Smoking?

[JaneyCartmel]

I was just wondering when it became ok to be so rude to random strangers.

I’ve seen a couple of incidents recently. In the first a woman was walking past a group of office workers who were smoking and she made such an obvious fuss - glaring at them, coughing loudly and waving her hands. She walked into them though, you could see that they were smoking, so she could have just avoided them.

I was walking up to a tram stop and a woman was smoking. Another woman stopped to use her phone and was giving the smoker dirty looks, very obviously. Again, the smoker was there first so the phone user could have stopped 10 metres up the road if it bothered her that much.

I was sitting outside a coffee shop, there were ashtrays on some of the tables (so it was clear that smokers may smoke there). Two men were sitting, smoking while they drank their coffee and a woman sat down on the table next to them and started complaining loudly to her friend about how disgusting smokers are - she could have sat at a different table to avoid them.

All of these incidents have been in the past couple of months. The smokers have just ignored the aggression in all incidents, maybe they are used to it.

I smoked for a couple of years, around the time I was at Uni but quit many years ago, mainly because it was so expensive. I have a live and let live approach though, so don’t have an issue with other people smoking (as long as they aren’t standing next to me blowing smoke in my face!).

Smoking is one of the few things that people are allowed to look down on.

The anti smokers were doing this so that they could feel superior, whether they realised this was why they were behaving like this, or not.

I don’t smoke by the way but I’ve seen similar.

Possibly.

I was wondering if it was because people seem to be angrier these days and are venting at smokers as there a few other types of people it’s acceptable to vent at.

Maybe I don't want to inhale the 400+ chemicals your cigarettes pump out including many known carcinogens and formaldehyde, arsenic and more. If you want to kill your self go ahead but fuck off out of public areas. Secondary smoke is a killer.

Smokers are scum of the earth, didn't you know? On a par with Tory voters. As for smoking in public areas, tough. We smoke outside, smoking is legal, there's enough of the outside you don't have to stand next to us simplysteve

Watch the episode of South Park called "butt out"

It features a guy (Rob reiner) who coughs, splutters and shouts at smokers constantly but who, literally, stuffs a cheeseburger in his face every 10 seconds and can't speak without sweating or getting out of breath.

It's a hilarious take on the double standards people have when it comes to health and personal choice.

I actually think it’s a good thing.

Smoking is gradually becoming quite an unusual thing to see and do and the more people do act like it’s unusual, disgusting etc I think it makes it seem less normal.

The smoking ban really helped because before then even if it was a minority of people smoking in a pub you couldn’t complain and just had to accept it. Suddenly smoking became antisocial and not acceptable. We’re now at the stage where smoking is seen as such a disgusting, minority interest than non smokers are prepared to show how much is disgusts them in public.

Hopefully it will be obsolete in about fifteen years.

@Cookit

So you think public humiliation and bullying is the best way to change behaviour?

Should we use the same tactics with obese people?

it is interesting how much things have changed very quickly though. It is now basically socially unacceptable to smoke. I don't know any smokers these days. That has had an impact on public health.

Obesity is a very different issue. We know shame doesn't work. I really think we need to support obese people better. So many people have disordered relationships with food and eat for reasons other than hunger. Which is why eat less just doesn't work.

Smoking is rude. It stinks, it kills you and others and it ends up as litter. Roll on the day when it's banned in public.

Should we use the same tactics with obese people?

While obese people will invariably have health troubles, they don't have a habit which causes harm to other people. Second hand smoke is air pollution, and affects everyone in the vicinity.

simplysteve do you drive ? I dont want to breath in the exhaust fumes from your car either

Well you could be just as much of a miserable bastard about obese people if you wanted to. Over consumption of resources. Strain on health service. You could be like this about everyone.

Or you could just walk past the smoke, smell it for one second, and move on with your life.

While obese people will invariably have health troubles, they don't have a habit which causes harm to other people

Well, they do actually. Do you know how much obesity costs the NHS & the economy in general? Enough that if people stopped stuffing their faces with cakes and doughnuts essential services would stop being cut and waiting lists would shorten.

Maybe I don't want to inhale the 400+ chemicals your cigarettes pump out including many known carcinogens and formaldehyde, arsenic and more. If you want to kill your self go ahead but fuck off out of public areas. Secondary smoke is a killer

But I bet you are quite happy to swan around in a car, killing asthmatics and the planet, right?

"Smoking is rude" 🤣 I swear this comment just sums up the vocal non-smokers gang.

Smokers are an easy target. I've seen people go outside to talk to someone who is smoking and then complain about the smell. I know a lot of people who smoke secretly.

It's not always possible to avoid breathing in smoke (and vapour) in public, so people get annoyed and express it badly perhaps. What pisses me off even more though is the litter. Fucking cigarette butts everywhere.

I was talking about this with DH recently, smoking has become so antisocial now - in my group of friends, family and colleagues I only know three people who smoke. Back in the day (when I was a smoker myself) there were loads. It's a good thing that it's becoming less acceptable but there's no need for rudeness.

I hate smoking now, it's absolutely disgusting to me, but I wouldn't be overtly rude to anyone doing it. I know how hard it is to stop. Vaping is worse in my opinion, big clouds of mango scented gas everywhere you go is horrible.

I smoke but I don't drive a car, I guess that means one cancels out the other eh underthebridgedowntown

I think there is a combination of things. One is there does seem a trend of people being angrier. But some of this comes from exasperation of the "il do whatever I want and fuck everyone else" attitude. You see it with aggressive driving and also some people who smoke, albeit in public, to the detriment to others. It seems that sitting outside now, for some is seen as the preserve of people who wish to smoke which is wholly untrue, especially in summer. As a result I sit outside on occasions and someone arrives, sits near and starts smoking which I hate as my clothes stink, eyes water and I don't want to consume their smoke. I have also made the point with a friend of mine who smokes, she knows I Gate it so makes the point of going elsewhere when having a smoke rather than impose on me.

Unfortunately not having outlawed smoking in public, it is seen as a right and means some smokers see that others have to suck it up, and some others are not prepared to.

I think the sooner it is banned in public totally the better. You only have to see the health improvement when the smoking ban came in

I hated this when I was a smoker. Especially as you say when I made the effort to move away from people only for someone to stand right next to me and start with the OTT coughing.

I quit on 7th Nov this year and can smell smoke a mile off now and i hate it. However, I would never stand 2 feet away from somebody smoking and then be openly rude to them. As somebody who has been on both sides, it just makes you look ridiculous.

I hate walking past smokers, especially when I’m with my DC. Some smokers make it impossible to avoid by standing by the doorway of a shop for example so you’re forced to inhale the stench. It’s repugnant.

And I should say I do try my upmost to stand as far away as possible because it fucking stinks.

I reserve my dirty looks for those who walk and smoke. I am not always able to get away from them if we are walking in the same direction. If they stayed in one spot at least I'd be able to give them a wide berth.

The onus is on places of work, restaurants etc. to place the rules down. I for one cannot stand the number of people who smoke right outside the entrance to hospitals for example. I just want to go in not have to hold my breath so I don't inhale that shit. I think it's only a matter of time before there are stricter rules.

As for bus stops, I think it's the height of selfishness to smoke in a place where other non-smokers can't leave. We all have to wait for the bus FGS.

I cross the road if I am walking behind a smoker. I wish they would be more considerate about where they light up, sometimes it's on a path out of a station where there is no alternative route.

Things like asthma, lung diseases are on the increase. I can't say I care about smokers feelings tbh. I wouldn't actively be rude but I wish they'd cotton on that they need to go far, far away from non-smokers.