Sounds like your parents were ignorant bigots.
Any parent who really cared about their child would discourage them from smoking. Not only because of the health issues, but because their friends associates and likely mates are going to be more likely to be smokers and therefore less likely to attain a higher education or wealth.
Wouldn't you want your children to associate with people with educational aspirations and attitudes that accumulate wealth?
Do you not care about your children?
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5320a2.htm
Current smoking prevalence also was higher among adults living below the poverty level* (32.9%) than among those at or above the poverty level (22.2%)
Educational attainment has been associated consistently with adult smoking prevalence since 1983 (Figure 2). By education level, smoking prevalence was highest among adults who had earned a General Educational Development diploma (42.3%) and lowest among those with graduate degrees (7.2%).