Why does MN hate smokers so much?

[PalmTreesPurple]

Not all of MN of course but I’ve seen a lot of negativity about it. I understand not liking smoking yourself because of the health issues, I’m a smoker after giving up for nearly a year and I was stupid to start again but it’s a nasty addiction to kick. I only smoke outside, in designated smoking areas, and never around people who are eating/close to other people. I also don’t smoke in places like parks or walking through town. It is either in my garden or in a designated spot. Would a smoker like that bother you, or is it people who don’t have any courtesy, or do you just not like smokers in general?

Not being aggressive at all, just very interested.

Would also like to know if anyone on here smokes themselves?

Sorry if this offends but for me I think it is mainly the smell, the stale smoke smell that Im not sure smokers realise they smell of but is very noticeable to non-smokers, I wouldnt say anything to someone about it but I probably wouldnt want to be up close to them.
Most smokers are fine - setting out my stand first - I think that most smokers are thinking about those around them - but I think a minority are not very thoughtful and perhaps provoke some of the anger on MN if those are the types that people see for example smoking when walking means the person behind or walking past gets a nose/mouth full of second hand smoke which is horrible. 2 people I know have been injured by cigarettes where the smoker has moved closer to avoid someone else and caught their hand with the tab as theyve walked past.
Lots of cigarette buts around smoking and non smoking designated areas which some people dont seem to see as littering.
Also if our neighbours have a guest that smokes in the garden I can smell it in my house if the windows are open due to wind bringing it in which is a bit crap but not really an issue as just for a few mins as neighbours themselves do not smoke so perhaps living nextdoor to a smoker may cause more irritation.

@SweepTheHalls

I dislike it as it stinks, spreads, so neighbours smoking in their gardens makes my house smell. It kills you. It kills people near you. It is a waste of money.

Interested in this. I smoke in my garden. I’m detached. I must be 10-15 meters away from neighbour windows/doors. Do you think I’m affecting them?

I used to smoke (gave up 15 years ago) and now I can't believe how vile the smell of stale smoke is. I don't like being around people smoking but honestly find the smell of smokers much worse. I hate hugging my family members who smoke. Their clothes/hair etc always stink and they have no idea. I'm embarrassed that I was like that for years.

Sorry if that sounds harsh but my Auntie genuinely thinks if she has a mint after a fag outside she's fine but to non-smokers it really is gross.

My grandfather died of emphysema. He was in his 80s so not terribly young.

It wasn't particularly pleasant at the very end but he was living independently at home until his last week. He would've hated going into a home.

My grandmother, a non smoker, died in hospital. She was 90. Her death was no less unpleasant than my smoker grandfather. She was hospitalised after a fall and caught MRSA in the hospital. We believe her death was a blessing. She was so unhappy in her last years. She was housebound and got very depressed. She hated being incapable, unwell, and in pain. We were trying to find a care home for her when she died. We think she didn't want to live anymore. She was desperately against going into a home.

The pandemic has really made me rethink trying to hang on as long as possible. I now understand how my grandmother felt. We all die of something and it's rarely a totally painless end. We need to enjoy our time whilst we can.

Some of the arguments for smoking on this thread are just mind numbingly stupid (I'm looking at you @SheepandCow)

I don't have an attitude towards smoking, but as an ex smoker (quit 4 years ago, smoked for 15years, 20 a day and 40 a weekend day) I can't stand the smell and I judge people who tell me it's "too hard" to stop, because yes it's hard but no it's not too hard.

£12 for a pack of Marlboro lights. Who the fuck can afford to smoke in 2020?!

People in their 70s who smoke, took it up when the risk of cancer was unknown. Everyone else took it up despite extensive public education (and lessons at school) about the risk to health.
It's hard to condone someone slowly killing themselves, or shortening their lives, while they sit next to you in a public place.
The stink when they smoke.
The stink when they don't.

@godsowncountry

Some of the arguments for smoking on this thread are just mind numbingly stupid (I'm looking at you *@SheepandCow*)

I don't have an attitude towards smoking, but as an ex smoker (quit 4 years ago, smoked for 15years, 20 a day and 40 a weekend day) I can't stand the smell and I judge people who tell me it's "too hard" to stop, because yes it's hard but no it's not too hard.

£12 for a pack of Marlboro lights. Who the fuck can afford to smoke in 2020?!

I get what your saying but why didn’t you give up 5 years ago or 6 or 7 or 8 years ago? Why judge when you were them once?

I get it stinks. I have smoking /non smoking clothes and wash my hair 2-3 times a day. Ridiculous I know!

@godsowncountry
Over the past few months there's been numerous threads with people falling all over themselves to argue how the elderly aren't worth saving. Threads arguing against any kind of restriction or social distancing because 'most of the deaths are over 65s'. Because you're just an inconvenience, a burden once you hit 65.

Look at the neglect in care homes. Even before the pandemic the news would every so often cover a case of serious abuse in care homes. Several staff were arrested at a local home near us a few years ago. A concerned relative had instilled cameras. We're a society that treats the elderly with contempt. They're seen as a burden and their pensions are resented as a drain on resources.

I don't particularly want to start smoking again but it's certainly not stupid to rethink the aim of living longer, however miserable that life might be, at all costs.

