Should Noynoy Stop Smoking?

Before I start this article, I just want to have one thing cleared. I am not a smoker. I have never smoked in my entire life. I hate the idea of having to share an enclosed space with a smoker, much so a cigar smoker, and I can't count the times I almost got into a fight because of assholes who don't have an idea what ventilation means. But if smokers want to choke up their lungs with tar and have the awkward situation of explaining to their kids why they have to put bits of paper on their mouth lighting the other end with fire, that's their problem. It's a free world.

One of the biggest off-kilter issues as of late about our new president Noynoy Aquino or "P-Noy" (one of the most buttcringingly awkward president monickers in history, next to Sergio "The Sausage" Osmeña) is that people are daring him to quit smoking. Reasons are as diverse as the suggestions on how he should do it, ranging from "to set an example to children everywhere", "to prolong his life", to "avoid affecting those around him".

So let me get this straight.

Our president is taking control of our government after it has been ravaged for 9 years by the outoing president. The budget deficit is even worse than Noynoy's hairline crisis, our educational system's never been so tattered since that time they pulled Batibot off the air, and people are jobless everywhere because somebody thought the world has an infinite need for nurses (hint: they were probably talking about fossil fuel). Crime is everywhere, children are dying, and Vina Morales is still running rampant on TV shows.

In other words, in terms of things to fix, we have a shitload of them. Figuring out the state of the lungs of one particularly overaged bachelor should be the LEAST of our worries.

Do you know the trend that call center agents either pickup the habit of smoking or worsen their smoking rates because of the stress in their job? If you have a friend who falls into that demographic, have you tried preventing these people from smoking on their breaks? You can validate your answer with any bodily injury you may have incurred. In any case, do you think the president's post is any less stressful than that position? I didn't think so.

And it's not like Noynoy is the first president in history to smoke. FVR's trademark are the cubans that might as well be extentions of his mouth. They're always there. Nobody gave a shit back then. It's not like our chief executive is blowing coccaine or something. If smoking will guarantee a better performance from him, then fuck, he can go smoke as much as he wants. I'd gladly light up a stick or two for the guy.

But Jet, what about the children he might influence, you ask me. Let's get real here. A kid will idolize every single thing he sees on TV, from Willie Revillame, to Lastikman, to Kokey. What he will not do is idolize some boring tool everybody calls the president. He doesn't even look like somebody you'd want to look up to as a kid (or granted certain prejudices, as anybody for that matter) If you're not convinced, answer the following questions for me:

1. How many presidents do you think you idolized in your youth?

2. what is the likelyhood of a kid going "I think I want to smoke becuase that bald guy smokes."

There are about a thousand possible reasons for a kid to start smoking (half of them involve his barkada in a variety of alcohol-centric scenarios. None of them involve a president.

My bottomline? Cut the guy some slack. Nobody gives a shit if you eat chippy while doing your desk job, so let the guy do his however he wants it, for as long as he does not drive this country to a brick wall.

And that's what really matters.