/lit/ - Literature

>>5551817
Cigarette's attachment to old holywood and film noir.

American pop culture hero's and cigarettes now go hand in hand because of it.

1. Oral fixations are very common so it's a sense of vicarious satiations of said fixation.

2. Smoking is advertised as cool in movies etc.

3. It suggests the character is complex or deep, as we think we are, because cigaretttes are often smoked by those wishing to relax and so on (like booze)

4. It's a tabboo for many children and manchildren, and since you're invested in the character you tend to vicariously feel badass

blah blah Freud blah blah phallic symbol blah romance is not real blah blah carnal desires etc.

it's a metaphor, right?

Recalls different times. Makes character seem "Bohemian" or hedonistic since we all know it's bad mkay. Or to add working class aura. I miss my smokins tho.

Association of smoking with depictions of smoking popular culture

Everything else is nonsense

If your the guy at the party that's standing by himself in a corner holding his drink, the best thing to do is to light a cigarette. It makes you look at least 30% cooler.

I know from experience

>>5551886

>>5551823
pretty much.

the image of smoking and being cool/debonair/a badass, etc. is incredibly ingrained in the collective unconscious (i'm aware that's a nebulous phrase, but i don't know how else to put it).

it's one of the silliest aspects of society, really.

>>5551893
>muh reaction

You can punctuate a conversation with a cigarette, giving weight and emphasis on parts that wouldn't otherwise be possible

>3. It suggests the character is complex or deep, as we think we are, because cigaretttes are often smoked by those wishing to relax and so on (like booze)

Think we can link this to the death-drive?

>>5551918
the cigarette is a symbol of wealth, luxury and sexual prowess and therefore an instrument of the eros.

>>5551931
But it causes impotency

>>5551931
>wealth

Nah

>luxury

Nah

>>5551962
a smoking person is aware that cigarettes MIGHT cause impotency or worse but we all secretly believe that bad things only ever happen to others and we will be spared. the immediate positive effects, which a smoker believes to gain from cigarettes, are granted though (from his point ov view).

>>5551975
why not?

>>5551978
Because drug addicts/chavs smoke as much or even more than handsome businessmen in thousand dollar suits. A luxury item can't be bought in shitty convenience stores.

>>5551986
i'm not saying that regular cigarettes are a luxury good per se, we just believe that we buy a little of luxury (since there is no other reason to buy cigarettes). the drug addict began to smoke already before he shot heroin up his veins and simply became addicted to them afterwards.

Years of marketing and film motif.

>>5551986
>chavs

I haven't heard that word in a few years.

Your use of it indicates that you're probably British, probably English. You'll be a shut in as your not up to date with the contemporary vernacular. You won't be in London, Manchester, or any of the large cities. My guess is either some small town like Yoevil, or in the suburb of a mid-sized town like Preston.

>>5551817
>relaxation aspect
It makes people look relaxed, takes away sense of urgency and shows them enjoying a very earthly thing. Same reason someone might feel more comfortable around others with a beer in their hand.
>masculinity
It's phallic nature makes it a very powerful, strong symbol.
>understanding that it's a vice
People know it's terrible to smoke, so smoking in front of people shows two things: that one is not shy about admitting their shortcomings or missteps to an/a individual/group and that there is an element of hubris, freedom and carelessness in the aforementioned person.

There is more, but I really have to get on the road. Hope my response was clear.

>>5552024
>People know it's terrible to smoke, so smoking in front of people shows two things: that one is not shy about admitting their shortcomings or missteps to an/a individual/group and that there is an element of hubris, freedom and carelessness in the aforementioned person.
that's just a very recent development, don't you think so?

>>5551997
There's no other reason to buy adult disposable diapers but retards still do. People buy a lot of shit they don't need on a regular basis.

>>5552022
London here m8. Chavs is still in the vernacular among the upper classes

>>5552022
>contemporary vernacular

Not him, but what is the contemporary vernacular?

