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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think smokers should be made to smoke away from people?

461 replies

scaryfairy28 · 22/08/2011 15:55

I've always been quite anti smoking had a gran who dies of lung cancer, but since I was pregnant with DD and now that I'm out and about with her it really angers me when people are smoking in public areas, if it were up to me I'd ban smoking in all public places ie high streets, door ways to, restaurants, childrens play areas etc and don't even get me started on the bit outside the hospital and make people smoke in smoking rooms or back streets. I got abuse from a woman the other day who came over to speak to DD and puffed her smoke all over her when I asked her not to.

OP posts:
Salmotrutta · 23/08/2011 16:03

No - I never get upset. Grin
But I went on to my android tablet after I went to bed last night which is uber-annoying to post on and gave up!!

Cool new name! Grin

MrsDBouquet · 23/08/2011 16:05

Thank you ! At least I know now it's not that different. Smile

I thought I was being quite witty ? No ?

LadyBeagleEyes · 23/08/2011 16:13

Why do all the anti smokers bring up the childish you smell card.
It gets very tiring, and how do we know that you don't smell too, of other things.
You all may have raging BO or garlic breath for all I know.

Salmotrutta · 23/08/2011 16:14

It is pretty clever! Grin

I have to go and do the tea now

I'll try not to drop fag-ash in it...

Just kidding.

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 23/08/2011 16:38

Blimey... since when did it become a 'them and us' scenario? It isn't, we're all people.

The tax thing is always brought up by smokers. I don't understand why. The argument doesn't work and I don't see that smokers need to justify themselves or be validated in some cling-together group. I used to smoke and I'm not militant about it at all, I'm so glad to have given up myself I don't care who smokes and who doesn't, it's their business.

Stop being so flipping cliquey, I for one am not judging you.

These threads would be much better if no smokers or non-smokers posted on them... we should make a pact perhaps? Grin

toniguy · 23/08/2011 16:45

Erm... Because smokers do smell, stale smoke clings to hair and clothes? Don't see what's childish about pointing out a plain fact!

And yes, some people smell of BO, or similarly undesirable things, but I don't see the relevance of that. Just because some people smell unattractive is hardly an argument in favour of aspiring to it too..

LadyBeagleEyes · 23/08/2011 16:53

Because LyingWitch, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I've yet to see a thread started by a disgruntled smoker complaining that they're not allowed to smoke in public places.
These threads are invariably started by non smokers, and we have a right to give our point of view.
I agree, live and let live Smile

ChumleeIsMyHomeboy · 23/08/2011 17:32

Someone help me out here. Is it a requirement of being a non smoker to speak in 'I'm so marvellous, so healthy, so restrained, so in control, No really I am completely marvellous and you are all weak, smelly and pathetic' blah blah type tones. Why do they all sound like that? If I was that bloody smug about anything I'd have a quiet word with myself!

Salmotrutta · 23/08/2011 17:35

LyingWitch - you're right of course. Smile
If no-one responded at all then we could all just get along! Grin.

I just like an argument .... Smile

lassylass · 23/08/2011 17:46

Theres an awful lot of style action comments on this thread.

Its all very cool and throwaway.

If you smokers actually stayed at your desks for more than 10 minutes at a time you might get some work done for once.

toniguy · 23/08/2011 18:03

I think you're over thinking it chumlee. Smelly, yes, simple fact. Often overweight too (quick poll waking through town centre). Weak and pathetic? No idea! I think you're mistaking plain talking for smugness. And actually I think any really zealous anti smokers who believe it should be entirely banned are in' a minority group even smaller than smokers. The vast majority of people choose not to smoke, and don't get in a stress about occasional smoke outdoors, provided its not slap bang next to us enjoying an open air drink etc. As has been pointed out already, we're not the ones having to go outside during meals, films etc for a fag, nor are we pouring additional funds into the govt coffers. If you find the majority of the population smug then I think the problem lies with you - because I reckon thats where most people stand on the issue. Not fervently anti ,just a little surprised that people still smoke these days.

