This time the context-free numbers tell us that 43%
of children in American homes are exposed to
environmental cigarette smoke. The statistics also
tell us that this exposure will increase the rate of
respiratory illness among these kids, including
bronchitis pneumonia, and asthma.
Further, we hear of the even more extreme cases of
children ingesting cigarette butts. A 1995 report
put out by the American Association of Poison Control
Centers tells us that there is sufficient nicotine
in a butt to kill a child less than or equal to
6 years of age.
I am not going to
refute the above
facts, since this is not a
smoking or a
health issue really. The
problem here is
fucking stupid parents. (see
daz eddy's
writeup on
why i hate smokers).
While it is
nearing the
realm of
child abuse (
esp. with kids who are
predisposed to respiratory
difficulty), this is just more of the
anti-smoking
propaganda, and again, there are much more
severe problems.
They don't sell
Disney merchandise with the
warning on it: "This shit
screws up your kid's
head."
They don't
sell McDonald's shit with the
warning on it: "Your kid
probably shouldn't be
eating this
crap."
They don't put warnings on
pregnancy tests: "Unless you're
absolutely sure that you want to have a child,
please abort it as the
world needs no more
fucked up people."
Saying that smoking
per se is the cause of these problems is like saying that the
baseball bat is
responsible for
Dad smashing
Mom's
teeth.
stupid people should not have children.