See, back before they were illegal, we had cigarettes. I don’t mean in private. Together. It was an excuse for momentary intimacy. A bonding event. We’d both suck. And since we’re sucking, and emitting smoke -together- this is really an amazing moment of deep intimacy and contemplation. Or, you, know, afterglow. Whatever. Then, however, came the internet. And really weird laws. Everywhere. The laws were meant to reap profit and agony from the common person for things that, for example, cars or other machines, or corporations could do all day long to whatever extent they damn well desired. Humans could no longer emit smoke together. Cars could. Madly, too. Humans -in cars- could. Any old machine could smoke its backside -right off-. And ‘normal people’ became hateful of smokers who, it should be admitted, have an addiction. But it was also a signal. A signal that, if machines could do it, we could damn well do it. If if they were going to be doing it -in our faces, 24-7, then we might as well -do it back- and get some enjoyment out of it. Now, I am not in favor of tobacco addiction, per se. But I am in favor of attending signals. And the signals in this situation -all- need attention, because -none of them mean what we have been pretending-.