"Do you mind if I smoke?"

[Joy27]

It's a rhetorical question really, isn't it? Do smokers really expect the answer to ever be "yes"?

Yes, I do mind if my friends smoke in my garden then want to cuddle my baby.
Yes, I do mind if they smoke when we're in the park with our kids metres away.
Yes, I do mind if we're having a nice drink outside and I have to sit in a cloud of their smoke.

I know it's their choice and it's legal etc etc. But when it's unpleasant for the person with them, would it be reasonable for that person to say yes, they do mind? It would create a very awkward atmosphere imo.

Farting is legal as far as I'm aware, but imagine if I said to a friend "you don't mind if I sit here farting, do you?"

I don't really see the difference. Both smelly, antisocial habits.

(ps I know I sound sanctimonious. I'm an ex-smoker so it's the law )

I don't think it makes anyone a chav.

Clearly it makes people unable to read.

No. I can read perfectly well thank you.

We'll agree to disagree.

There's nothing to disagree about. Clearly I can read!

Anyway, we all (well, not all but many of us) have our "downfalls". Smoking, drinking more than the recommended amount, eating too much unhealthy food (or just too much full stop).

Actually, why isn't obesity equally a problem? I see more fat mothers than I see smoking mothers and they rarely get a hard time. If the smoking mothers don't smoke near their children, then what's the difference between an addiction to smoking and an addiction to eating?

Well hopefully it'll all be academic when smoking is completely banned anyway.

'sighs contentedly at the prospect that the day WILL come'

That day will come when the government and non smokers no longer rely on the billions a year in tax smokers provide...funny..something that openly and obviously kills people is not banned...its all lip service...

Not while the government needs the money it won't be.

Smokers are an easy target.

Yes Maylee, it is after all illegal to discriminate and call other minorities nasty names. OK I know it's not the same and this is said with [tongue in cheek] emotion.

Huh? Sorry abouteve, not sure I follow......

It was meant to be a joke. Some threads on Mnet I've read call smokers stupid, dirty, smelly etc. We are an easy target as no-one would call other sections of the community such like.