>>5552030
and that's pretty much the definition of a luxury good.

'Vaping' will never live up to the good ol' cancer sticks.

you are sticking something burning in your face for enjoyment.

you blow smoke out of you mouth/nose.

it gives you something to do with your hands


how could smoking NOT be cool?

You're all retarded.

Smoking makes a character seem "romantic", as OP asked about, because it is precisely a mild anxiolytic. Who is anxious? A person who has lost something (faith, love, whatever). A dysfunctional neet on antidepressants might not be romantic, but a rugged type that deals with it using not really efficient, but more dangerous anxiolythics to symbolize that he is doomed and content at the same time certainly is.

>you're just smoking to seem cool

Meanwhile I'm smoking 99% of my cigarettes at home, alone, because I'm addicted and lack the self discipline to quit.

>>5552132
but why did you start smoking?

It makes them seem reckless and old fashioned or points at a shady history of bad decisions.

>>5551817

>>5551817
it's the phallic quality of the cig that makes it romantic. i mean, what's not romantic about a cock in your mouth?

What cigarettes does /lit/ smoke?

Marlboro 27s master race

>>5552377
>smoking babby cigarettes

>>5552419
>implying

If you smoke cigarettes then you are a superficial child, no exceptions. Maybe fifty years ago you could have plead ignorance to their innumerable detriments (smell like shit, give you several different cancers, cost a lot of money, are addictive, are gross, bother everybody around you) but if you're smoking cigarettes in 2014 then you have repeatedly made a conscious decision to act like an idiot in order to look cool. End of story.

I'm glad they cause cancer, I wish tattoos did that too.

>>5552464
>having your jimmies THIS rustled

>>5552377
Chesterfield Kings, their taste is unforgettable

>>5552464
I don't even smoke but this was truly pathetic.

>>5551986
> A luxury item can't be bought in shitty convenience stores.
That's dependent on who you ask. For an alcoholic, those whiskey bottles sure seem like a luxury item when the budget is tight.

>>5552469
>I am an addict with no control over my body or mind, and I make bad decisions because other people might think I look neat while doing so
Your opinion is below trash. In fact, you have no opinion; you are dependent on other people for their (stupid) opinions. You cannot think critically, you have nothing to contribute to society other than your disgusting secondhand smoke, you are the lowest worm in the societal food chain, your sole purpose in life is to give cigarette companies your money

I cannot stress further how little I think of you and your pathetic dependence on others. You and every other smoker represent every single negative attribute I can think of; you are stupid, you are vain, you are ineffectual, you are obnoxious, you should please just die from your imminent lung cancer already, please just do me a favor and die from your superficial disease

>>5552464
>I'm glad they cause cancer, I wish tattoos did that too.
I hope fascism (that's what you represent) would cause cancer, we'd atleast get rid of you.

>>5552520
Yeah, I bet none of the authors who smoke / smoked contributed absolutely nothing to literature

>>5551931
you could only ever read something like this on /lit/

The above are true but also nowadays everyone knows they're unhealthy, so when we smoke them we're like defying our health in an irreverent, romantic way

>>5552464
I smoke because I enjoy it, what are you gonna do about it nerd?

>>5552489

sorry what did the convo have to do with your trip

>>5552529
Smokers from 50+ years ago were not educated about their disgusting addictions and were raised in societies wherein smoking was the norm. This is not the case in 2014, and it has not been the case for a very long time due to international efforts to raise public awareness about the detriments of smoking, prohibition of smoking advertisements, and smoking bans. If you are living in the modern day Western world then it is almost impossible to be unaware of the consequences of smoking

>>5552523
I represent making mature and intelligent decisions

>>5552557
Why do you enjoy smoking?

>>5551817
The fact that you're 14 probably has something to do with it.

>>5552577
I enjoy the taste.

>>5552595
I find that hard to believe. There's a decent chance that you possess the genetic allele that detects a certain bitter-tasting compound found within cigarette smoke.

