Do you think smoking in public places is RUDE????

Brittney - posted on 08/02/2010

Elisabeth, No I didn't start this convo to excuse myself for being rude to smokers!!!! I understand that ppl can be rude in just about any situation, but this the topic that endangers my children's health as well as my own:( Not all smokers are rude, as many on this forum seem to be very considerate of non smokers:) I just happen to think that "some" smokers don't think of anyone around them, at least the ones I've come in contact w/, or they just don't know any better. Thats all .......this topic was not to trash smokers bc that was never my intent. Yet just voice my side as a non smoker:)

Kelly - posted on 08/02/2010

I am not a smoker and I am very much in favor of the smoking bans here; however, I do NOT think it is okay to be rude to smokers whether said smoker is being considerate or not. If a smoker is smoking in an inappropriate place, I think it is okay to POLITELY ask them to move to a more appropriate place. If they are not in a place where smoking is banned, they have every right to smoke.

That is why I think it is great that my area has recently instated smoking bans in our parks and parking lots, in addition to the bans that prohibit smoking inside buildings (except private homes), near entrances / exits, and during public festivals, concerts and other events. This still allows smokers to smoke in their homes, yards, and cars, which is plenty of options in my opinion, but it keeps them from smoking where non-smokers would be forced to inhale second hand smoke.

Elisabeth - posted on 08/02/2010

Rudeness is rudeness.

Its rude to smoke in a crowded space and its just as rude to cough all over people in a crowded place.

Its rude to talk loudly on your mobile phone and its rude to push in line.

There is rudeness all around us and I can almost guarantee that a rude person will be rude in all these instances and more.

I have to wonder if this 'debate' is actually about rudeness or if in fact it is really just a way to excuse oneself for being rude to smokers?

C. - posted on 08/01/2010

Yes it is. I used to smoke and I absolutely hated when I got a nicotine fit in public b/c I remembered how awful it was as a non-smoker walking through a cloud of smoke just to go into a store or restaurant. Yeah, people have the right to smoke, but non-smokers have the right to breathe clean air :)

Brandy - posted on 07/31/2010

I think it's extremely rude, especially at family orientated events and I used to be a smoker until I got pregnant with our first. Here in Alberta (I don't think it is all over Canada yet), there has been no smoking in any public place (even bars) for almost 2 years now, no smoking in hospitals or medical offices since I was a child and you cannot smoke within 5 meters (about 15 ft) of the entrance to ANY business. We went to a street festival the other day where performers do their acts in the middle of the street and people surround them in a big circle to watch and they had people holding up signs that there was to be no smoking while in the audience circle. Here, you can't even smoke on the property of a hospital. They have security wandering around the parking lots and gardens surrounding our hospital, giving people fines, which makes sense because why should a place that is supposed to be as health concious as possible promote smoking. It's also illegal here to smoke in the vehicle with kids in it. I know it can be a pain in the ass for smokers who were polite before all the restrictions but there were so many who weren't polite that it kind of had to happen for the rest of us to breathe clean air. It wasn't fair to us that we would try to do something (with or without our kids, it's hard to even enjoy dinner out while inhaling somebody's second hand smoke) and have it ruined by some inconsiderate smoker. If I am sitting in a restaurant full of smokers and I am not smoking, I am not having any effect on anyone else there but if a smoker in sitting in a restaurant full of non-smokers, having a cigarette, he's making their evening less pleasurable and that's not fair. Why should they have the right to negatively effect the people around them in a way that could possibly cause health problems? That being said, I agree with the rest of you that non-smokers should stay away from designated areas if they don't want to inhale smoke.

Brittney - posted on 07/31/2010

"intended"

Brittney - posted on 07/31/2010

Laura I understand.....like I stated awhile back, That I'm aware that smoking is a bad addiction:( I in no way attended to "dis" smokers as many family members of mine smoke. Just think it's rude when some has no respect for my children when sitting at a parade or a park where mainly children are. But most ppl on here that smoke say they try to remove themselves if there are children. So I believe there are alot of respectful smokers, except in my town....haha:/

Charlie - posted on 07/31/2010

Sara - thats from a silverchair song - freak lol.

