We all know smoking is cool and always will be.
But seriously, at least these people aren't driving cars. So remember also to chastize motorists, as the hydrocarbons they eject into your personal space and your urban landscape are far more dangerous to the public health. Ten times more dangerous than traffic accidents, actually. And cyclists can breathe easy, since cycling alongside traffic is better than breathing fumes inside cars.
uh oh, get ready...your attempt to editorialize and rationalize will turn out to be futile...I've seen commenters strip a beautiful photo of a girl on a bike of the labels 'cute', 'cool' & 'cycle chic' because she was merely holding a cigarette while standing still, condemnation galore.
ReplyDeleteHave a good giggle... :)
well they're doing it where all smokers have to smoke in America--outside. Funny how smoking has become such a universal finger-pointing activity. No I'm definitely not a smoker!
ReplyDeleteHealthy biking. Unhealthy smoking. Maybe it is a wash. (Doubtful!) For once--I'm glad not to be on your streets! So there are some unattractive bikers. I was beginning to wonder!
ReplyDeleteSmoking is only cool when you blow your second hand smoke into your childs face.
ReplyDeleteI rest my case :p
ReplyDeleteEven as a non-smoker, I always enjoyed seeing someone smoke whilst riding a bike (even if I didn't enjoy riding behind them). To me, it indicates that riding a bike is not difficult and can be done by anyone. Not only does one not require Lance Armstrong's lyrca, one doesn't even need his lungs to ride.
ReplyDelete-Matt
Do many Danes smoke?
ReplyDeleteI don't imagine tobacco is an important crop there.
Maybe it's not tobacco...lol
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post. I'm not a smoker but I do like to see someone having a relaxful ciggy and not worrying about being chastised by the morality police.Ian ,Melbourne.
ReplyDeleteWould it be un-PC of me to admit I'd love to have my picture taken on my bike while sipping a glass of Pino Noir? I'd never advocate for pedaling under the influence but there's just something so elegant about it.
ReplyDeleteAnyhoo, I love the photos. Quit smoking years ago but have to admit there are some situations where smoking just seems so right (like when I was 27 and sitting at that darkened bar in a LBD with a cocktail, chatting it up with the really handsome bartender).
smoking will never be cool...
ReplyDeletenice pictures though
Cool, no, but I somehow find it more acceptable on a bike. Almost cool when seen on picture I have to say, less cool in real life. At least those people take it easy. I rather have an army of smokers on bike in my city than spandexmen shouting and biking the same way they would drive.
ReplyDeleteI also like drinking beer while biking, it makes drivers crazy. It's their double-punishment : they have to drive slow because of me and might feel jealous that I can do something they can't. Cafe in thermos is a nice '+' too, you probably also have a collection.
Having just visited a close friend in the hospital suffering -and possibly dying of - emphysema and congestive heart failure, I really disagree with you that smoking is cool. Biking yes, smoking no.
ReplyDeleteirony is lost on some, but not all.
ReplyDeletebut it begs the question: is driving cool? what with the illnesses that motorized traffic cause? including emphysema and heart disease?
The smoking stuff aside... as much as I love riding my bike, I think advocating chastising motorists instead of smokers is a little silly. keep in mind that not all of us are fortunate enough to live in cities where cycling everywhere is convenient or accessible. for example, I live in a loosely-populated sprawling city where major parts of the city are connected by.. major highways. I live in the innercity and work downtown, so cycling is convenient. and most cyclists here ride road bikes or commuters, not cruisers or town bikes, because they have to compete with auto traffic! so maybe don't blame the motorists, blame city planning.
ReplyDeletewell, perhaps it's different in copenhagen. but we can't generalize for the whole world..
no matter how you twist it or turn it, no matter where you are in the world, cars pollute and cause a long line of diseases. so much so that they should have health warning stickers like on cigarette packs.
ReplyDeleteurban planning is to blame, sure. but it's the cars that pollute and kill.
i'm a driver, too, but i know that pollution levels are higher inside cars and that in Denmark, as well as other countries, traffic pollution kills ten times more people than traffic accidents each year.