ABSTRACT
The complete ban on cigarette smoking on domestic flights in the United States went into effect in October 1989. As early as January 27, 1989, when the temporary ban was still in effect, David S. Davis wrote the following on the op-ed page of the New York Times, in a piece entitled “Selfish, Sanctimonious Anti-Smokers”:
Recently, I boarded a flight from Boston to New York. As I sat down, the attendant announced that the flight was scheduled to take less than two hours (it actually took four hours) and consequently “in accord with Federal Aviation Association regulations this is a nonsmoking flight.” A large number of the passengers cheered and applauded.
There was something so sanctimonious about this outburst that I spent the remainder of the flight trying to understand why. I concluded that I had witnessed a self-righteous exhibition of moral superiority. This is not something most people, in these days of subjective moral values, have much opportunity to do. However, smoking has now become a sin, so opposing it has taken on a sanctioned and religious quality.