Danielle - posted on 07/30/2010

I think smoking in public places is annoying but I think we make it harder and harder for smokers these days to find a place to smoke. They're gonna smoke no matter what so what's wrong if they have a smoke hut or whatever to smoke in. You know, to keep them out of the wind, rain, and snow? Then they're all migrated together and out of our kids' faces.

Isobel - posted on 07/30/2010

hahaha...I googled it, apparently it's in the urban dictionary as the uncontrollable desire to have children (or something like that) haha and yeah, I don't want any part of that either ;P

Sara - posted on 07/30/2010

Laura, I just thought it rhymed...I was trying to be funny.

K - posted on 07/30/2010

Smoking where I live in Canada is illegal inside any public place, and is not illegal outside up to a certain area (something like 50feet from the building). I think it's very rude to smoke in a public place. If I'm sitting at a lake enjoying the outside with my newborn, I really don't want some ignoramus blowing smoke in her face. If you want to smoke-fine, but do it where there are less people around, especially no children! If you want to damage your lungs be my guest, but I choose not to smoke, and I don't want your second hand stink all over me and my family.

Charlene - posted on 07/30/2010

I don't see the point of people being rude, even to an inconsiderate smoker. Why can't the non-smoker simply ask the smoker if they wouldn't mind moving, or blowing the smoke elsewhere?

Like I said before, I can't stand when smokers are rude and inconsiderate (like the woman blowing smoke in my face while I handed her her order through the drive-thru window), but it can go both ways and there is no need for rudeness on either end.

Coley - posted on 07/30/2010

I smoke, and I can't stand it when someone else is smoking where they shouldn't. (Like what kind of ass holds a kid while smoking?) If you're outside, and you can get far away from other people, fine, but if you're stuck in one spot around non-smokers and children, don't be a selfish dick. You have the right to smoke, you don't have the right to force it on others. A few years ago, I was at a convention in Atlanta, GA, waiting to get my badge in a line that was literally a couple miles long, wrapping around the buildings outside and up the street. When I needed a smoke break, I asked the people standing in line around me if I could step out of line for a smoke, then I moved with the line, but as far away as I could without walking in the middle of the street. Of course they held my spot because I was trying to be considerate (and if they said no, I would either have to smoke right next to them, or get extremely irritable). Also, its not hard to dispose of butts properly. Put it out completely, double check it, then throw it in the trash can, if an ash tray isn't available. There's no reason to force others to inhale your cigarette, and there's no reason to litter because you don't feel like taking 2 seconds to look for a bin. Some jerks are smokers, that doesn't mean all smokers are jerks.

Isobel - posted on 07/30/2010

baby rabies?

Toni - posted on 07/30/2010

It is wrong that people are rude to you because you smoke because if you are being considerate and curteous then what have they to complain about. It is the INCONSIDERATE and RUDE smokers that I find abhorrent and that warrent me being curt with them, I do try not to be rude because I HATE rude people.

Sara - posted on 07/30/2010

Don't forget Baby Rabies, Laura.

Isobel - posted on 07/30/2010

clearly I don't really think they should be banned, I'm just trying to ask you to imagine how it feels that people feel that they are ALLOWED to be rude to you because you have an addiction that you are trying to overcome, that you may even be deeply ashamed of (I'm down to 2 or 3 per day and I hide for all of them).

I'm just sick of people feeling like it's ok to be rude...but only to us...what IS the difference between telling us how disgusting our habit is, and going up to a person at McDonald's and doing the same...come on...

