Smoking In, Beautiful: Part I

This Classic, You’ve Been Hanked episode is Part 1 in a series. Part 2, is coming soon.Much Love,HankYou’ve Been Hanked!“I recall my much younger self, just in kindergarten, sitting through a halfhearted presentation at school about the dangers of smoking. I learned about heart disease, cancer, and all kinds of other deadly illnesses and frightening complications apparently brought on by smoking.You've Been Hanked is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.The fact that the presenter was smoking in our classroom while giving her presentation on the dangers of smoking never occurred to me as an oddity. After all our principle always smoked while walking up and down the halls during the school day. Remember, in those days everyone in Beautiful smoked. The miniature cloud of bluish-gray smoke that poured all day, everyday, from beneath the door of the teachers lounge never drew a second notice from anyone except the very occasional kid who tried to ascend prematurely to the company of his or her older peers to start smoking at a still-to-tender-age and both smarted and chaffed at the consequences coupled with the burden of a precocious understanding of and resentment for, irony. Yes everyone smoked but, we had standards and there was nothing quite so effective a state sanctioned paddling with a three foot wooden board to remind an errant seven or eight year old that smoking was reserved for when one was older. Well, a little older anyway.Thank you for reading You've Been Hanked. Please share this episode and help us grow!We weren’t savages!”Part 2, coming soon! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hankgriffin.substack.com/subscribe