A (hopefully) mature discussion: Is it really okay to hate smokers?

[gl1koz3]

The smokers are usually the same people as anyone else, so pretty much fine people. The only problem with them is when it starts to stink. And after being around even your clothes stink for a while. This is my only problem with it - do whatever you will, but, please, no stinking. I can almost compare it to farting. Needs privacy, but doesn't really hurt when you do so.

So, yeah. I'm fine with them. But I can't help it that my attitude changes when it stinks.

 

[cobra_ky]

Smoking is a habit which is harmful and unpleasant to people around the smoker. I smoke occasionally myself, so I'm not opposed to it on principle, but it is the responsibility of the smoker to smoke in a way that doesn't negatively affect others.

 

[DudeistBelieve]

Well I hate how they get additional break time at my job because everybody in higher management smokes. I especially dislike the ones that have children, like hey douchebag, how 'bout you put on hold the self destruction until they're at least out of college?

Aside from that, so long as they're smoking outside I don't care.

 

[Odbarc]

I hate smokers. They force that crappy smoke down our throats and none of them have any consideration for others. Standing right outside a grocery store or where ever your shopping and going "At least I'm outside."

I hate the smell of smoke. I hate the taste of smoke. Cigarettes do absolutely nothing positive for anyone except curb the addiction you had to create in the first place.

I would illegalize cigarettes (along with alcohol) but no one agrees with me (users).

 

[Paulie92]

I think it's ok to hate te act of smoking, but not necessarily the smoker. That being said I hate smokers but only when they're smoking, and as a general the kind of people who are my age and smoke are the kind of people I hate.

But no I don't think someone is worthy of hate just because they smoke

 

[thylasos]

I smoke on the street, outside, and in my flat. I tend to walk a few feet down from the door of the pub if I'm smoking outside. And cigarettes are so heavily taxed in the UK I'm fairly sure I'm paying for my own NHS treatment if I ever run into problems.

As it is, I'll most likely give up fairly soon; just waiting for the doctor to come back from holiday and prescribe me with the drugs.

 

[Delta2501]

As has been stated it is the harm to others that makes smoking objectionable. Bear in mind that smoking is generally worse for the non-smoking neighbours (who don't get the benefit of a filter) and can be regarded as just creating an unpleasant environment with the smoker, surrounding air and whatever the neighbours happen to be wearing to stink, and you shouldn't underestimate the ability of small thinks like this to put a dampener on an evening (at a restaurant etc.).

Fundamentally one should only have the right to do things that do not harm others, and if your decision to basically swallow a load of poisonous gas potentially adversely affects the health and mood of those around you I think it is perfectly valid to restrict your access to it.

 

[New Vegas Samurai]

well... I smoke...
I try not to bother anyone in my section as I am, but if there are a few people who find reason enough to purposely come up to me an rag on my smoking I take the Bill hicks way...
It's my choice really, and i'm not blowing smoke your way, so why bother me about it?

 

[Calcium]

I have never shown nor harbour any hatred towards smokers. I understand to an extent why people continue to smoke, but it's the choice to start smoking that makes them seem foolish to me.

Living in Scotland, a few years ago we pioneered the UK's public smoking ban. It meant no smoking in bars, pubs and restraunts apart from areas with specialised ventilation. Far from being incensed by the ban, most people were supportive of it, and to an extent I felt proud that there was action taken to dissaude people from picking up a habit that's self destructive.

 

[GotMalkAvian]

I don't hate smokers, and I'm not going to be extreme enough to say that smoking is dangerous to anyone around a smoker. However, smoking can be incredibly irritating, and a lot of smokers don't seem to notice or care since "they have the right to smoke."

There's an ordnance in place where I work that people are not allowed to smoke within ten feet of the building's doors. In order to encourage smokers to stay away, picnic tables and ashcans are set up the appropriate distance away. How do the smokers respond? By dragging the tables and ashcans over toward the building and gathering around the door, ensuring that anyone entering or exiting is forced to walk through a cloud of smoke. Also, during the winter, since it's too cold outside to smoke, people tend to just smoke in the bathrooms; this is not only annoying to people who don't like trying to use the bathroom in a haze of smoke, but also illegal.

At another job I used to have, one of the employees was a heavy smoker. Since our manager was also a smoker, they seemed to have a sort of understanding of "the habit," and so my coworker was allowed extra breaks beyond the usual allotment so she could go outside and have a smoke. I asked for an equal amount of break time, since I would've loved extra time to wander down to the nearby mini-mart for a drink, and I was told that I couldn't take any more breaks because I didn't smoke.

Essentially, my experience with smokers as a group has led me to believe that many of them see smoking as a badge which grants them special priviledges. I have no problem with people smoking, as long as I don't have to deal with it. Just like overly loud music, it's an annoyance to others and a sign of disrespect.

 

[quhouv vhqwiufv qwiu]

I don't hate smokers, and I don't hate that they smoke, but I do think they're idiots. What I do hate is when they choose to smoke around me. It's offensive, and harmful to my health. If they choose to give themselves diseases that is their choice but I refuse to inflict those diseases upon myself so they should be respectful and not smoke around me. I hate it when I'm walking down the street r standing waiting at traffic lights and someone nearby starts smoking; as I said already I don't want the diseases and I should be able to navigate public areas without being exposed to carcinogenic chemicals.

 

[Dimensional Vortex]

I don't hate people because they smoke, I hate their addiction and habits about smoking but I won't hate them because they smoke. I dislike Smokers who will lit up a cigarette and aggrovate everyone around them without even a thought of what is happening. I dislike ones who smoke in front of their children, I also dislike ones who spend all their money to fund their habit when they have hungry families who would like something to eat the isn't 7 month old cans of pineapple.

 

[havass]

Uh...you're practically doing drugs. That IS a reason to be frowned upon. That being said, I don't hate smokers. I'll leave you to your own devices as long as you stay the hell away from my immediate vicinity, and FOR GOD'S SAKE DON'T WALK SLOWLY IN FRONT OF ME. You might enjoy your little smoke but that doesn't mean I have to sacrifice the purity of the air I breathe in.

 

[Denamic]

I don't hate smokers.
I just hate the smokers who smoke in areas I have to be in or walk by.

 

[clipse15]

Hatred is a strong word, but it's quite understandable.

Smokers are putting an immense burden on the health system, which is both very important and under pressure as it is.

Secondly, it's not fun being in a public place with smokers. Putting aside the lingering, unpleasant smell, they are spreading carcinogenic and otherwise toxic chemicals which people can't help but breathe in. That is not going to make them terribly popular.

You do realize that there is a large tax revenue on cigarettes right? So in Canada a majority of cigarette money is paid back into the health system and in the United States it pays towards having lower income families have health insurance.