Even if you don't, it's not really a particularly nice taste.

If you honestly enjoy smoking for the taste, how do you justify all of the negative effects:

-costly
-damages health
-addictive
-not allowed to do so indoors

>>5552557
>I smoke because I enjoy it
You smoke because cigarettes companies target naive children and trick them into thinking that by repeatedly inhaling toxic chemicals they can somehow achieve the social validation that always eluded them. You probably wish you could stop now, but you're an addict, and you no longer possess the mental ability to make independent and intelligent decisions. Enjoy your early death

>>5552604
>your opinion is wrong!

>>5552464
The problem with anti-smoking advocates is that either their arguments are pathetic generalizations-cum-bitch fits (like this one) or just outright silly "scientific" arguments.

>>5552620
more like
>I find it hard to believe that what you're saying is true, here's why

>>5552604
>>5552607
>not allowed to do so indoors
Smoking at my desk while I write this post.

You don't enjoy the taste and I get that, but I do actually enjoy the taste. People are different. I can't justify the negative effects because I know it is bad and smoking isn't something that can be justified anymore. I appreciate the concern guys. Different strokes for different folks.

>>5552464
>stop-liking-what-I-don't-like!

>>5552632
I'm not an anti-smoking advocate, I'm an anti-smoker advocate. While smoking is definitely superficial and disgusting, I'm really more concerned with raising public awareness about the idiotic people who make these gross and stupid decisions. Cancer treatment should be denied to anybody whose cancer is a result of smoking cigarettes, those resources should be given to intelligent people who we want to stay alive. Additionally, smokers should be required to disclose their addiction at any and all job interviews; employers need to be aware of their applicant's status as a toxic risk to everyone around him/her.

>>5552662
now i know you're baiting

>>5552604
Not him, but I justify the negative effects by smoking moderately. It's that simple.

>>5551886
This is correct.

>>5552646
>Smoking at my desk while I write this post.
Don't forget to post it to instagram it dude

>>5552650
>stop-smelling-like-shit-and-poisoning-everyone-around-you-it-is-irritating-and-stupid

>>5552668
I might exaggerating slightly, but rest assured, my hatred for smokers is entirely genuine

>>5552681
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/news/expertvoices/post/2013/01/02/light-smoking-as-risky-as-a-pack-a-day.aspx

>>5552688
I get that you're against it and all but no need to try to belittle me. Stated that to refute the guys point that I can't smoke indoors.

>>5552662
Being prone to addiction is a genetic thing. People can't help it. If we were to implement your approach, you would also have to justify not treating people who are genetically predisposed to other illnesses.

If you take the 'hurr free choice' approach, you should also not give medical treatment to anyone who has suboptimal eating habits and doesn't exercise enough. Or people who are very high strung and stressed out, which is also very detrimental to ones health. Or people with sleeping problems, for example. Or people who don't meditate. You meditate do you? Meditation relieves stress. If you don't you're wilfully putting yourself at risk. No health care for you. And if you don't have a satisfying social life you're not getting a new liver because those miserable loners are unhealthy, self-damaging pieces of shit.

>>5552691
Their definition of light is a lot less light than mine.

>>5552580
kek

>>5551817

What is it about using fedora that makes a scene or character seem so much more stupid?

>>5552024

>Same reason someone might feel more comfortable around others with a beer in their hand.

this is not necessary, you can feel tensed with alcohol in an improper situation

>>5552464
I would quit cigs, but I don't wanna become such a pussy ass fuccboi like you, so I won't

>>5552520
Your to angry to not be a troll. Any rational citizen could care less what somebody does to their bodies.

>>5552802

>Any rational postmodernist citizen could care less what somebody does to their bodies.

FTFY

>>5552798
Try lighting a cigarette on a plane, same thing.

>>5552607

If the only reason people smoked was because HURR DURR BIG TOBACCO BRAINWASHED THEM, then why would anyone have started smoking before tobacco was so commercialized?

