everywhere there’s signs

By christa 19 July, 2006 random

At work, the building manager has posted little signs that people are no longer allowed to smoke on the steps at the front or rear entrances, and to please keep their dirty shameful habit to themselves. Ha ha, no the sign says to please smoke in the picnic bench area in the parking lot. It doesn’t really affect me, I’m not a smoker. The people smoking on the steps never bothered me either, but I guess other tenants in the building have complained, hence the new no smoking signs.

At first, when I saw the sign, I felt kind of bad for the smokers. It’s not like the workers would blow smoke directly in your face as you entered the building. I didn’t see a problem.

I don’t particularly like smoking or cigarettes, but all this backlash against those who do has gotten a bit crazy. I’m just waiting for the day when they won’t even be allowed to smoke outside, in the open air. It reminds me of that south park episode, where all the smokers in the town were ridiculed and harassed, people shouting derogatory epithets at them like “tarlungs.” very funny. Plus you know, enough with the signs. jeez.

So, I felt sorry for them, at first. Poor smokers. They are so reviled. But when I walked outside to put some mail in the box just now, there was a guy on the front steps smoking. Right next to the sign telling smokers to not smoke there.

And for some reason, it really irritated me. Yeah, it sucks that you have to go smoke in the parking lot, but that’s what the owner of the building has decided, and it’s his property to make such decisions. And who the hell does this smoker think he is anyway? The sign is for EVERYONE ELSE, but he’s special. He doesn’t have to listen or follow the rules. He can make up his own set of rules and everyone else be damned.

So now I don’t feel sorry for the smokers, because of assholes like him who are above it all.

And I realized that this “I’ll do whatever I feel like” attitude is what really frustrates me about smokers. Littering is probably at the top of my “most hated” list. And smokers think that somehow their precious little cigarette butts don’t constitute as litter. That they can throw those nasty stubs anywhere they want, it doesn’t matter, it’s their personal RIGHT and DUTY to drown the world with them. I’m not saying all smokers do this, but most of them do, the ones I’ve seen anyway, and the sheer amount of cigarette butts on the grounds EVERYWHERE YOU GO is proof enough for me that the majority of smokers are ignorant jerks who think they can fling their trash wherever they feel.

In summation, on one hand I’m annoyed that people can’t do whatever they want; on the other, I’m annoyed that people do whatever they want. I’m such a mess of annoyance and contradiction, I don’t know what to do with myself.

I guess mostly I just don’t want people treating the world like their own personal trash receptacle. Although really, does it matter if the trash is on the ground or in a bag somewhere in a landfill? I just don’t want to have to SEE it I guess.

I’m such an asshole.

13 thoughts on “everywhere there’s signs”

  1. DG

    When it comes to ciagarettes, no Christa you are not an asshole.
    Cigarettes are banned even outside in communites scattered throughout the US. NY tried to do it statewide, but it came apart as a law.
    Hows your mother? Is she still smoking? I remembe ryou saying it has damaged her health.

  2. Marianne

    Sweetie, I think you are being a bit hard on yourself. Take a deep breath, you are alllowed to both hate the smoker and the infringement on personal liberty. It’s what makes you such the quirky girl we all love.

  3. DG

    For the bored and curious:
    I am going to my first High School Reunion. The 30th one.
    I was to afraid of everything to go to the others, but now I am not.
    I always felt the others where about being famous or wealthy or
    “making it”. Now I sense its about being a good person, or at least
    able to live in your own skin.
    http://www.lhsclassof1976.com/

  4. Jonathan

    When it comes to ciagarettes, no Christa you are not an asshole

    so, what are you implying that when it comes to things OTHER than cigarettes?

  5. christa

    thanks marianne. I appreciate it. I need someone to calm me down in my craziest moments. by the way, my email is really fucked up right now, something happened with my provider, I don’t know, but that’s why I haven’t written back…

    and jonathan raises a good question.

  8. Steph

    hey but I will say, I was not one of those rude smokers. I would actually pick up butts when camping. So they are not all bad!

  9. Frankie

    Wasnt it einstein’s barber who once said ‘in the face of indecision, be bold and opinionated!’

    The issues of freedom and smoking are seperate really so you can hate or like eitehr one as much as you want with little bearing on the other :)

    go girl!

  11. christa Post author

    Einstein’s barber. I like that. Thanks Frankie.

    Agreed, jonathan. there should be more posts on this site.

    I just have nothing interesting to talk about. now, if you were reading my OTHER site, boy oh boy would there be plenty of things to learn and discover.

    maybe I’ll try and think of something for you special.

  12. Jonathan

    yeah? well if YOU were reading MY other site, you’d totally want to rip your clothes off in a frenzy of sexy frustration that you live so far away from me. That’s just how sexy my other site is. Also:

    this.