On a Sense of Proportion

Smoking is unhealthy; that is beyond doubt. But why do so many today believe that the state must regulate whether smoking is permitted in private spaces or not? A commentary by Karl von Habsburg.

Those born in the 1960s may still remember the battles of their school days regarding the establishment of smoking areas for pupils. Before that, smoking in schools was normally forbidden. The right to a smoking area was part of the standard repertoire of student representatives. Half a century later, we are experiencing a political regulatory frenzy that seeks to use state measures to dictate whether smoking is allowed in establishments or not. This is not just a question of health, but above all a question of private property rights, of freedom of choice, and of personal responsibility. Must the state really regulate everything?

It is likely that some of those now campaigning so aggressively for a general smoking ban were once at the forefront of the fight for smoking areas. It is understandable when someone in their youth insists on getting their way. That is the nature of youth. At some point, however, one should abandon this posturing and allow for something like freedom of choice.

Such examples bring to mind politicians who, as young activists, insisted on a seat in parliament by virtue of their youth, and now, in their more mature years, believe they are called to a seat in the legislature by virtue of their age.

The story of smoking is, of course, also an example of the loss of a sense of proportion, of the swings of the pendulum that in turn cause counter-movements. It was once frowned upon to smoke at the table (or in the presence of ladies). Gentlemen would change their jackets (from tails to a dinner jacket), go to the smoking room to enjoy their cigar, and return after another change of clothes. Eventually, these customs ceased; smoking was permitted everywhere. Few non-smokers managed to ensure within society that one does not expose others to smoke in the presence of non-smokers, and instead goes to another room or outdoors to smoke. Now the pendulum swings back with the ban.

Yet much in interpersonal coexistence could be organised with proportion and respect, even without laws and law enforcers.

The article originally appeared on the website of Karl von Habsburg.

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