Isobel - posted on 07/30/2010

on a plane, they cause me not to be able to sleep and therefore have jetlag and possibly lose my job because I'm such a wreck at my meeting...

they are FULL of nasty germs...and while I had to suffer through all the diseases that my darling children brought home from school, I don't want shingles from YOUR kid.

what else...ummmmmmmmmmm

I'll think of more

Isobel - posted on 07/30/2010

they make my ulcers bleed.

Brittney - posted on 07/30/2010

Laura ...but a crying baby does not lead to any kind of cancer....hahah. Srry I think that's a bad comparison. Second hand smoke can lead to something bad. All a crying baby would do is lead to one BIG headache...haha Just saying!!!

Stifler's - posted on 07/30/2010

Smoking is part of society whether we like it or not our kids are going to be exposed to it.

Jessica - posted on 07/29/2010

"Well, Laura, if we wanna get technical....

There is a lawsuit here in Australia where a woman is suing an airline for her burst eardrum and subsequent hearing loss because of a screaming toddler near her on the flight......no shit :)"

But honestly... people like that just need to be shot, lol. And the woman who sued McDonalds for burning herself with coffee, or sueing Walmart because the bag broke and some groceries fell on your foot (pretty sure I heard that at one point). Don't those people have anything better to do with their lives?

Chatty - posted on 07/29/2010

Bahahaha! I love you ladies! ♥

Jodi - posted on 07/29/2010

I know, I just had to show you that one!!! Couldn't resist :)

Isobel - posted on 07/29/2010

see?!? No more babies in enclosed public spaces. period ;P



I joke, I joke. I don't even have an ulcer :)

Jodi - posted on 07/29/2010

Well, Laura, if we wanna get technical....



There is a lawsuit here in Australia where a woman is suing an airline for her burst eardrum and subsequent hearing loss because of a screaming toddler near her on the flight......no shit :)



http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news...

Isobel - posted on 07/29/2010

I just thought of the perfect comparison.

my kids are 7 and 9, I haven't had to listen to a crying baby in years and years...the sound of it makes my ears bleed, I find it actually PHYSICALLY painful...it makes my ulcer bleed.

Is it my right to demand that women with crying babies take them elsewhere...to demand that they not bring their darlings onto elevators, airplanes, boats...anywhere I cannot get away?

Does it give me the right to be rude to them, inconsiderate?

No, when I see a mother struggling with a crying baby, I react with patience, kindness, and sympathy. And that's the way it should be.

Joanna - posted on 07/29/2010

Krista, how did you know?! haha.

Seriously, this pregnancy-rage issue is really starting to get the best of me.

Krista - posted on 07/29/2010

Joanna, you're just enjoying saying "punch dicks" aren't you? ;)



And Laura does have a point. If someone is standing there smoking, with nobody around them, and they're not blocking an entranceway or anything, it's obnoxious for a non-smoker to go up to them and start ostentatiously coughing and glaring at them. If the smoker is being otherwise considerate, then why give them a hard time?

Krista - posted on 07/29/2010

When I used to smoke, I was extra-cautious to never smoke around children when in a public place. So let's say I was going to a bus stop to wait for the bus. If there was someone there with a kid, I would stop well away from them (and make sure I was downwind from them) before lighting up, and would ask the mother if she could detect the smoke at all. If so, I'd move farther away. I'd even do this if I had been at the bus stop first and they got there after I did.

So now, I would hope that other smokers would extend me that same consideration and do their best to not expose my kid to their smoke.

And it does bother me when people smoke RIGHT outside of a doorway, because there's no way for other people to avoid their smoke. At most public buildings, you have to move at least 5 metres (I think) away from the entrance. When I smoked, I didn't have a problem with that, so I would hope that other smokers would not have a problem with it now.

Joanna - posted on 07/29/2010

Tracey - a penis doesn't have anything to do with breast cancer. See the correlation? Your dad dying of lung cancer doesn't give you right to be rude to someone, just like the way my grandma died doesn't give me the right to punch dicks (no matter how much the urge strikes me). One smoker now didn't kill your dad then, one dick now didn't kill my grandma then, these people now are real people with feelings. No reason ever to be rude to them unless they are causing you harm, and even then there's no NEED to be rude.

