Being unemployed (and temping at my casual mindless job) has given me a lot of time to think. Probably too much time in fact. I’ve been thinking about smoking in general… and then more specific. I’m also really tired now and potentially incoherent, but hear me out. First I started thinking about how demonized cigarette smoking has become. I specify, because we don’t see ads telling people to stop cigar smoking or pipe smoking, even though I am sure there are antis out there that would tell me, “Oh, Don’t worry, we will tackle them next.” There is a double-standard out there, that smoking one type of tobacco is wrong, but it is okay to smoke cigars or pipes because people smoke these less frequently.
What got me thinking about this were various articles, from pipe and cigar smokers that pointed the finger at cigarette smokers saying they were the ones to blame for all the bans and that if it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t have smoking bans. Maybe this is true, but maybe not… but what was clear from this is that society really doesn’t demonize the other two types of smoking as much or we wouldn’t have some people trying to play to victim card. Or maybe someone always comes out to play the victim card.
This kind of bugs me, not because I have anything against cigar smokers or pipe smokers, because I plan to become one. I do have a problem with finger-pointing, especially when I’m not sure it really makes a difference what kind of smoke to non-smokers. The majority of non-smokers (true non-smokers) don’t really like rooms filled with any type of smoke. I like to think that we are all out in the cold together, regardless of how often or what we are lighting up.
Which brings me to another thought I had… I mentioned true non-smokers. Due to the way our society treats smokers, it really isn’t surprising that people lie about their smoking status. People that smoke occasionally hesitate to call themselves a smoker because they are not smoking the majority of the time. I even had trouble calling myself a smoker for that very reason: I don’t smoke all the time. Many of us, would rather just lie and say well I don’t smoke (internalized: all the time) or I’m a non-smoker. I wonder how many “non” smokers are actually, occasional smokers, opportunistic smokers or closet smokers. Would we (and I count myself) go as far as to hide ourselves from the statisticians? What if the rate of smoking really isn’t decreasing as much as they think? How many people just aren’t admitting to smoking anymore because of the social taboo?
What started me thinking about this is a thread in the SFK forum where many people said they didn’t smoke, only to turn around two seconds later to say, that they do on occasion. Well do you or don’t you? And I’m not attacking them… because I used to do the same thing. Part of it was because in my mind I still thought of myself as a non-smoker. Funny, since I inhaled quite a bit more smoke from cigarettes last year than any non-smoker. Probably a heck of a lot less than a regular smoker, but still more than none.
I’m not sure this is as common with pipe or cigar smoking. Generally, that might not come up in general conversation unless you bring it up. To be quite honest, I would have less trouble admitting to people I smoke a pipe or cigar compared to a cigarettes. I guess it is that cigarette smoking stigma.
But I guess I won’t knock societies’ tolerance of pipe or cigar smoking too much since it is what is allowing me to venture forth with the pipe smoking hand in hand with my boyfriend. He is totally on board. We are going to visit a tobacco shop together when the pipes I ordered come in. I was thinking of ordering tobacco online, but we a great tobacco shops here and I wouldn’t mind getting the advice of the shop owner since he is well-known for being really knowledgable and helpful. Plus, then I won’t have to worry about how much duty will cost.
On that note… I will sign off for the night. Happy smoking, whether you proclaim it to the world or not. I understand either way.
January 25, 2010 at 8:55 pm
I started out (aged 15) as a totally closeted smoker and it took me several years to even begin to be comfortable smoking in public. I honestly think that was because of my fetish, which basically meant that public smoking had a weirdly exhibitionistic vibe to it. Once I became completely hooked, the need to satisfy the nic addiction took precedence, though I still went well out of my way to avoid being seen by anyone who knew me. I didn’t smoke in front of any family members until I was in my thirties, and even then it felt so uncomfortable that I only did it a couple of times.
IMO most closeted smokers realize at some level that they are kidding themselves; their nearest and dearest probably do know that they smoke, and are simply being kind by not mentioning it because they come to realize that it would freak the closeted smoker out.
I suspect that most of the “anti” noise and sentiment is concentrated against cigarette smokers simply because they are by far in the majority over pipe, cigar and hookah smokers.
Personally, I’m glad to have switched away from tobacco smoking almost entirely, and I believe that vaping will become the norm within the next couple of decades anyway, hopefully rendering most of the current social stigmas moot.
January 25, 2010 at 9:15 pm
Maybe vaping will replace cigarette smoking, especially with all the legislated changes to the manufacturing of cigarettes that are rendering them unsmokable to many people, but I’d don’t think vaping is a replacement for pipe or cigar smoking. Unlike cigarette smoking, the majority (and I say majority because there are some that smoke these things for the nicotine as well) but the majority don’t smoke pipes or cigars for the nicotine hit, they smoke it for the taste. Otherwise, they would inhale the smoke- the most efficient route for nicotine absorption. Sure, they are getting nicotine by absorption through tissue in the mouth, but that is not the main purpose of the act. I’m not sure vaping can replace handcrafted cigars or pipes or the fun people have making their own tobacco blends.
January 25, 2010 at 9:30 pm
Oh, I agree – I was specifically thinking about vaping replacing the cigarette addiction, rather than “recreational” pipe/cigar/hookah use. Although, there is a vaping equivalent to tobacco blending in the connoisseur hobby/cottage industry that’s already grown up around mixing flavored “niquids”. I’m currently vaping a combination of English Toffee and vanilla flavors, which (I’ve now realized) is exactly what I always subconsciously wished tobacco tasted like.
January 26, 2010 at 9:40 am
I always think of it in terms of whether a person is physically able to smoke (read: inhale) a cigarette. I think those numbers are MUCH higher than most would reasonably guess. Sure, most of those people who might call themselves non-smokers now were probably regular smokers at one point, but I just don’t think it’s as simple as a binary measure anymore.
Unless you consider it similar to alcoholism where alcoholics will always be alcoholics even if they don’t drink any longer. By that measure, I’d say there are a TON of smokers out there.
January 26, 2010 at 7:15 pm
Well, I’ve only been smoking since what, a week ago or so…and I’ve only smoked five and I won’t be smoking often, but…
I’d still have to say I’m a smoker now. To me, it’s an either-or, really.
I have no problem classifying myself as a smoker in general. Am I going to announce it to people with whom I interact? Probably not. If for some odd reason they ask, I’ll probably say “yeah, periodically.”
About the only entity I wouldn’t classify myself as a smoker to would be a health or life insurance company. They can shag off for all I care. Even if I smoked a pack or two a day I wouldn’t tell ’em. Bastards. 😉
So, it’s a weird area I guess. I’m somewhat closeted, but not in any way comfortable calling myself a non-smoker anymore.
January 26, 2010 at 8:01 pm
I tend to think of someone as a smoker if they have smoked or ever plan to again. In that sense, I think I will always be a smoker. What I am smoking might change, but I have no desire to “quit” smoking (that is never ever smoke again).
Would I ever tell the insurance companies that I do, nope. I’m not even sure I would tell my dentist or doctor, unless there was a health related reason that required this sort of disclosure for better care. I think I would fess up to friends if they asked. I’m sure people will find out about the pipe smoking, especially if we get really into it because I wouldn’t be surprised if we had displays of our more prized pipes.
People generally don’t randomly ask you if you smoke, and generally I think I’ve had more smokers ask me if I smoke than non-smokers. Most non-smokers don’t care or if they are anti don’t care as long as you don’t do it around them.
@CL I think they say once a smoker, always a smoker. But I agree… the simply binaries don’t really work anymore.