>>5552800
>I would save myself from an early death and cancer, but I'm afraid of what other people will say about me if I do
Typical smoker I see

>>5552802
Uh no, most (intelligent) people take care of themselves and make mature decisions about their bodies that aren't influenced by corporations or the opinions of their fellow high schoolers

>>5552835
Already addressed several times ITT, learn to read you disgusting addict

>>5552574
>I'm glad they cause cancer, I wish tattoos did that too.
>I represent making mature and intelligent decisions

yeah...no

>>5551817
That's because the character is already doing something while he enters your field of vision, and not standing there doing zilch like a true beta

Obviously, it's just an illusion (as sung by Imagination)

>>5552918
>getting a tattoo and smoking cigarettes are smart and responsible decisions that are associated with successful and intelligent people

Yeah...no

>>5552904
>>>I would save myself from an early death and cancer, but I'm afraid of what other people will say about me if I do

That's not what I said. I don't care, what you faggots say. I said I don't wanna become a pussy ass fuccboi like you, who whines some shit on the internet that's not his business. Capisce?

Why do non-smokers ALWAYS treat smokers as if they were terrorists who actively harm other people when smoking is only harmful to themselves unless of course you go out of your way to stand in their clouds of second hand smoke.

>>5552904
Most (intelligent) people make their own value decisions, and personal health is not always top priority

>>5552918
>>5552935
>saying "yeah... no" like a girl character in some 90's sitcom

yeah... no

Cigarettes increase your metabolism and make you look smarter. Also, I've never met anyone who cares.

I'll probably have a child and force myself to quit.

>>5552937
Because they like making everything about them. Probably something to do with being stressed out and unable to cope with modernity.

>>5552960
>increase
Accelerate I mean

>>5552937
>Why do non-smokers ALWAYS treat smokers as if they were terrorists who actively harm other people
Eh, maybe because that's exactly what you are? You're terrorists who actively go out your way to harm other people.

>>5552440
Smoking filtered light cigarettes is for faggots, namefag.

>>5552937
Nobody cares if you smoke. I think you are mentioning a really small fraction of society. I've never been with anyone who gives a fuck. In fact many people always give me time to smoke and are very understanding.

>>5552937

Have you ever been stuck in a car with someone chainsmoking, let alone several people? That can hardly be called going out of your way, and yet it's an all-too-common example of situations in which smokers don't give a fuck about where they light up.

>>5552965
Living in a city full of car fumes and shit is more harmful

>>5552965
I'm not a smoker actually, I'm just a person who can rationalize without attacking another person.

>>5552971
>That can hardly be called going out of your way
Yes it is. Why would you go into a chain smoker's car? Would you visit his home and complain about the smoke as well?

>>5551817

It's very easy to make smokers look like gross assholes, plenty of films do it.

>>5552971
Well, that' democracy for you, you were outvoted

>>5552464
*tips fedora*

>>5552971
Yes I have, most have a little thing called "decency" or "understanding" and keep their smoking to a minimum and blow out the window. How do you find yourself in that that situation? Were you kidnapped by chainsmokers?

>>5552965
>it's all about me! All about how thse awful, awful smokers harm ME!

>>5552992
I'm sure he was a pain in the ass, preaching about his self-rightous shit, so, I think it was his punishment

>>5552691
>"no cigarette smoking is without risks"
This article basically states that smoking occaisionally is probably worse than not smoking ever. That's all.

>>5552022
The word "chav" is still very much in use

Its cultural.

Am I an uncultured pleb for not enjoying alcohol, weed or cigarettes? I may smoke with someone occasionally, but I don't really enjoy it. Alcohol just isn't my thing either, besides whiskey once in a while. I just don't see the appeal of it, but I guess it really comes down to personal preference.

>>5553137
In other words, no french fry without risks.

>>5553360
No, you're a faggot for smoking despite not enjoying it.

