The Santa Cruz smoking ban: an opinion

--Zach Stoloff (me)

Like most intelligent people, I believe that “South Park” can provide most of the answers to life’s most difficult conundrums.

In fact, one of the great talents of the show over the years has been its ability to not only satirize events in pop culture as they happen, but to actually predict the future. The best example of “South Park’s” foresight is the full-length movie, whose entire plot satirizes the controversy that the movie itself created upon release.

So upon hearing about the Santa Cruz smoking ban which will go into effect on October 20, I couldn’t help but go back and watch the season 7 episode entitled “Butt Out,” which originally aired on December 3, 2003. The entire plot of the episode revolves around director Rob Reiner’s attempts to have smoking banned, and the methods and motivations of the anti-smoking crowd.

The general thesis of the episode is that smoking is a personal choice, and that it is overly-stigmatized compared with other vices. As a ‘tobacco executive’ explains it: “In 1965… Congress passed an act forcing all tobacco companies to put the Surgeon General’s warning on all their packages. So now, everyone knows the dangers of smoking, and some people still choose to do it, and we believe that’s what being an American is all about.”

This view, of course, does not encapsulate all of the issues regarding the smoking ban. However, it is clear that the ban is part of a larger government-sanctioned stigmatizing of a certain lifestyle. There is obviously a large contingent of the Santa Cruz population that supports this ban (as the ban passed unanimously through the city council), which means there are a large number of people in Santa Cruz who just plain don’t like smoking.

The two talking points on this issue seem to be a) second hand smoke, and b) litter (cigarette butts) as a byproduct of smoking on Pacific Avenue and other prominent Santa Cruz spots. However, neither one of these reasons seems to hold much weight, and it’s probably more true that the ban is a) another attempt by Santa Cruz to seem more ‘progressive,’ and b) an excuse to clear ‘riff-raff’ from downtown streets.

I do not smoke cigarettes, yet I don’t believe I am going to get cancer from occasionally walking past a smoker outdoors. If I did believe that I would be insane. Moreover, I am willing to put up with the slight annoyance of a small amount of cigarette smoke downtown. Pacific Avenue is not a children’s playground. There are probably near 20 bars lining the streets, so there ought to be some sort of reasonable expectation that perhaps this isn’t Pleasantville.

And come on, is Santa Cruz really worried about the negative impact that smoking has on its aesthetic value? With all due respect to the less fortunate, this is a city which allows the homeless to wander with complete impunity, so precisely what is the message? The thought of a child picking up a cigarette butt off the street is tragic, but exposing them to a large population of the mentally ill is just dandy?

No, this is not an issue of cancer, nor is it of litter. Make no mistake, Santa Cruz is on a blind march to serve its name as a progressive haven at all cost.

In the aforementioned “South Park” episode’s closing moments, Kyle’s typical monologue, speaking to the anti-smoking crusader Rob Reiner, features the words “You just hate smoking, so you use all your money and power to force others to think like you, and that’s called fascism.” So while I am not claiming that there is a great conspiracy against tobacco, what I do believe is that there is a strong anti-smoking sentiment snowballed out of control.

I’ve always believed that Santa Cruz is one of the most tolerant cities in the nation. With its large LGBT community, aforementioned acquiescence to the homeless, and generally socially liberal views, I do think that in many cases Santa Cruz is, in fact, one of the most socially progressive cities anywhere.

However, this smoking band is not tolerant. In fact, it is quite the opposite insofar as the city government is essentially saying that it will not tolerate smoking, as it attempts to push the activity towards social fringes. But to invoke “South Park” one last time, tolerance doesn’t mean that you have to like something, it only means that you agree to put up with an inconvenience.

The Santa Cruz government ought to ask itself if they plain just don’t like smoking, or if it is something that could be tolerated.