There was a time in the not-too-distant past when you could bum a cigarette on the street with nary a soul looking askance. In fact, it was such smoker camaraderie that kept us together—who could you count on in times of need if not your fellow yellow-fingered outcasts?
These days, though, as prices skyrocket and a kind gesture can cost an arm and a leg, bumming a smoke isn’t so easy. I asked 100 smokers in Union Square Park if I could bum a cigarette over the course of three days, and I found that while camaraderie isn’t completely dead (one man said, “Oh, no, you don’t have to pay me, we’ve got to stick together!”), smokers are certainly wary of sharing.
These days, though, as prices skyrocket and a kind gesture can cost an arm and a leg, bumming a smoke isn’t so easy. I asked 100 smokers in Union Square Park if I could bum a cigarette over the course of three days, and I found that while camaraderie isn’t completely dead (one man said, “Oh, no, you don’t have to pay me, we’ve got to stick together!”), smokers are certainly wary of sharing.
