Comments on: The Black Widow is smoking again?

By: aj@lecraic

aj@lecraic — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 22:42:46 +0000

@Ursula – I remember reading something about personality types of Camel and Marlboro smokers. Apparantly Camel smokers were more sociable or something.

Can’t abide cats – so don’t blame you for that google.

@Patsy – I totally understand what your are saying, but as the media have reported from the V de P, they aren’t giving out cigarettes willy nilly. Seems to be a small few prisoners they might give them to. People who don’t have anyone to bring them stuff. Prison is meant to rehabilitate people. That’s not done by deprivation. I will gladly continue to support the V de P as the do such good work. A few packs of cigarettes aren’t going to make a dent in their finances.

As for names give to female prisoners. It’s a societal thing I guess. It is overwhelmingly men who commit murder. A woman doing the same thing will attract more attention and suspicion because women just don’t do things like that. Therefore, the primitive part of our brain looks to put a label on something that doesn’t compute (i.e. a woman murdering another person)…. Don’t get hung up on it.

By: Patsy Burns

Patsy Burns — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 10:31:33 +0000

She is right! The charity referred to is the St. Vincent De Paul.
I wonder how many people who donate to V De P would give if they knew some of it went on cigs for in mates in Mountjoy. If they were handing out heroin there would be an outcry but cigs cause as many deaths and besides prisons are there as a punishment not a social club.

Why are women prisoners always refered to as “blackEWidow” or Scissors Sisters” etc but people like Joe O’Reilly are not refered to as “Black Widower”? Sexism on the part of female (cowgirls) reporters?

By: Ursula

Ursula — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:52:29 +0000

AJ, never mind the Black Widow – most of us harbour murder in our hearts (only this afternoon I wondered how to do away with two cats). In fact, do you think one can google “How to murder your cat in three sanitized steps – without making it obvious you did”?

But Camel! AJ, you brought my youth back to me. Most smoked Marlboro, the more hardened amongst us Gitanes or Gauloises (oh my god, the smell) but for reasons which escape me for the moment CAMEL (what a name) was the Rolls Royce of the dedicated filter cigarette smoker. The packet itself a status symbol. Of course, it’s all spoilt now with all those death threats on the packaging.