Can I Bum a Cig?

By Frank Filocomo

Cigarettes are horrible for you. No one disputes this. 

They call 'em "cancer sticks" for a reason.

At the same time, though, cig smoking can be a particularly social activity. 

You'll find cig smokers in little gaggles outside bars. 

"Can I bum a cig?" You'll hear that a lot.

Or, how about: "Got a light?"

It's often strangers that ask these questions. 

Asking someone for "a light" can easily turn into small talk, usually trivial, but conversation, nonetheless. 

Gen Z - or Zoomers, as I prefer to call them - yearn for conversation and socialization. 

They're sick of being house cats. 

According to a New York Post article, Zoomers are trading in their vapes for Marlboros. Philip Morris is smiling. 

“Vaping is isolating — everyone sits in corners with their own device,” Simmons explained. “Cigarettes bring people together. Someone steps onto the porch, others follow, and suddenly you’re having real conversations without phones.”

Remember Bob Terry?

In November of last year, he convened over 1,500 cig smokers in Washington Square Park. 

Also in the Post:

“People are pent up these days,” Terry told The Post. “All the work and stress. Sometimes, you just gotta get people together and have a smoke. There’s too much crap out there about health. Too much salad and jump rope — everyone’s a nut.

On X, in response to the former Post article, one user wrote: "After demonizing smoking, you have the most isolated, depressed and anxious generation ever. Live hard, live free."

I understand this X user's sentiment, but living too hard is probably not advisable. 

Still, that smoking is becoming cool again says something: Young people don't want to be holed up anymore. They're begging for connection. 

The answer, of course, is more third places with lower barriers to entry. Places where you can linger. 

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, if you find yourself in need of a third place, look to see what your community has to offer. I think you'll be surprised.