A stark gap emerges, however, if you compare elites from both countries. In America, where cigarettes now have a loser image, only about one-tenth of those with college and graduate degrees smoke, compared to about 40 percent of high-school dropouts. But in France, nearly a third of upper-income earners smoke, a slightly higher percentage than in the lower classes.And I apologize for immediately suspecting celebrities who die of or are diagnosed with lung cancer or emphysema as being said loser smokers. Celebrities are often rich because they are entertaining of have good voices, but often they are just otherwise lower-class, almost illiterate morons (witness Madonna, Alec Baldwin, Robert Downey Jr., Roseanne, Rosie Perez; even Bill Maher, though he is smart, is very uneducated). When Johnny Carson died a few months back, I immediatly suspected he was a smoker, and of, he was. Now we hear that Peter Jennings has lung cancer -- of course, because he, too, used to be a smoker. So I apologize for not feeling (very) sorry for those who come down with a self-inflicted disease, or for thinking they are basically white-trash. (I also apologize to Karen for thinking Harley riders are also low-class, as a rule.)
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
Jennings, Carson, White Trash, and Smoking
I apologize for thinking of smokers--particularly young Americans--as being white trash, blue-collar (at best) losers. Smokers are definitely low-class in America, at least among the young:
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4 comments:
You should apologize. It's anti-smoking propoganda like this that has created the Social Security crisis we are dealing with. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is a shopping list for a party, not a gov't agency where I come from, and cutting back on these goods doesn't make you live longer. It just seems that way.
You should apologize. It's anti-smoking propoganda like this that has created the Social Security crisis we are dealing with. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is a shopping list for a party, not a gov't agency where I come from, and cutting back on these goods doesn't make you live longer. It just seems that way.
I apologize for my anti-smoking propaganda. And for my hypocrisy, given that I have previously written in defense of smoking (my article Let Kids Smoke, which I stand by!). Nonetheless, though I defend the right to smoke, and admit it used to be cool, I can't help thinking people--especially young Americans--who smoke tend to be losers. And for this, too, Daddy Apologizes.
You know, Stephan, a lot of those upper-class, college-educated young smokers are... Democrats!
Smoking is cool. I only want to quit because it's unhealthy, bad for my voice, expensive and channels much of my money to the state. But it is definitely cool.
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