Can anything be more reprehensible than smoking? After examining all the evidence, one must conclude that smokers are simply mentally deficient. Putting aside the obvious biological harm cigarettes do to you, can one really ignore the fact that by smoking, one is contributing to the likes of Bush and Co.? Big Tobacco is a big contributor to Republican coffers, which in turn lets them seduce teens with marketing while the government looks the other way.
Smokers put forth many arguments for smoking, with the strongest being the self-destructive one that goes something like this: “It’s my life and I can do with it as I please, so let me smoke”. You can replace “smoke” with any other form of self destructive behaviour such as shooting up heroin, drinking ad infinitum. While this defence would make Sartre proud, one is forced to point out the glaring hole in this house of cards: Biologically, smoking reduces the quality of life that’s left. For most people, maximizing the quality of their life is a rational choice they wouldn’t think twice about. One can only assume that most smokers are aware of this, but go ahead and smoke anyway.
Other smokers claim it is difficult to quit, since nicotine is addictive. This excuse is just that, an excuse, a crutch to rely upon. A little pain to rid oneself of a bad habit is not a bad thing, especially if it might prolong your life considerably. Since people who have quit smoking permanently do exist, one must conclude that the others who tried and failed are simply showing a poor effort in this endeavour.
Thus, we may conclude that smokers are on par with the mentally challenged at some level. Refusal to acknowledge hard evidence, a bullish persistence in adhering to some sort of ingrained habit…they might almost be creationists or sports fans.