year due to smoking and secondhand smoke.  That’s just what happens to the global population. But lets take a look at what it does to the individual person.  Most smokers do not look into their addiction in depth. It just is. Its one of those things they just do. Little do they know that nicotine is taking over their entire body and even changing the way they think. 

After becoming addicted people start to think in “cigarette terms.” They weigh options and tackle situations based on their addiction. In this example it is made clear how much the nicotine changes someone.  “A never-smoker and a smoker both experience flat tires while driving in a freezing rain. They stop, get out and look at the flat. The never-smoker sighs then immediately reaches for a jack to change the tire. The smoker reaches for a.... That’s right, a cigarette.” It is scary how much of an effect it really has. This shows how even the most simple habits change and how people do not even behave logically because of smoking.

Finally, it’s important to remember what the real issue is. We all agree that smoking is bad but the next step is to solve it. The problem is that people are not actively fighting smoking. Unlike other issues smoking is seen as unhealthy but not bad. If we were to see a bank being robbed we would call the police, but when we see someone smoking there is nobody to call.  Even though it feels like it’s the smokers vs. the non-smokers it’s really the world vs. tobacco. We can either wait until the death toll is so high that people finally act or we can act now before the problem gets worse.