Steve over at Hog on Ice has a series of posts up about cigarette smokers here, here and here. Hmmm....he's sorta got a point, kinda, maybe.
I'd like to offer up my point of view. I am a smoker. Yes - I know I've talked about quitting, tried to quit but as of today I Still Smoke.
BUT.....my Mama (who is also a smoker) always insisted that I be polite about it.
If I am with nonsmokers and I know that they do NOT like to be around smoke I will either not smoke or step away from them to have my cigarette. Don't force on anyone. That's not polite.
If I am in the car with nonsmokers and I know smoke bothers them I don't smoke. I've driven across country with a nonsmoker. 21 hours. I only smoked when we stopped for gas. I would jump out the car, pee, and then power smoke. I was always at the car waiting for them. I don't make anyone deal with my smoke or wait for me because I have a bad habit. That's not polite.
Most of the time in my own home I will not smoke if I have nonsmokers in the house. Unless they insist otherwise. NOW...the Bad Example Family Reunion was an exception. Yes, I did smoke in the house and I just want to publically apologize if that bothered any of you. Won't happen again. It's not polite.
Do I know how bad is smells? Yes, yes I do and I hate it.
Do I like the way it tastes? No, no I don't - I hate it.
Do I realize I am being ripped off regarding the price? Yep - it's my choice to pay. I'm no dummy - despite what you may think if you see me with a cigarette.
Do I like going out on the sidewalk to smoke? No, but it's what needs to be done, so I do it. The hardest time is when I'm up north and it's snowy. Yeah, that's not so nice.
Do I want to quit? Yes....and the day is fast approaching. I read last year about a pill that will help stop smoking. I didn't hear more about it for a while. Then today I hear researchers are "racing" to find the cure. Bring. It. On.
What many don't realize is that smoking is more addictive than heroin. Yep. And I gotta tell you - I have No, none, zero, not one ounce of will power. I've tried and just don't have it. I need help. Big Time. So......bring it on.
I don't mind not being able to smoke in most locations. It bugs me that I can't smoke in most bars, so I just don't go out as much.
BUT....that all being said - smokers are not "Disgusting". We're not "Dirty". That is actually pretty harsh. If you don't like the smell - don't hang around us. Believe it or not - I've had people that have known me professionally that didn't know I smoked. Not at all. I'm not a dirty person. And I dare anyone to tell me that I am. You don't want to kiss a smoker? Than don't date one. It's that simple. Your choice. I burn candles, use febreeze and keep my house as open as I can. Because I don't like the smell either, so I have to work at it.
But don't generalize. It's not polite.
Posted by Tammi at March 10, 2005 07:06 AMI hate to say this but it is bad smokers that give polite smokers a bad name because one meets bad smokers more then they do polite smokers.
I am allergic to smoke (yes one can be) and it affects my asthma alot. So I do politely ask people to be polite around me if they smoke, normally nobody has a problem with that. (actually most people won't even smoke around me, there very nice about it).
But it's the ones that pratically blow smoke in your face that I hate and it's hard not to generalize it to all smokers.
Posted by: Machelle at March 10, 2005 08:34 AMWhen can we schedule the training session that Tammi will be leading for the other 18,455,310 impolite smokers and busybodies who want to ban smoking?
Posted by: Ogre at March 10, 2005 10:13 AMI was a habitual cigarette smoker for 15 years, so I'm a lot more tolerant than most non-smokers, because I've BEEN there, and I remember those withdrawl-jitters. I must say you're one of the cleanest, politest smokers I've ever met. A little TOO clean & polite for my taste, because I don't like seeing smokers suffer on my behalf.
Beloved Wife, on the other hand, while open-minded, has a lower threshhold than I do. She wouldn't like being in a car with someone smoking, even if they cracked a window. Me - I think cracking a window makes it all good.
Obviously I don't agree with Steven either.
Posted by: Harvey at March 10, 2005 11:44 AMI like Cigars. Mainly because I can piss off non-smokers and a good cross section of smokers too :)
Ok, not really (I'm really polite about lighting up a stogie, even in a bar), but I think there are places one should expect for there to be cigarette/cigar smoke (a bar being one of them) and if someone has a problem with it it's their problem, not the smoker's.
Other than that, I think you're personal guidelines are pretty polite!
Posted by: Graumagus at March 10, 2005 02:59 PMAmen! You said it a lot better than I could've.
Posted by: Pammy at March 10, 2005 06:40 PMConsidering the guilt-trip inducing rhetoric I can use on this topic, I'm going to say realitivly nothing.
If you enjoy smoking, or don't want to quit, please order cig's from Native Americans that are only tobacco. You don't pay taxes and most importantly, you don't have the 16 chemicals that the cig industry won't even tell Congress are in the cig.
Julie enjoyed smoking. I never asked her to quit.
I read a long time ago that the same type of people who got alchohol banned during Prohibition would go after cig's eventually. It's a "We know what's good for your / bad for you mentality."
And in America - that's wrong.
What Grau said. I have been known to not frequent bars or eating establishments that don't have a smoking section. You wanna whine about my bad habit? Then you don't get my money.
Posted by: Johnny - Oh at March 10, 2005 09:02 PMI've rarely met a person who wouldn't give up cigarettes if they could. Hang in there girl!
Posted by: Pam at March 11, 2005 12:23 AMFunny, after your post, I was walking behind a very non-polite smoker. Of course he was going into the health club. He is standing right in the way of the door putting out his cigarette so I couldn't get past and had to wait. Then he didn't even hold the door open for me!
How rude! (BTW, that is one of my big phrases - I never got around to answering that post.)
You never even smell like smoke Tammi. That's amazing and your house usually smells great with all the candles.
AND I don't mind riding in a car with a smoker if the window is cracked!
Posted by: TNT at March 11, 2005 05:37 AM