Smoking has become akin to nazism in this country.

Now, I am the first to say that it is bad for you. Hell, I'll admit it flat out can kill you, bar none. However, I believe in personal responsibility. I believe that I have the choice, nay, the right, to light up a cigarette with the full knowledge that what I am doing is harmful to myself. I think that the people who are, let's say under the age of 50 (to be safe), who have filed lawsuits against the tobacco companies are, to use the vernacular, pussies. These are people who, though there are warnings from THEIR OWN GIVERNMENT on the sides of the packs, knowingly light their cigarettes and then expect to be compensated for health problems as a result. I'm sorry, but that's pathetic. If I was diagnosed with cancer tomorrow (I am currently 27), I would accept that I did it to myself. But these pussies, these babies, complain to courts because the companies never told them it was safe.

Well, I ask these pathetic excusese for humans, where else in life do we look to corporations to tell us if their product is safe?

Do we ask the alcohol producers? Does Budweiser get sued if a drunk driver kills a kid? Nope, the bars are responsible (another ridiculous notion). Do we sue Burger King if we end up obese? Only the insane, those past the point of reality, would bother. Do we sue our beef farms when someone has a heart attack? Nope. Because in those cases, we understand and accept responsibility for our actions.

So why don't we in cases of smoking?

Have we, as Americans (yes, I will play the 9/11 patriotism card) need to blame somebody for what we ourselves choose to do? This is ridiculous, pathetic, and childish; a 3rd grade teacher wouldn't accept this logic from one of his/her students. So why do our courts stand up for it? Why do tobacco companies pay out for it? It is gross misconduct, a failing in our society, and a sign of our own weakness.

If we stop accepting responsibility for our actions, we becomes less human. Having freedoms MEANS respecting, understanding, and accepting the responsibility for those freedoms; in other words, it is downright un-American to sue a tobacco company for providing you the means with which to poison yourself when it's you who chooses to do it, especially if the warnings are IN PLAIN ENGLISH printed on the sides of the product you are purchasing. America, stop whining like fucking babies and step up and accept that what you are doing is harmful to you. You are an adult, take some responsibility for what you've done to yourself, and stop chastising me for KNOWINGLY making the decision to smoke.

At first I thought this was going to be about smoking. I was all geared up to give my "Do what you want with your own body, but keep that shit away from me" tirade. However it turns out that this is more about personal responsibility and the overly letigious society in which we live.

What a fucked up place we live in! It seems as though people are content to go through life learning as little as possible and blaming everyone else when things don't go our way. But is that it? Is there no legitimacy to any of this?

Yeah, suing BK because you got fat after eating nothing but BK for 30 years seems proposterous. But do you think I'm going to feel bad for the victimized corporations? I don't know if you've seen the latest KFC commercial. The one where eating a tub of chicken* is healthy. The people aren't allowed to say, "Wow, you look like you lost weight" because obviously KFC's greasy ass chicken is NOT a weight loss product. No, they have to remark about how GREAT they look.

"You look wonderful lately!"

"Well, I HAVE been eating a tub of KFC* every day..."

And we hear about how low Miller Lite is in carbs. And we hear about how low fat Subway subs are**. And we see products like Healthy Choice that are everything but.

Now granted, people are stupid. Tell them something resembling what they want to hear (there's nothing wrong with fast food 4 days a week), and they'll jump right on board. And when they find out they've been manipulated, they head for the lawyers. If this is the natural progression for a lot of people, I say so be it. Let the side effect of their manipulative and misleading ad campaigns be a trip to court every once in a while. I have long since given up on the masses seeing through the bullshit. And if they can live their lives wealthy despite not being able to squeeze through their front door, it just keeps them out of MY way in the real world.

Smoking is a whole nother thing. Considering the wide range of health concerns that come about as a result of smoking, from lung cancer to heart disease, I'm amazed that I can buy a back of Camels for $1.89. I live in NC, so I know I'm not the norm. I think New York has it right. People need to pay a price. It may not be fair the way smokers are treated, and it may not be fair for them to be suing tobacco companies when the warnings are so clear and apparent. But I'm not paying the true price for my smoking. And non smoking taxpayers are going to have to help pay for my treatment of God Knows What, so I see it as being in their interests to put a real price on it. No matter to me, I'm quitting in about three weeks.

* In order to be low fat, peel that skin off. Always read the small print.
** No mayo or cheese.