To Smoke Or Not To Smoke

Following the discussion during the lecture on smoking I wouldn't place myself in any of the categories of tobacco smoker that were outlined, these being :

• Those who smoke regularly



• Those who smoke occassionally



• Those who used to smoke but have successfully given up



• Those who have never smoked

I would place myself in a category that describes people as those who very rarely smoke as I have tried smoking, therefore don't fall into the category of those who have never smoked, although I don't think I smoke often enough to fall into the category of those who smoke occassionally.

I came across this website whilst doing some research on smoking, after reading the information it made me wonder why people start smoking in the first place, especially because of the shocking statistics on smoking related deaths and the links between smoking and lung cancer.

http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/cancerstats/types/lung/smoking/

However, I don't agree with tobacco smoking being classed as a "bad behaviour". I think that this is because smoking has always been socially acceptable and even fashionable when it was first introduced. Even though in more recent times smoking has become less popular which I think may be related to the introduction of the smoking ban. I think that people may view smoking as a bad behaviour becasue of it's negative affects on people's health but I see it as a personal choice if people choose to smoke and there are alot worse things that people could do which could be classed as a bad behaviour. For example, consuming alcohol can be far more dangerous than smoking a cigarette in the short term as far as driving over the limit is concerned and I think that generally people would class this as the bad behaviour when given the choice of tobacco smoking and drink driving.

I was thinking about why people choose to smoke and I think that the media has a significant impact on people's decisions regarding smoking. Particularly the influence of smoking in cinema. As a film student I have been studying film noir recently and it has become apparent that smoking is a major feature in these films. For example, the femme fatale in the films almost always smoke as a way to enhance their sexuality. Smoking in the times when film noirs were produced was also seen as being very sophisticated and not as damaging as it is now. An example of smoking in film noirs is Gilda, the main female character in Gilda is seen smoking on many occassions throughout the film and the cigarette is used as a phallic symbol to increase her sexuality and make her appear more sexy. I think that this trend of smoking being seen as cool and sexy has continued to the present day. This maybe the reason why young people experiment with smoking, to give them the impression of being cool and also because they may be pressured into doing so to fit in with their peers.

I can't see any benefits of smoking other than it gives people a chance to chat and socialise whilst having a fag but really people can do that any way without having to smoke. I don't know if my opinions on this would change if I was a regular smoker but I would be grateful if people would offer their views on the benefits of smoking.