Isobel - posted on 07/29/2010

did that make ANY sense? I know it was awkward...sorry

Isobel - posted on 07/29/2010

To me it seems similar to a woman who used to live in poverty. She goes to school, and get a better job and make lots of money, then turns around and thinks that all poor people are lazy...cause she knows that they can make more money if they just make the effort to change their circumstances and it's kinda their fault that they're poor.



Yes, I could quit smoking. But the fact that I haven't yet doesn't make me any less human, worthy of respect.



*edited to attempt to make it a little clearer

Toni - posted on 07/29/2010

Sara I think as a person who HAS quit you can judge because you have been there and have experienced BOTH sides! But I don't think your post was nasty or you were on your high horse because you know you shouldn't feel that way and stated it.

As a non-smoker I LOVE the smoking ban in the UK I LOVE not stinking when I go out - now all they need to do is work out another smell to cover BO because the smoke obviously covered up that stench before :-)

I don't agree that the non-smoker should move BUT I do think that as a non-smoker you can choose not to stand next to a smoker at an event. I would say something now if a smoker came and stood next to me and my baby because his health is paramount. But it is fair to say that most smokers are fairly considerate (none of my friends smoked around me when I was pg or smoke around my son now without me even having to mention it - even their jackass b/f moves away off his own back).

Sara - posted on 07/29/2010

I don't know if it's a matter of thinking you are better than smokers. Honestly, I don't feel that way. I guess I just feel that it's ok for me to think that smokers are being rude if they do it in front of my kids in a public place or something. And also, the act of smoking physically repulses me now, which I think is part of getting over the addiction for me. I'm not saying that it's right or that people should feel entitled to judge smokers like that, it's certainly hypocritical and wrong and you're absolutely right, you should feel compassion and empathy for them since you've walked in those shoes. But it's hard to sometimes just because I think you have to learn to loathe it so you don't go back to it. It's hard to separate the act of smoking from the smoker sometimes.

Chatty - posted on 07/29/2010

I am better because I quit! lmao.

Hannah - posted on 07/29/2010

I dont think as an ex-smoker you are entitled to feel harshly and judge smokers. If anything, you should be sympathetic and understanding of the difficulty it takes to quit. The thing I hate the most is ex-smokers who get on their high horse and think that they are better than you because they quit. They are usually worse than people who never smoked before.

Sara - posted on 07/29/2010

Dana's right. I never professed to not being hypocritical, I can admit that I am. It's just how I feel. I was trying not to be harsh in how I presented my opinons. I guess I failed based on your response.



And I don't want to continue arguing my feelings with you, but I have to ask, how else could one possibly take someone telling them to get off their high horse besides personally? Maybe that's a whole other topic. :)

Chatty - posted on 07/29/2010

Sara is just being totally honest, despite the apparent backlash she'll get. I don't feel like she's on her high horse. I just felt like she was sharing her honest opinion despite the fact that she knows it might be wrong or hypocritical. Just sayin Sara... ;) lmao

I'm a SMOKER who judges harshly....I HATE other smokers and think most of them are rude! Now what? *giggles*

~♥Little Miss - posted on 07/29/2010

Ok, settle down. This is specifically a debating forum...a place where women can debate opinion and fact. I do NOT know you...duh..but isn't that what makes this site what it is??? Differences? There have been many other debates where I have liked what you said. I simply called you out on something that I thought was unfair, and rude. That is my opinion. I am sorry you took it so personnally, but I still agree with my opinion.

