This letter is in response to Ms. Alissa Griffith's column on OU's campus going smoke-free.
I am a smoker, and consider myself to be a very considerate one at that. I do not try to smoke near doors or near people within close proximity of me. Nor do I blow smoke in their faces after lighting up. First off, as a smoker, I can sympathize with you on your frustration of being irritated by cigarette smoke; I do not even enjoy the smell myself when I am not smoking.
In regards to your frustration with sitting outside of Baker University Center at the picnic tables and thinking someone has the audacity to sit down next to someone who isn't even smoking and think it perfectly polite to light up and blow smoke right in the other person's face ' I do believe that person has every right to do so. You use the word polite
which has very different meaning to everyone. That person who has lit up next to you (which I believe has been me, seeing as your face looks familiar from your photo posted in your column), has every legal right to do so. I also think it is very melodramatic of you to say the person is blowing it right in your face. I apologize on behalf of all smokers who have made you have to move all your stuff just when you've gotten yourself comfortable even though, after all, you are outside in a public area where smoking is allowed. You also say the way for everyone to win is by making OU a smoke-free campus. I highly disagree; just by making the entire campus smoke-free doesn't mean everyone will stop smoking simultaneously because we will now have the motivation to kick the habit. Smokers will just resort to smoking in places not allowed, such as in bathrooms, in residence halls, in areas confined outdoors near buildings. All of these places are much more of high risk for fires than if the people were allowed to just light up at a picnic table surrounded by concrete, relieving some stress after a hard day of classes.
I also loved how you pointed out how smokers always crowd around the steps of classroom buildings while smoking. Have you ever taken a moment to look where the ashtrays are located at those buildings? They are all located within 10 feet of the door, basically saying, Come smoke by me! Those smokers are just smoking where they believe is the insisted area where they should be. Maybe you should speak to the university about pushing back the ashtrays. There is also no need to remind everyone of the health side effects of smoking; we all know them. Just like everyone who goes Uptown to drink knows the health risks of drinking as well.
So Ms. Griffith, maybe you should just suck it up on your way to class instead of complaining. But like you say, maybe it's just me.
Sean Johnson is a freshman finance major.
17
Archives
Letter to the Editor
