Newspapers and journalism are supposed to be for the good of the people, as journalism and reporting bring to light truths that stay hidden! But what happens when newspapers bring to light small, cultural truths that do nothing but piss off a bunch of New Yorkers who want to operate and patronize their respective businesses in a certain way that does nobody any harm? Smokers, and businesses who support and allow smokers to smoke inside: meet the New York Times. You may have heard of them! And because of them, you, the business owners you patronize, and your lifestyle is being cracked down on.

('’)See, back in December/early January, Douglas Quenqua published a piece in the Times ratting out all the places who were allowing people to smoke. His surely wasn't the only one, but was it necessary to name names? Regardless, here's what the picture looked like then:

Not that you have to be a celebrity. Pat Shea, a 22-year-old student, was smoking inside Avenue — which has hosted the likes of Justin Timberlake and Lindsay Lohan — at 9:30 p.m. on a Tuesday in November. Mr. Shea said he was on his way outside to smoke when a staff member told him not to bother. “I asked the busboy where to smoke and he said, ‘Oh, people just light up in here,’ ” Mr. Shea said. “I saw other people do it and then I decided, Why not?”

And here's what it looks like now, less than a month later:

The velvet-rope violators includeThe Box" title=" The Box"> The Box on the lower East Side and Chelsea'sM2" title=" M2"> M2 Ultra Lounge, which just last week hosted Sean (Diddy) Combs' blowout bash for his son's 16th birthday, officials said. The clubs are scheduled to appear today before a city tribunal, where officials will try to yank their food and beverage permits - a fatal blow that would put the kibosh on alcohol sales.

Yeah, The Box and M2 are both being tried in war crime-like tribunals in order to make sure people AREN'T SMOKING THERE. If people SMOKE THERE, they will SHUT DOWN THE BUSINESS. Quick solution: 1. Let the people who want to smoke, smoke. 2. If smoking is bad for people, people should be able to choose not to do it 3. Or where they don't have to be in the presence of smokers.

What's the problem here? Why's New York so mean to smokers? We're a huge source of tax revenue, we're really only killing ourselves and the people who want to condone our behavior by being around us, and we want to smoke often because we want to be left the fuck alone (or find company to do it with). Instead, we're persecuted. Why?

But why ask "Why?" when there're so many good thing about the smoking ban? Like: 1. The Box might get shut down! The Box has been nothing but a bevy of sexual misconduct allegations and assholes who don't want you to have fun any way but theirs. It's a great space, and maybe somebody will do something better with it! 2. M2 sucks. No, really, it just sucks. Maybe someone will do something better with it! 3. There aren't "mommy laws" in New Jersey, and I constantly think about going there just to smoke inside and get cheaper cigs. And anything that makes me want to go to Jersey has to be really, really bad. And that makes me want to quit smoking!

So, really, there are worse things than the smoking ban. Like the places being busted up or the desire to go to New Jersey. Or smoking. So, whatever, the smoking ban's kind of fine. It just infringes on personal liberties, and that sucks in theory really, really badly. In practice, meh.