Here's the issue that I have at the moment. While many non-smoking groups are yelling and screaming about us smokers 'forcing' our habit upon them in the form of passive smoking, they have gone and forced their own non-smoking oppinion on us. Now I think I do a fairly passable job of pretending to ignore the ignorance of others when faced with it, but I will not stand for that kind of hypocracy. Telling me that I have no right to force my second-hand smoke on them and then forcing me to smoke only where they tell me to. I was ok with designated smoking areas, I saw that as a perfect compromise. We had our space and they had theirs. No worries there. Now, however, they have decided to strip us of even a segregated area and have stopped smokers from legally smoking anywhere near the places that normal people would be.
We can't smoke within 4 meters of any puplic establishment or shop-front (which for any imperialists is about thirteen feet, one and a half inches give or take an eighth of an inch). That effectively means that if you want to smoke, you have to stand out in the middle of the road in most places. This would obviously cause it's own problems, but they are immaterial at this stage of my dissertation. They have taken away the smoking areas of almost every cafe I've been to. Coffee shops are the same. You're not supposed to smoke near a bus stop and the train stations are all now completely off limits. Now, I'm not a calm person at the best of times, but this is an outrage that I'm not taking kindly too.
Again, some of the changes I could accept. The train station thing I'm ok with for the most part. You couldn't smoke in an underground station anyway and that makes semse to me. The cafe and coffee shops though... what the hell? We were already sitting outside and away from the non-smoking sections indoors so what the hell was the problem? Wasn't it enough that we were willing to endure the scorching heats of summer and icy winds of winter to indulge in our habit while you sat in the climate controlled interior?
I could maybe accept it if passive somking caused you more damage than having the scent of cigarette smoke in your nostrils. It doesn't though folks. Now I know it may sound tacky to quote Penn and Teller as a source, but since they are known quite well for debunking shams in a rather flamboyant style, I think it appropriate. Hunt down their show 'Bull Shit' and watch eppisode 4 of season 1 titled 'Second Hand Smoke'. The numbers are staggering. There is about a 1 in a million chance that second hand smoke will raise the chance of you getting cancer. The likelyhood is negligable so get over it. If it was simply a comfort thing which is to say you don't like the smell, fine, I can accept that, but if you use second-hand smoke causing you cancer as an excuse... you can burn in the flames of hell which are incidentally, the flames at the end of Lucifer's 16 milligram 'Davidoff Classic' cigarette (He's all class that guy).
So what am I going to do about it all? Well I have one idea. Since I smoke for enjoyment rather than addiction (I can tell this because I rarely seem to be 'hanging' for a smoke, but do enjoy one with coffee and such), I'm guessing that that means there are other that do the same. As such, I'm going to seek help from some friends. See they're planning on opening a book store / coffee shop. Since they too are smokers, I'm going see if they will hold a 'Smokers Only Day'. The first 'X' number of people to come in will recieve a free cigarette (provided by myself if need be) and all the profits for the day will go towards cancer research / charities. If you don't smoke or can't prove that you do, you will not be allowed entry on the day. It's subtle, but I feel it will get a point across. And on that note, I'm done.
I'm going out for a smoke. Where are my Davidoffs?
I've added a link to Penn & Teller in the links bar. Seriously, track that show down.
12 comments:
Smokers only day is on the menu!!!
Thanks Frejak, I thought you'd like it :)
See for me I have more issues about this. As a smoker aswell who has always enjoyed being able to sit at a cafe with some friends or a good book and have a drink and a smoke, I find these new movements very frustrating and highly pointless. Walk through the city during business hours and you'll find the same thing. There are so few spots you can smoke in even along the street, that you now have these condensed corridors of smokers. Before you would walk along and maybe get a vauge smell of smoke from one person or another. Now for a non smoke there are pockets all through the city which you cannot avoid of condensed mass smokers, its worse then walking through the perfume section of Myers! How does this help you non-smokers? Once again it is a case of "we must be seen to be doing somthing" irrigardless of the actual impact these actions have. And you know where this will lead, in a year or two the issue will be brought up again, "i'm breathing second hand smoke" blah blah blah, believe me non smokers if I had a deignated spot out of your way, I'd be there.
So whats the next step going to be? Permits? Arm bands identifying us as smokers? No smoking in public period? Will it go the way of water restrictions, you know, only smoking on odd days if you live in these areas? Only being able to smoke at certain times of the day? Maybe we can smoke, but only with a bucket...or is that one too far?
