Parallel Universe

http://blog.arendsen.net/index.php/2007/07/08/dutch-smokers-lobby-its-pathetic  

During my February vacation, I took a trip with my husband and daughter to Austria to visit my son who is working for an architectural firm in Lochau, Austria.  While on this trip I enjoyed learning about the culture of Austria, seeing the majestic snow covered Alps and the scenic Lake Bodensee.  My most alarming experience was going to restaurants that still allow smoking.  I was jettisoned back to life in America before they banned smoking in public places.  Here the restaurants have a smoky haze and women smoke as though smoking could not affect them.  I thought about taking a photo of the women smoking in the restaurants but that would have offended them and I would have been a disrespectful American.  So instead I have chosen this cartoon that personifies cigarettes and humorously points out that cigarettes kill humans. 

 

While looking at the women smoking just a table away from my family in a restaurant, I remembered all the discussions as I was growing up about ignoring the glamour of smoking and to not start smoking because of the health risks.  Through out my adult life I have found smoking offensive but here I was placed in a position of having to accept it and continue to enjoy my dinner along with all the rest of the smokers.  It truly was a parallel universe situation.  While walking on the streets, I saw teens smoking so Austria’s permissiveness towards smoking is also making is acceptable for the youth to smoke.  After each evening in these restaurants, my clothes smelled of smoke.  I thought about the effects of second hand smoke or passive smoking and was glad that I was just visiting for one week.

 

Research for half a century show smoking kills so how is it possible for Austria to continue to allow smoking in public places.  The government is ignoring the hazards of smoking by tolerating smoking. 

Sans puffing,

Meg