ban the ban success!

this weekend, ban the ban had modest success at polly's cafe, with around three-fifths of the patrons signing. we (the "three amigos") encountered an odd species in their habitat: pro-ban smokers, a species i naively assumed didn't exist. our mission was not to argue or convert, but some of these folks voluntarily offered up several explanations for their seemingly controdictory behaviors. the pro-ban smokers i talked to either:

• don't want to smell like smoke,
• think the ban will make them smoke less, or
• don't believe it will affect their lives.

of course, these conversations took place over their lit cigarettes. oh, the irony.

speaking of the smoking ban, see greg's, um, interesting analysis of the psychology of politicians pushing it...

thanks to brooke for putting the whole thing together and doing all the work.

update: adrienne critiques ban justifications she encountered. she also mentions the server my compatriots encountered at polly's who was for the ban. i'd post a response on her comments but they're not working, so here's what i have to say about that. we tried to explain that there are plenty of jobs available in smoke-free environments in this city. he eventually agreed, but said they weren’t in what he wanted to do – wait tables. lots of people have the impression that the government needs to step in and make the market cater to them specifically, but it shouldn’t, and can’t, do that for everybody! i want to work in an establishment where no one uses swear words because they cause me extreme psychological and spiritual distress. is it the government’s job to create that ideal environment for me? NO!

Labels: personal