>>5551909
This guy knows.

>>5552138
Not that anon, but same situation here. I avoid smoking in sight of others. I started because my family smoked and I loved the smell.

>>5552662
I'm trying to stop. It's hard. I'm fairly certain I'm more intelligent than you, however.

>>5553368
I just usually have a hard time saying no without coming off as a sperg... Can't say I disagree though, it is pretty faggy of me

>>5551817
smoking is fun and cool and i like it

>>5552809
That probably sounded better in your head.

>>5552662
>employers need to be aware of their applicant's status as a toxic risk to everyone around him/her.
you're a faggot
the dangers of secondhand smoke are grossly (and propagandistically) overstated, and no workplace would allow it anyway hell in New York you can't smoke ten feet from the entrance of an office building.

>>5553360
If you're not judging people around you who partake in those things, then there's nothing wrong with you.

Bro/10 would put out my cig if it bothered you during conversation.

I used to smoke and the only reason I did it is because I thought I looked cool.
Which I did, of course, but almost everybody smokes so your coolness is greatly reduced.
I don't smoke anymore because my li'l' sister watched me smoke and she gave me a bad look so I told her I'd quit if she promised to never smoke.

I've been an adjunct for a couple of years now and it's always funny to see the lit kids pick up smoking at the age of 18-20 in an affectation of the kind of "literary life" shit you see posted here. They're always the tryhards too.

>>5551817
cigarettes are phallic

>>5552534
the cigar/cigarette thing is (besides the idea of people wanting to have sex with their mothers) what everyone knows about freud.

>>5552464

>know about the numerous health problems caused by smoking
>never smoked a cig in my life
>my friends kept offering, but I always said no
>all girls go after debonair smoker friend instead
>tell myself it's ok because i'll live longer
>tfw this post gave me cancer anyway

>>5552787

Indiana Jones says what?

>>5553695
:^(

>the one anti smoking faggot in this thread

Why should you care how others live their lives? Our life expectancy is the highest it has ever been.

I smoke cigars because they taste good but I don' do it often.

What a bitch.

I think people can do what they like to themselves. There's no real way to examine smoking and not come face to face with the sheer irrationality of it, but I don't really give a shit about that.

I just don't want to breath in your second-hand smoke.

>>5552419
I swooned when I had a Gauloise. Nice try.

>>5552025
Totally agree

>>5551888
too beta to actually go and talk to someone, instead just lights a cigaretta and stays by himself in a corner. bad advice.

>>5552710
You know whats up

Most of this thread's discussion is based on the false premise that being alive is a good thing.

because it looks cool when you exhale smoke like a dragon

>>5551817
because it is rebellious hence romantic and romantic rebels apeals to our sentiments

>>5554052
This guy gets it

>>5554036
underrated post

I don't know about you other fucking faggots in this thread but inhale burning tobacco because it puts nicotine in my fucking bloodstream

nicotine is a drug like any other, smoking is how I ingest. It has paradoxically both stimulant and relaxing effects.

I also wear nicotine patches at night for the 4D dreams.

Fet on my level faggots I also buy that american spirit organic shit then hand roll massive filterless joint looking cigarettes I don't give a fuck nigga and I NEVER give people smokes when thry ask for one get your own you fucking nigger homeless crakhead bum

>>5554099
careful with that edge mate, you might cut someone

i too smoke organic shit, or at least it's additive free

>>5552691
>>5552691
you didn't even read the article. it doesn't say moderate smoking is AS bad as heavy smoking, it simply says that light smoking is worse than not smoking at all. we all know that. there's no way smoking 1-5 cigarettes a day is as bad or worse than smoking a pack or two a day. please, let's not be retarded.

>>5552945

not that guy, but he's right

there's some woman-tier rationalization and justification going on in this thread

>>5554469
>woman-tier
get that r9k shit out of here

>>5552971
How about not being a beta bitch and just ask them not to smoke?

