Why do people smoke?

[NMH]

'Live and let live' is a fine sentiment, provided smoking (as this is the topic of debate here) has no effect on anyone else.

Point is, it does - not to the same extent obviously, but an effect nonetheless.

So all those accusing non-smokers of being on their high horses might possibly want to re-consider their dismissive attitude to their immediate social environment.

It's endemic though TLO - of course they have to be dismissive about their own health to even smoke in the first place, so it goes with the territory to be dismissive about the effect on others. The things people will do in feeding habits, especially drug habits, usually supersedes the regards of all other people.

This post will be an upsetting one for smokers simply because it does point that out. I'll be called "on a high horse" for saying it too, but it's simply a statement of fact.

 

[daveinprague]

As a non driver, I feel that car pollution is forced on me as well...and yeah, im sure blah blah blah...i need the car for work.blah blah blah..however, theres many car journeys that are nothing but fecking laziness...
Theres hundreds of cars everyday with ONE person in it...all spewing dangerous chemicals into my breathing space....

Get a grip drivers and stop killing me with your dirtly laziness.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

It seems really odd now, looking back, that they ever had smoking or non smoking seats on planes.

For starters, anyone sitting in the ten non-smoking rows nearest the smoking area would inevitably have what amounted to a smoking seat themselves anyway thanks to the smoke drifting around the cabin. And imagine being the cabin crew member who has to spend an eight hour flight shuffling up and down the aisles amongst clouds of fumes

 

[cunning fergus]

Since many smokers either blatantly or inadvertently interrupt the clean air with burning leaves and thereby restrict the access to it by non-smokers, the law presides over smoking now. Whether you agree or not, it IS there to REQUIRE that one group do not just disregard another group.
You can smoke, but not where the law says you cannot.
Why should you or anyone else have total freedom in every place to disrupt the freedom of others? You don't have to LIKE the law, but it's put there to stop such disruptions.

Can you say that a rap or heavy metal fan should have total freedom to play their music at any volume at any time of night living next door to you?
If there was no law in place, you would have no say, and they could max the volume at 4am every morning just because that was what they wanted to do, tough luck for you for having just bought that flat with your life savings.
If you go to the police are you being "childish" now? Is the legislation "crushing" only when it doesn't suit you, maybe?

It wasn't that long ago you went into pubs to waft through palls of smoke to get through to the bar, and sit next to a crowd of puffers chuffing away.
I didn't care much except for the smell on my clothes, which therefore had to be washed or stay stinking in my wardrobe and effect the other coats/jackets/jeans or whatever - but there ARE many people who minded, with allergies and breathing issues - and there's now evidence that smoke gives health problems to incidental inhalers of it - family members of smokers for instance.

It's a relatively recent law, but one that was long overdue for many people who can't bear smokers forcing themselves on others - as above - blatantly or inadvertently.

Simple enough - take it elsewhere and smoke it. If a place has declared you shouldn't do it on their premises, respect their wishes and take care of your own wishes where it's not disturbing others and it's legally free to do it.

Nope, a lot of flim flam and your point is still that the law is the law and therefore it must be obeyed. Not sure what you were doing in 1997 but I was definitely not law abiding.

The law of the country should be the law for everyone (smokers and non smokers alike) and before this new law there was no conspiracy of smokers disregarding non smokers. There was no pro smoking law, establishments, most privately owned made a conscious commercial decision on what adults could do. Business people decided the customer was always right. Some (albeit the minority) decided that they would be non smoking establishments and they prospered with business from the non smoking "community". Others didnt and they prospered too. That's it. Adults making adult decisions. There could have been a more considered view taken and wet pubs given a exemption for example, but nope instead we have the neo Deutscher Tabakgegners.

Now there is a punitive law which removes the freedom of adults to choose what they can do with their businesses not to mention what their adult customers want. That is wrong in my view and any form censorship is not something I want to celebrate.

To be fair, if the Council want to ban smoking at Withdean then I have no problem with that but then they could be pragmatic and provide an alternative solution (like Yeovil did). That's the adult way to deal with adults.

So there you are I am for freedom for all, not apartheid.............for the record I am an ex smoker.

 

[NMH]

I am also an ex-smoker.
I realise that regardless of how public houses may be owned by free-thinking people, the smoking takes away the liberty of others to breathe un-smokey air. It doesn't matter to me if the council or government or the mayor or bigfoot says Withdean is a no-smoking zone - it is, and that's all the smokers need to know.

It's a pervasive habit that many smokers even would like to quit!! What does THAT tell ya??

If the law says you can't smoke in certain places, drive at over a certain speed in places, masturbate or crap in certain places - then you can whinge all you like but that's been decided for a reason - and I can only agree with it.
Not only because it's law, but because it makes good sense.

 

[Mammoth]

I smoke. I wish I had the will power to quit. But I don't.

I'm quite happy not to smoke at football grounds and railway stations- I remember bradford and kings cross after all.

But there are worse things that seem acceptable to some- drink driving, animal abuse, wife beating. In perspective I don't think smoking makes me a bad person.

 

[cunning fergus]

I am also an ex-smoker.
I realise that regardless of how public houses may be owned by free-thinking people, the smoking takes away the liberty of others to breathe un-smokey air. It doesn't matter to me if the council or government or the mayor or bigfoot says Withdean is a no-smoking zone - it is, and that's all the smokers need to know.

It's a pervasive habit that many smokers even would like to quit!! What does THAT tell ya??

If the law says you can't smoke in certain places, drive at over a certain speed in places, masturbate or crap in certain places - then you can whinge all you like but that's been decided for a reason - and I can only agree with it.
Not only because it's law, but because it makes good sense.

Yep, and its all understood the law says you cant smoke inside pubs and you can't smoke outside in Withdean. You consider that this new law makes good sense. You are evidently a model citizen and you have an implicit trust in our lawmakers.

Sadly I don't share your confidence or conviction so I will continue to hold my own peculiar opinions relating to freedom and self determination. Hasta la victoria siempere.

 

[NMH]

Yep, and its all understood the law says you cant smoke inside pubs and you can't smoke outside in Withdean. You consider that this new law makes good sense. You are evidently a model citizen and you have an implicit trust in our lawmakers.

Sadly I don't share your confidence or conviction so I will continue to hold my own peculiar opinions relating to freedom and self determination. Hasta la victoria siempere.

I spot a hint of sarcasm, but I respect that you hold a different opinion about it and the law that presides over it.
I don't like many ways that the law is enforced, but mostly they have been given consideration and thoughts as to their needs.

Speed cameras and parking enforcements suck, and I don't like that there's a seat-belt law (and it really is the person not wearing who stands to be effected by their actions, not anyone else after all!) and I've been caught by all those at one time or other. Law against smoking in some public confines though, is one I happen to approve of, and that - as we agree - is an opinion.

Mammoth confirms that he'd prefer to quit, and I doubt the laws help that effort - but again it confirms the issue about cigs as a 'drug habit' of sorts.