Alright, so this is probably going to create some tension with my readers and other random people who stumble onto my little corner of the blog-o-sphere but I have to come out and show my support for Britney Spears' latest move!
Let me begin by explaining my relationship (or lack there of) with Britney Spears... I have not listened to any of her music since her debut album. I am not a fan of hers in general. I have sympathy for what she has been through but not for some of the things she has done (this sympathy of course stems from my Psychologist/Human Services Core Value in that I "believe in the dignity and worth of all people"). I tend not to speak of her or follow anything she has done or is doing and I generally roll my eyes to any mention of her name in most conversations.
Having said that, I feel the need to comment on reports all over the media about how she stopped her show in Vancouver for approximately half an hour, after performing only three songs because GM Place had become too smoky.
Now, I'm a proud Vancouverite (alright so I don't actually live in Vancouver but close enough) and I am well aware of the ventilation in GM Place and Vancouver's love affair with cigarettes and pot in general (hell I live in the small town that is apparently known for smoking and growing weed more than anything else). I am also well aware that it is generally customary to "hot box" GM Place during rock concerts, I mean back in grade 10 I went to see Ozzy Osbourne who of course condones the smoking of BC Pot (our greatest export apparently) during his concerts (that turned out to be some night. I didn't even smoke but I can assure you by the end of his concert I was flying high!).
However, the difference between an Ozzy Osbourne concert (or any other heavy metal/rock concert for that matter) and a Britney Spears concert, other than the fact that one plays better music than the other, is the fact that Britney Spears, whether she is lip syncing or actually singing, is taking in a lot more oxygen (or recirculated air) when she is "dancing" (note the quotation marks) than Ozzy is while he is singing/jumping up and down like a frog.
Alright, so that may not be true but COMMON PEOPLE! SMOKING WEED AT A BRITNEY SPEARS CONCERT??? That's like smoking weed at a Kenny G concert or the Opera!!! WHO GETS HIGH WHILE LISTENING TO BRITNEY SPEARS????
Wow! That was an unexpected rant! My point is, as "performers" Britney Spears and her dancers need to have some sort of clean air in order to perform well. You cannot sing (or lip sync) and dance (or whatever it is she calls dancing) while taking in polluted air. I don't care if she smokes while she's off stage. I don't care if she tokes while she's off stage. When you are performing on stage you need to breath in a lot more air than when you are simply walking around or sitting on the couch.
I agree with what she did! I think she has the right and the duty to protect herself, if not her dancers, by stoping what she is doing and waiting for the air to clear. I don't care how much money you paid to see her girate and lip sync! It's a lot better to pay a bunch of money to see her stop the show and wait until the air is clear than it is to pay a lot of money, watch her perform three songs and then see her, or her other crew members, collapse on stage and have the rest of the show cancelled all because some idiots decided to toke up (again, at a Britney Spears concert?!?)
Additionally, I think that GM Place needs to do a better job of enforcing the No-Smoking bylaw! Personally, I don't really care too too much about me and second hand smoke only because I know I have options and I can move if I want, but if we are to have a no-smoking bylaw then shouldn't that bylaw be enforced everywhere. If smokers are allowed to hot box GM Place then why can't they hot box the office that they work in? That doesn't seem fair now does it? Not to mention the fact that they will enforce the no-smoking right outside the building doors but once you get into the arena it's all systems go! That doesn't make sense... "No smoking outside while other people are waiting in line to get in. I know they have the option to move a bit and get some real oxygen but there's no smoking allowed." but once you get inside the building "Haha, non-smokers have no choice but to breath in this smoky air... feel free to light up!".
Let me just make sure one thing is clear, I am not a smoker. I have never tried smoking, and I probably never will. However, if you want to kill your body much faster then by all means go for it. I would prefer that you do not do it while I am around, but I too have the option to step aside and find some fresh air. I shouldn't have to, but (especially considering my size) it's a lot better than getting into a fight with a smoker! Just don't blow your smoke in my face and we'll be fine!
One last thought, on a general note, we really have to stop thinking of only ourselves and maybe start thinking about other people around us. If we can achieve this, perhaps we can acheive world domination!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Good on you, Britney Spears!
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2 comments:
Great Post. Just realized that you and I are very different; 1. I like Britney and 2. I smoke.
Now that I have read your argument, i have gained some enlightenment with regards to smoking in non-smoking areas.
I must confess If I was at the GM Place, I probably would be lighting up myself, because we smokers want to smoke at every opportunity to enhance our experiences, even if it is a Britney Concert; So it doesn't matter at who is playing. The chances are though that you get a lot more pot smokers at Ozzy than u would at Britney.
My cousin and I once smoked at a concert (Panic at the Disco, Snow Patrol) and we could see how displeased the non-smokers were at our actions as well, but courteousness as we were, we continued. Next time though I will keep your post in mind.
Wow Jeremy! What can I say? I did not imagine nor did I mean for my blog post to actually change someone's behaviour or even thoughts about smoking in public. I very much appreciate you leaving this comment. It means quite a bit to me to know that my random rants and postings are actually making people think.
As I mentioned in my post, I am not one of these people who are going to get super upset if someone is smoking around me mainly because I have the option to take myself away from the situation. I find that it is imperative though that smokers and non-smokers work together to create and live in this world in harmony. If we can all simply work together, smokers perhaps standing away from non-smokers, or perhaps asking the people around them if they mind. On the other side non-smokers need to be more accepting that there are simply some places where smokers are going to smoke and if that means non-smokers decide to move a bit then so be it.
My final thought though is in regards to smokers smoking around children. Adults have the ability to say "hey man, is there a possibility you could smoke somewhere else?" or even to move, however children do not have that same ability.
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