I smoke because with a two year old sometimes I just need that couple of minutes by myself to calm down. Which they do very well.

>>5554052
this for fucks sake
I didn't start smoking to look cool to other people I started smoking so I could smoke cigarettes alone at night in front of a mirror and blow smoke rings

>smoking is bad for you

>>5554724
i.. just dont know what to think...

I wonder how many people here actually smoke (I do)? Are we as bad as /fa/?

>>5556230
Smoking is a shitty habit, it's like cutting. It's a stupid but not too bad when you keep it to yourself, but when you try to make it seem cool or flaunt it, it looks extraordinarily pathetic.

>>5556234
While I agree with you (maybe not with the cutting part), it isn't an answer to my question.

>>5556234

>it looks extraordinarily pathetic

Flaunting is weird but I don't know anybody who does it outside of teenagers. I fear people who feel people are flaunting could simply be conflating previous experiences with unrelated present events.

>>5556230
In my country 30% of adults smoke

>>5556282
Eastern Europe?

>>5556291
southeastern, balkans, there's no smoking ban here or anything, it's beautiful

Tobacco industry Propaganda.

romance is a social construct

>>5556340
Lucky you... How much does a pack cost?

>>5552574
>I represent making mature and intelligent decisions
Tell me how extending your life for as long as possible is intelligent or mature.

Oh wait, you can't. Fucking idiot.

>>5551931

nope.

>>5552604
there are things with far worse taste and smell that people consume you know?
often times those things are considered delicacies.

>>5556340
not for long, read the fucking newspapers faget.

>mfw people still smoke cigarettes
just dip

>>5558353
the worst kind of cancer

Assisted suicide, basically. Some people find death morbidly interesting.

>>5558353
are you fucking serious? at least smoking looks cool. dipping makes you look like a fucking moron, and it's absolutely disgusting. there's nothing more revolting than watching someone constantly spitting. some people do this while smoking too, which i simply don't understand. it's fucking stupid.

>>5559943
false. wild west salesmen just made you think smoking was cool so that more working class males would smoke since it was considered feminine as opposed to dip or chew which is infinitely masculine. go have a fag ya fag.

>>5558353
Why does everyone always respond so negatively to dipping? I would rather dip than smoke because of the whole smoke-in-lungs thing. Both cause cancer, but you can dip all you want and still run just fine.

>>5560250
this is also false. i dip but know these facts.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/459799-does-chewing-tobacco-affect-running/

>>5554036
being dead might be better tan being alive, but does that make living worse than dying? They're kinda just different shades of the same coin

>>5554036
if being alive wasn't a thing people in this discussion enjoyed atleast a tiny bit, then i don't think they'd bother to continue living. i suggest if you feel like death is better you should get off the computer and go out an realize how nice living actually is.

>>5560337

>different shades of the same coin

>>5551931
> Implying the working class and manual workers don't smoke
> Has never visited Europe

smoking is cool, boyz n girlz

>>5560646
>implying i am not european, volltrottel
and it's of course how cigarettes are marketed. think about it. when a personstarts to buy cigarettes, what is their motivation? hardly the taste or smell. of course they are only stinky cancer sticks but they are sold to us as an affordable little piece of luxury and coolness.
why is it that people in the soviet union had to wait in line to buy bread and toilet paper but cigarettes were always easily available? to bribe them with the facade buying something they want and need.

>>5551893
filename almost made me laugh out loud in lit seminar

>>5561149
Nix zu tun in der Uni?

>>5560646
Started with the upper classes though, like coffee and tea and chocolate and spices. Plebs just mimic them as soon as they can afford it.

>>5561119
Kek no. Only a few people can pull of smoking. And if you're cute, you're automatically uncute.

Only exotic models with high cheekbones and palish asian/europeans can pull off smoking, as their skin complements further drying. Though they are asking to lose their telomeric upkeep and age faster barring other health concerns.