The day cigarette commercials were banned from TV
Was a genuine milestone, and we could
Scarcely believe it. This was in January, 1971.
Not that we were politicized or radicalized or possessed
Any ax to grind one way or the other. My father
Was not political or a dissident of any kind.
I heard him say many times that, when faced with a
Difficult decision, one should listen to the opinions of
Many, and then make his or her own choice.
He was no troublemaker. So when he unilaterally elected
To discard all the ashtrays from our house,
This was an equally powerful and unheralded event.
In the 60s every house was full of ashtrays, whether
you personally were a smoker or not.
We did not know many smokers. Mostly this prescribed
Policy decision impacted my Great Uncle and Aunt who,
When they came to visit in our home, were consigned
To smoke alone outside, or to desist altogether.
The psychological blow I can't conceive of; like, perhaps, the
Humiliation of banishment to the children's card table for every
Thanksgiving feast. Over time, their visits decreased.
Cigarette smoke smells like money, and hogs in boardrooms,
And packs of jackal lawyers, and embalming chambers.
Anyone involved in this filthy commercial enterprise
Is employed by the death industry, and everyone
Knows this to be true. You can rationalize it, but
You cannot justify it. There's no justice or morality
In an enterprise whose business model causes
Widespread human suffering and death.
20090523
Ashtrays
Copyright © 2009 Ernest Bloom.
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Hey there. Finally got a chance to come over here. I like this one. It feels very much like an autobiography, even if it's not. And then there's that little bit of, I don't want to say preaching, but I can't think of the right word for it, at the end. Hmm. I haven't known of anyone who's smoked in their house for a long time, either. It has definitely become something people only do outside anymore, or in bars, but even half the bars are smoke-free now. Huh.
ReplyDeletei'm okay with 'preaching,' or at least 'preachy,' or almost sanctimonious. well we've all got friends who are smokers, so i'm not shaking my finger at them. but now and again a writer has an obligation to be blunt, it seems to me, although i'm not really a crusader on this issue.
ReplyDeleteWell, yesterday I wrote a whole essay but then blogspot didn't let me post it, some malfunction apparent. I like the powerful message here and all those personal elements relating to the speakers' life although as far as the idea itself- I'm kind of worried about the advertisement ban. It's a cardinal violation of freedom. Why the censorship? People should be able to post whatever they wish and its the consumers' decision whether to watch the advertisement/channel broadcasting the advertisement or not. The capitalistic society will regulate the issue on a demand/non-demand basis. No one is obliged to watch TV. Also the way the aunt and uncle were banished and humiliated because of their smoking habits- that is a bit of a different issue but isn't this, too, imposing your habits on other folks(not to speak in terms of friendly relations etc.).
ReplyDeleteyou've been too long in randland. well, for most of my life i'da expressed the same or very similar beliefs, but now i'm older and wiser and more jaded, surely. assuming joe q public does have control over his subconscious mind, that still fails to justify knowingly taking his money in exchange for pain and death, including the effects of those who care about him who are unable to affect the transaction. as to the uncle and aunt, did they not presume a right to pollute homes not their own with their smoky exhalations? etc. but okay.
ReplyDelete(I'm sorry I haven't reviewed in awhile. I was forced to go to a 'Family Reunion.')
ReplyDelete"Or a dissident of any kind." Nice word choice.
"Over time, their visits decreased." Ahaha! This line is a tragicomedy. I also really liked how you compared their smoking-isolation to the kiddie table at holiday get-togethers.
not a lot else to say about this. tragicomical? maybe, though they had some free will, too, and back-in-the-days smokers weren't too concerned about imbuing your draperies and furniture and carpets and clothing with the foul fragrance of their exhalations, as i recall. not that i'm a crusader on the matter; still, a lot of money changes hands to facilitate disease and death and brutal pain and familial agony. . . .
ReplyDelete