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!).

@PixieDustt

The OP is asking when did it become ok to vilify smokers in public, not whether you think smoking is disgusting or not. You haven’t answered the question.

@Mackerz you done?

@PixieDustt

Some people consider it a good idea to read the OP and answer it.

... so she could have just avoided them

... could have stopped 10 metres up the road if it bothered her that much

... she could have sat at a different table to avoid them

The same could be said for all kinds of antisocial behaviour. Imagine having a habit so unpleasant that you carry an exclusion zone around with you wherever you go. 🤢

@Mackerz so no then 👍🏻

Why do you think it’s ok to publicly shame smokers?

I don’t, but I do silently judge them. The majority of smokers find areas away from the public footpaths, outside the hospital. It’s the incconsiderates who smoke in heavily populated areas I have the issue with. And that’s about being a considerate human being.

Silently judging is fine, we all do that about all sorts of things.

Given the situations I described in my OP, I was wondering when it had become acceptable to publicly humiliate random strangers, for smoking. And what the people who do this think they’ll achieve by doing it?

@Mickhasnotorso

Yep, certainly some double standards.

Being able to look down on someone else and just nasty people who want to vent - knowing smokers are an easy target. Textbook bullying really.

Yep, classist bullying. Quite a few of them on this thread too.

I am a considerate smoker. I mainly do it outside my home, in my back garden. I quit while pregnant and my DD has never seen me smoke nor has she been exposed to it. If I ever light up in public I do it well away from others and will physically move away from kids walking past. My choice, I don't want to inflict it upon anyone else.
I am publically humiliated on a near daily basis for being a "goth". People think it's okay to shout abuse at me on the street.
Some people are just utter dickheads.

@novasglowx

In my experience, most smokers are considerate.

I was a teenage Goth. I’m sorry you get humiliated for expressing yourself.

Interestingly, 15 per cent of the U.K. population smoke and 5.5 per cent vape. That’s 1 in 5 people. I don’t see 1 in 5 people smoking or vaping, which means a lot of them aren’t the blatant, selfish smokers / vapers that some posters would have you believe.

@novasglowx I also dress like a punk and get looked at like a specimen on a regular basis so I know what you mean.
I used to think I was a considerate smoker. Only at home at the end of the garden. Special smoking coat, washed my hands and brushed my teeth after a ciggie... I'm positive I still must have been stinky though.

I agree with you OP it's just rude
TBF to smokers when I've sat down next to them they have apologised. They shouldn't have to, it's my choice where I sit. This is in London
Paris they just carry on as usual

I’ve noticed this a couple of times too

I gave up smoking years ago but I’ve been with smoking friends a few times and noticed people will plonk themselves down 2 feet away from already smoking friend and then start with the OTT coughing/hand flapping

We were in a pub beer garden in the summer - huge garden, about 45 tables, 4 of the tables near the pub were taken but the rest were empty. We chose a table right at the back, away from everyone else. Friend lights up and within about 2 minutes someone comes over and sits at the next table. Immediately starts complaining about friend smoking - er, don’t sit there then.

I gave up smoking years ago but I’ve been with smoking friends a few times and noticed people will plonk themselves down 2 feet away from already smoking friend and then start with the OTT coughing/hand flapping

I let them get it out of their system first and especially when theyve seen me smoking and then sat down next to me when there are other free and available seats, if they then continue I start blowing the smoke directly at them. If other seats are full and people sit near me I'll put it out, not fair on them if they had no choice

Yeah, so it’s not just me that’s noticed it then. Other non smokers are seeing it too.

I think that bullies will bully and not many people will stick up for a smoker. The people who behave like this have realised that they can’t get away with bullying LGBT people or foreigners anymore so they’ve turned their attention to smokers instead.

I'm not a bully, I just don't want my son to breathe in second hand smoke.

I do my best to steer clear of smokers and am polite / would never say anything to them but sometimes you just can't avoid them and that's unacceptable in my books. My baby doesn't ask to be exposed to cigarette smoke.

About 15/20 years ago I used to go to a local pub a couple of nights a week with my boyfriend at the time and sometimes some other friends, all of us smokers. It was a pretty quiet pub, we were often the only ones there. Every week this group of people would come in to this mostly empty pub and would pick the table closest to ours and then sit there loudly coughing and glaring at us all night - didn't matter where we sat they would always sit next to us so they'd have something to complain about. If we went into the seperate pool room they'd sit right outside.

Hi @firstimemamma

The question was when did it become acceptable (for some people) to go out of their way to try and publicly shame smokers. If you would never say anything to a smoker, then you aren’t deliberately publicly shaming them, are you?

When they force my baby to breathe in harmful chemicals I feel like it.

Firsttimemama, do you feel the same about car drivers who leave their engine running at traffic lights?

I'm not a smoker but every day I pass the local primary school at pick up time. The air is thick with engine fumes emanating from the cars of entitled drivers who can't switch off their engines for ten minutes while waiting for their kid to come out. I admit to making a huge pantomime of spluttering and waving my hands about as I pass. The drivers don't care. If they cared about anyone apart from themselves they'd switch off their fucking engines. Or even better not use their cars in the first place. To me, unnecessary car use, and selfish engine running is MILES more anti-social than a small group of people huddling over cigarettes on the pavement.

Interesting isn’t it, how much many people despise smokers because they “force others to breathe in harmful chemicals” , but don’t notice car drivers doing the same thing.

Is it just ignorance, or something else?