Sara - posted on 07/29/2010

Yes, and I followed that statement up with "Not saying it's right, but it's how I feel". You don't know me, you don't know what has happened in my life to shape my opinions. I know what I meant so all I can say is I'm sorry you feel that way. This is a discussion forum, having differing opinions is what makes it interesting. I wasn't really asking for a life lesson from you, though I appreciate your concern. :B

~♥Little Miss - posted on 07/29/2010

I interpeted your statement as you being better than smokers. That is clear when you specifically state "feel entitled to it because I've been there/done that kind of thing" So you feel entitled to be more judgemental and harsh...Snarky??? Not so much. I don't like it when people get on there high horse about someone elses imperfection that was once there own.

Sara - posted on 07/29/2010

Hey, no need to be snarky with me. I never said I was better than anyone or put anyone down. I stated that it was just the way I felt, and specifically said that didn't make it right. Just sharing my feelings on the topic, same as you. Calm down.

~♥Little Miss - posted on 07/29/2010

P.S to Sara...I am oan ex-smoker...and I miss it...and love it still. I am an addict...judge me harshly then.

~♥Little Miss - posted on 07/29/2010

Sara B, congrats on quitting...truly...but I am sure that you enjoyed smoking very much when you did...otherwise you would not have done it for 10 years. Just becouse it was your time to quit, does not mean you should look down on everyone who still does it. That is ridiculous. Get off your pedistal and realize people can make there own choices. I also use to smoke, and have stopped becouse of being preggo and having kids. I don't feel that I am better than the person smoking in there car ( I hate seeing it with kids in there..I do think that is irresponsible) becouse I am human...and I use to love it so so so much!

As far as smoking in public, everyone has their rights. They are not smoking in buildings, restaurants, bars, hotels....the only choice is to smoke outside. Just appreciate the fact that there is not someone smoking sitting right next to you in on the bus, plane etc. Just becouse you don't like it, does not mean everyone in the world has to quit....I like the statement about cars...there is so much pollution that is being distributed from that....very bad to breath...that is around you more than cigarette smoke...I am trying to say you cannot control what is out of your hands.

Charlene - posted on 07/29/2010

I don't really care if someone is walking down the street with a lit cigarette because I can either walk up wind from them or cross the street, but what really irks me is when smokers stand close enough to an entrance that no matter what, I have to walk through the smoke.

I agree with bars, restaurants, hotels, stores etc. being smoke free. Most of the bars here have a deck or something outside where you can still take your drink with you to have a smoke.

In cases where it's not possible for the non-smoker to move, then yes, I do think it is rude to smoke there.
For an example, when I lived in Calgary, some the LRT stations had outdoor ramps to get to the road or buses and they were the only way to get there. They were all non smoking, even the ones that were open-air, yet people STILL smoked on them. There was no way for me and my daughter to avoid going through the clouds of smoke coming from the smoker standing under the NO SMOKING sign. That, is when I consider it completely rude and inconsiderate. Is your habit THAT bad that you can't wait the 2 minutes it takes you to walk the ramp???

Tracey - posted on 07/29/2010

Joanna - How does a penis cause breast cancer? (which also runs in my family by the way and I'm sorry you lost your Grandma that way)
My doctor told me that breastfeeding can greatly reduce the chances of breast cancer for which you need a baby for which you need a man with a penis, so I don't quite see the comparison.

Katherine - posted on 07/29/2010

I'm a smoker too. Here in Michigan they made it smoke free EVERYWHERE. Can't smoke on the property of any hotel, resturaunt, store, hospital, bar etc.....fine with me I have kids. I hated going to the non-smoking section only to get clouds of smoke coming my way and my kids way.



However, I think I should have the right to smoke SOMEWHERE. We can't smoke at parade's, parks, functions anywhere. Basically smokers have been shunned, banned, banished. I don't smoke around my kids either, but it is frustrating when you want a cigarette and you can't smoke anywhere.....literally.







Stupid Granholm.

LaCi - posted on 07/29/2010

No more rude than I think cars are for spewing exhaust in public.

That being said, its illegal here to smoke in any public building or within like 30 feet of any building's entrance. So far I have yet to notice someone smoking in a place in which a nonsmoker has to pass through.