In the United States, children in public school are required to take a basic health class. It is in this class that children learn the negative long-term effects of smoking cigarettes. If a child comes home smelling like cigarettes all parents can guarantee that the topic will not be taken lightly. I can easily recall an earlier time in my life when I was against cigarettes but today such a position would sound hypocritical coming from me. Now more than ever, cigarette smokers are being scrutinized for ignorance but smoking remains seen at Georgia State as well as many other college campuses. Many young cigarette smokers use smoking as a social activity to meet people in an unfamiliar environment. After racing back from Langdale Hall, I stare at the beast of a dormitory. The University Commons …show more content…
I spy an open seat next to a student dressed more fit to be on the cover of a hip-hop magazine than to be enrolled in college. Sitting down on the bench felt on-par with what was to be expected. The cold metal of the bench’s vertical bars could be felt through my jacket. The vertical bars spaced an inch apart was clearly by design; no one is supposed to sit for long on these benches. The rust in place of chipped paint points to the idea these benches have been here since the opening of the Commons. The boy I’m sitting beside is a friend that I met earlier in the rectangle of blue benches. I ask him what brings him outside today. He replies that he simply wanted a break from his work and wanted to be around friends. Working from that I ask him how many people he’s become acquainted with from the benches alone. Taking a drag from his cigarette to pause, he drops his head and shrugs his shoulders. With uncertainty in his voice, he tells me he’s met dozens of people, likely more. I quickly lost his attention after someone else called for