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Why is this thread going? Why does this thread have politics and LAWS in it? Why does it have regulations and freedom arguments littered through it?
The debate that needs to be argued is how many smokers (most in this thread) think it's ok to make me stink and have a hard time breathing. Are you fucking kidding me?? This isn't about laws, it's about how idiotic it is that smokers have ZERO ethical qualms with making me stink and have trouble breathing. Laws and regulations and bullshit aside, I'm BAFFLED by the fact that most smokers think it's ethically fine to stink up non-smokers. The laws and regulations concerning smoking is an entirely different discussion. This discussion is about who wants to be an asshole in public and who doesn't. I don't care if you smoke. I seriously don't. But don't smoke when it affects me negatively because it means you're an asshole who doesn't care about others.
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I'm still stuck on the original question made by Hagatha. It is a question that I have asked several of my friends in the past few months, with no real answers. I thought there might be some answers here if I kept coming back to this issue, but still, there are not.
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I am not saying smoking is good. Its bad. Real bad. But why is it the target for so much disgust and finger pointing? Are the other addictions somehow more acceptable? Are they any less destructive?
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Smoking directly causes the deaths of 400,000 people a year I grant you that. How many deaths does alcohol indirectly lead to every year? Do the women that die because their drunken husbands beat the crap out of them get counted in the number of deaths due to alcohol that the CDC publishes? How about the number of moms that kill themselves 'cause some drunk ran over her daughter when said daughter was checking the mail?
You (collective you) say that it's ok to be so condescending to smokers because what they do directly impacts the lives of others who have chosen not to smoke and some guy getting drunk doesn't mean you have to live with the consequences.
Go sit in on an Ala-non meeting sometime and then tell me that only the guilty are paying for the addiction of the drunkard.
I've responded to the smoking ban issue in this thread a few times, not to argue with the idea that smokers should not be allowed to harm others, but because I can see that this trend of banning smoking is getting more and more out of hand. Protecting the innocent is fine by me, vilifying the idiot is not- yes I classify myself and anyone else stupid enough to take up smoking as an idiot.
The two issues are related because if it were just a matter of public concern then people would be satisfied with smokers can't smoke inside of places that non smokers would be expected to go, such as restaurants, bars, amusement parks, etc. But it is an issue of finger pointing and disgust when the laws are then made that we can't smoke in our own vehicles, or in some cases, outside unless we're in a specific smoking section.
I can understand not wanting to stink. I feel the same way about people wearing cologne and perfume. I do NOT advocate making laws restricting peoples rights to go swimming in the crap if that’s what they want to do, because from there its such a small step to regulating how often people MUST bathe, and then its not much of a jump to legislating what soaps they can use. I know that's a little extreme, but it’s the logical conclusion to passing legislation based on how a person smells.
Once you get past the health issues, which you do by banning smoking indoors where nonsmokers are likely to be, all you're advocating for is the right to control how a person smells- and that's too much legislation on personal choices. Sorry if my smell offends you, lots of people's smells offend me. I'll deal with it if it means I don't have to have a law that regulates it.