This past week while driving down the Ave, I passed by some war protesters. At first I commended them in their efforts of believing in something so strongly and doing something about it, but then I saw her. She reminded me very much of my off-campus roommate first term (a non-Lawrentian), who was also very active in the protest lifestyle.
And along with that lifestyle came contradiction. For, you see, my ex-roomie, along with this girl in Appleton, do not follow what they preach. They both are smokers.
I do not have a problem with most smokers. I do have a problem with the Marlboro advocate lecturing me about how I should not drink Starbucks products due to unethical business tactics. There is a bit of hypocrisy in their efforts.
Not only are these individuals contradicting themselves, but they are adding to problems they are trying to solve.
By smoking in public they are polluting the air around them. In doing so they are personally taking off a few seconds of life from others passing by, like myself.
Ironically, they may be smoking while protesting against war in an effort to save lives.
They are also advertising and showing their support for the cigarette companies–the same companies that target children and purposefully try to get people addicted to their cartons of death.
Again, smoking is an individual’s decision, and I respect that. I am not trying to say anything about smokers in general, only the ones that try to say something about me.
I think instead of trying to “save the world,” as my roommate put it, they should try to save themselves from one of the numerous smoking-related cancers first.