SardineQueen · 23/08/2011 18:06

I think that saying that smokers are "useless" and less important than cars betrays more than a mild dislike of the practice.

Lassy said it, toni you agreed with it.

Get rid of all the smokers, you lose a lot of very good people from society.

SardineQueen · 23/08/2011 18:08

Smokers come from all walks of life - emergency services, doctors, nurses, you name it. Get rid of them all and you have lost a lot of people doing important and essential jobs.

toniguy · 23/08/2011 18:17

I didn't agree with it. If you read the thread properly, you'll see that in response to a post which mentioned Wilde, Tolkein, etc, and implied that if you get rid of smokers you get rid of all those people, I simply pointed out that their creative talent didn't depend on having a fag in their mouths. That's all. It was just an utterly bizarre argument- I mean, I might just as well say, colonel gadaffi smokes (does he?!) therefore if we get rid of smokers we are eradicating all evil. Utter nonsense in other words.

I haven't mentioned cars at all on 'the thread sardine (maybe you're having trouble seeing your computer screen through the fug?!). I think whoever mentioned it was not actually saying 'cars are more important than people' but that transport systems serve a useful and necessary purpose, and the pollution issue is an unfortunate byproduct (which to any right thinking person should be minimised as far as possible). Smoking doesn't serve a necessary purpose. Not a difficult argument to follow!

toniguy · 23/08/2011 18:19

Omg this thread gets even more bizarre! I never realised doctors, paramedics etc lost their ability to Perform their job without being a smoker lmao

SardineQueen · 23/08/2011 18:20

"I didn't agree with it. If you read the thread properly, you'll see that in response to a post which mentioned Wilde, Tolkein, etc, and implied that if you get rid of smokers you get rid of all those people,"

Which was in response to a poster saying that smokers had no use, at least cars had a use.

Lassy said "smokers have no use"
Someone said "what about all these clever people were they so useless"
You said "don't be so stupid talking about those clever people"

In the context of this conversation you were rejecting someone elses rejection of the "useless" post, which is reasonable to see as a broad agreement with the "useless" post.

SardineQueen · 23/08/2011 18:21

Toni that poster said that smokers have no use. Not that she wished the to stop, not that smoking had no use. But that smokers have no use.

I see that as a very extreme position and you rejected the people who disagreed with it.

adamschic · 23/08/2011 18:22

I hate to be preachy but I will anyway. It's a myth that smoking keeps you calm and helps with anxiety. It's quite the opposite actually. You are on a continuous circle of feeling normal (after inhaling nictotine into your blood stream) then it gradually reduces so you need a cig to top it up to feel normal again. It's not good for your mental health at all.

It's a nasty addiction.

SardineQueen · 23/08/2011 18:22

I don't smoke toni Hmm what a strange assumption.

toniguy · 23/08/2011 18:27

As I said, I was rejecting the argument of reeling off a list of 'clever' smokers as some sort of validation of smoking. I could equally well reel off' a list of thick smokers, criminal smokers.... Totally pointless.

I expect what that poster meant was SMOKING is useless activity. Not that everyone who smokes ought to not exist! Really not hard to work that out!

toniguy · 23/08/2011 18:28

Not strange at all when you attribute posts to me which I haven't written. Just speculated about what was hindering your vision!

SardineQueen · 23/08/2011 18:30

But the list of clever people wasn't there as a validation of smoking.

It was there as a direct response to the post saying that smokers were useless.

Also why do you put clever in quotes like this 'clever'? The list was Albert Einstein, JRR Tolkein, Winston Churchill, Albert Camus, George Orwell, Oscar Wilde, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso. Don't you think those people were clever?

toniguy · 23/08/2011 18:31

Adamschic- the vehement smokers on here sound anything but calm. Right agitated lot!

SardineQueen · 23/08/2011 18:31

I respond to posts as they are written thanks, not what I think the person might mean.

Salmotrutta · 23/08/2011 18:31

Not that I need explain myself to you lassy but I'm not working just now and about to start a new short term contract soon.

When I am at work I have a ciggy before leaving home in the morning and then wait until I'm home before having another.

Nice to make assumptions though. Hmm