We also are suffering from the drop in tax revenue since smokers quit. The government would (secretly) welcome the double gain of increased tax and lower pension costs.

@VagTarant the difference is that someone smoking can impact the health of others. My obesity impacts on my mr. Unless I sit on you.

@DolphinandDuck same with school books - marking ones that reek makes me sad for the kids that have to breathe it

[quote Pieceofpurplesky]@VagTarant the difference is that someone smoking can impact the health of others. My obesity impacts on my mr. Unless I sit on you. [/quote]
Alas, but don't rest easy on that! After all, people with obesity are more likely to develop serious health problems that require treatment, which costs us all. Definitely not a safe from the stone throwers in that respect any more than smokers.

@SheepandCow

My grandfather died of emphysema. He was in his 80s so not terribly young.

It wasn't particularly pleasant at the very end but he was living independently at home until his last week. He would've hated going into a home.

My grandmother, a non smoker, died in hospital. She was 90. Her death was no less unpleasant than my smoker grandfather. She was hospitalised after a fall and caught MRSA in the hospital. We believe her death was a blessing. She was so unhappy in her last years. She was housebound and got very depressed. She hated being incapable, unwell, and in pain. We were trying to find a care home for her when she died. We think she didn't want to live anymore. She was desperately against going into a home.

The pandemic has really made me rethink trying to hang on as long as possible. I now understand how my grandmother felt. We all die of something and it's rarely a totally painless end. We need to enjoy our time whilst we can.

Well, my mother was 50. And to say 'it wasn't particularly pleasant' beggars belief.

'If you have emphysema, the muscles that help you breathe have to work harder. They also tire out sooner. The result? You feel short of breath after the slightest activity. As the disease gets worse, you may feel breathless even when you’re sitting still.'

Basically, you suffocate. That really isn't 'pleasant.'

Interested in this. I smoke in my garden. I’m detached. I must be 10-15 meters away from neighbour windows/doors. Do you think I’m affecting them?

Yes, so does my best friend. She's also fuck off rich, has a huge detached house with a large garden and can easily afford to smoke, although usually she just hops to Europe with her family and brings back fags. But wait! Someone here will report back that they carry a bloodhound gene and can detect your smoke from outer space.

They should ban smoking and not sell cigarettes ideally. It’s so so addictive and sold by our government, there would be uproar if they sold heroin in sainsburys right? Therefore we shouldn’t portion blame here unless people are carelessly smoking in others presence.

@EsmereldaMargaretNoteSpelling

Because it stinks and shows that they're just a little bit stupid, to be honest.

Bit harsh. Everyone has a vice. I’m not a smoker either.

Because smoking is disgusting, selfish and smokers absolutely stink.

@uniglowooljumper

Interested in this. I smoke in my garden. I’m detached. I must be 10-15 meters away from neighbour windows/doors. Do you think I’m affecting them?

Yes, so does my best friend. She's also fuck off rich, has a huge detached house with a large garden and can easily afford to smoke, although usually she just hops to Europe with her family and brings back fags. But wait! Someone here will report back that they carry a bloodhound gene and can detect your smoke from outer space.

Ha! Love it. Sounds like I’d like her too!

Mine was a genuine question though! Do you think my neighbours smell it from that far away? I’d hate that for sure.

I come from a large family of smokers and I am very anti-smoking. I wouldn't complain about someone smoking in their own garden though that seems excessive but generally I don't want people smoking around me. I don't like the health effects & the smell. I have said before that I could never be in a relationship with a smoker too, I find it really unattractive. Don't think its my place to tell others how to live their lives though.

@pokehuman

They should ban smoking and not sell cigarettes ideally. It’s so so addictive and sold by our government, there would be uproar if they sold heroin in sainsburys right? Therefore we shouldn’t portion blame here unless people are carelessly smoking in others presence.

I think all substances should be legalised, personally, and taxed and regulated the way alcohol and tobacco are. Banning doesn't stop usage and just fuels organised crime.

@Shizzlestix

Because smoking is disgusting, selfish and smokers absolutely stink.

Why is paying large sums to HMRC, contributing hugely to the NHS and saving on pension pay outs selfish?

They stink? So do cars - the fumes are a proven carcinogen and are largely responsible for an increase in childhood asthma.

@uniglowooljumper the difference being that I don't harm anyone - both cost money in terms of treatment however a smoker can cause others to cost money as well through secondary illness.

I am fully aware of my issues (long long story including rape and abuse leading to the cause) and do everything I can to stay fit.

1. It stinks.
2. Sets an awful example to children.
3. Pollutes the air.
4. Stinks
5. Terrible for health & thus increases burden on NHS (yes I know the taxes cover it & no, that's not the point...)

I don’t smoke but I don’t judge those who do, I don’t see it as that different to other other unhealthy choices people make for a variety of reasons, live and let live.

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland I could create a similar list for alcohol

Sorry - posted too soon.

Some of the points would be the same. There’d also be some extra points about costs - tens of billions of costs actually.

But what do you think would happen if I commented on threads about alcohol calling drinkers repulsive, selfish, aggressive, disgusting, and all the other language used here? Even the poster a few pages back who berated someone for calling themselves a social smoker - what would happen if I had a go at someone for drinking once a week?

It’s a blatant double standard