If I may only smoke with a bucket, how do I do so? Must I only smoke cigarettes that I have stored in my bucket? Should I cut a small hole in the bucket and ware it over my head with only the cigarette protruding from it? May I only smoke while standing atop an overturned bucket so that the smoke I exhale will drift harmlessly over the heads of non-smokers? Will I only be permitted to smoke in a large, communal bucket with the other smokers as they attach it to a massive helicopter and air-lift us out to the nearest active volcanoand drop us in as a sacrifice to appease some wrath-filled deity?
These are my concerns and they are becomming very real...
does it have to be a certain colour bucket?
I do agree on most of all points put here, mostly I find it horrible as a smoker to be pushed into a little bubble and told "You can smoke here" and in doing so you end up smelling worse than you ever would before with all the combinded smoke in such a little area.
And hey, when I manage to get my butt back into work then private health insurance will be coming along at some point.
but back to the bucket.......
To me it's good to hear from the other side of the fence. I agree with you Kallisar, the last thing i want when i'm sitting down enjoying a smoke is to be in anyones face, and i'm sure you know this. What irritates me is the action rather then solution approch.
As for the Health system, you know, I've never thought about it. But now that it's mentioned I can't help but agree with that aswell. Damn me, Bloggs arn't suposed to stimulate action?
Now if you'll all excuse me, i'm gonna go compare MBF to AHM
I also should add that arrogant smokers or inconsiderate ones are a very real problem. Unfortunately though, ALL smokers then get branded the same way.
I wasn't trying to put forward that we should be able to light up anywhere, but it would be nice if we had somewhere, like we used to.
As for the health services isse, I could just as easily say that all non-smokers should get private health cover so that you don't have to deal with us but that's not fair to either side. There are plenty of non-smokers that have other vices that cause them to need to use the public health system too.
Granted, if you smoke and get cancer from it and then whinge to everyone about it, then even as a fellow smoker, I'm going to hate you and tell you to shut-up and die.
When I'm dying, if it's from my smoking, I'll do what I can to not complain too much. If on the other hand it's something else, I'll raise hell about it.
This will be my last rant on this comment chain... at least for today.
Firstly, AHM is cheaper if only by $3 per month. It's still cheaper, and they provide a little more service (specifically they cover knee replacements in there basic cover).
Secondly, to the rant, I think what irritates me more then the new laws, are the smokers who ignore the new laws. When I go to lunch and sit down with my food and my book, enjoy both then get up move away from people have a smoke and move back to my seat and continue reading I do this because I have to. I don't want to, but it's the law. It is frustrating to then sit down and see people blatently disregarding this, and smoking away dispite the fact that they are sitting in the middle of a bunch of people eating there lunch. Gah!!!!
Rant Out!
Aye my point about smokers clogging the public health system wasnt to say that non-smokers dont do it also but they are not the ones generally who take up alot of resources, (this is a massive generalisation) but alot of major disease is caused by smoking and this results in a drain on the public health system.
I agree that other habits drain the health system as much if more so but I will not start by complaining about those mental retards and how they fuck up their own lives.
I dont like that smokers are being pushed around by the non smokers amongst the throng and I agree that this 4m rule is a little crazy. However how many smokers do you see adheering to that law?
I certainly do not see people worrying about it at all, that is a serious pet peve.
and yes the arrogant inconsiderate smoker title is something that gets brushed on all smokers, this is much like the brush that all short people have huge slongs......oh wait.....I can believe that one right?
Just a quick comment, this isn't a rant, so i'm not going back on my last comment.
I'd just like to chair my concern about click groups...just voicing a concern...
Back to you Tom
I seem to have caused a ruckus. That's fine with me, I like a good ruckus. It's making people think a little and I like that. What I'm noticing here though is that I'm bordering on defending all smokers, not just the ones that are considerate of others. This isn't a good thing. I hate people so I'll be damned if I'm going to defend the ones that aren't even showing basic manners to those I know and like.
As such, I'll add this clause to my smokers day: If I catch anyone being beligerant or using the day to annoy non-smokers with their habit, I will personally eject them from the premisis. I'm not about to start encouraging people to be idiots about this as it would do more harm to my arguements about having a place to indulge in smoking without fear of legal reprisal. Plus, if later there is any publicty, it will show that even people that do smoke don't tollerate fools like that and that can only mean good things.
Like Kahn, I too try to abide by the regulations that have been laid out for us no matter how much I dislike them. It gets on my nerves too when I see others not following these rules. I'll see if I can't make an effort to start telling people to cut it out if they're smoking in blatent opposition of the current smoking laws.
This does of course mean that if someone gets nasty about it and breaks my jaw again, I'm going to be more than a little upset. Here's hoping that against my beliefs, humanity still has some common decency.
...and time zones, don't forget time zones!
*grin*
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