Why do non-smokers have to harass smokers?

Question

I don't smoke, but I have friends/family who do and I don't see why people have to give them dirty looks. It's their choice to smoke and as long as they are doing it outside or in an approved area, then what is the bid deal?

Answer 1

the funny thing is ... its LEGAL.... yet people seem to have a need to judge others and tell them how to live... just about every one does something that may not be good for them, whether its drinking alcohol, coffee, soda, eating junk food etc... yet for some reason, its become very popular for the some people..... to " police" other people... same thing with obese people... people stare at them and say nasty things... people need to mind their own business and leave others alone....as far as pollution goes - cars, and factories etc put out more air pollution, but do they stop driving cars?..nooooo.... cell phone users annoy me especially in cars and restaurants, but I don't harass them...extreme perfumes are annoying especially to people that are allergic... but do we give them nasty looks??? nooo... the government taxes this product more than any other product, what will they tax if every one quits?? something else will take its place... something someone else enjoys...these people are punished for using a legal product... that is insane...

Answer 2

I don't have a problem with smokers either. I can't stand it when people walk directly in front of or by a smoker and then give a dirty look - as if they couldn't have walked around the smoker and avoided the smoke if thats what they wanted.
People have the right to smoke or not to smoke and there is certainly enough clean air to go around. Smokers have been banned from bars, restaurants, malls, etc in many states and forced to smoke in designated areas or outside. The least other people can do is walk around them and stop complaining about second hand smoke.

Answer 3

I am an ex-smoker and I can see why smokers get annoyed with the dirty looks etc but on the flip side of the coin, most and i did say MOST smokers don't give a sh!t where they smoke or who they blow their smoke onto or how it affects that person.
They stand right outside doorways of no smoking buildings so that non-smokers still have to walk through a big cloud to get in or out.

AND although it is common practise by 90% of smokers the cigarette butt that is often dropped to the floor is litter. They take years to decompose fully and while they are still floating around the streets, hey get wet and get all mingin and stinky.

ALSO smokers don't realise just how bad they smell. For a non smoker, the smoke that someone blown near them gives them (or at least everyone i have asked) a headache in their forehead - similar to that which you get when someone is wearing really bad overpowering perfume!

Answer 4

I think a lot of the degradation toward smokers is due to the media hyping (maybe it will harm others) and also from people who have forgotten or never knew how to be respectful. Everyone blames the smokers, but if anyone is a non-smoker why do they go near those that do smoke? It all amounts to choices and smoker's choices seem to have all been made for them by non-smokers and politicians. Did you know that the formaldehyde in new carpeting and underground parking garages are way more harmful than 2nd hand smoking?

Answer 5

The big deal? Honestly, the big deal it that it is an irritant for those of us with asthma that have to use three inhalers just to breathe, and the cigarette smoke can often trigger an asthma attack. It is an inconsiderate habit, whether it is in an approved area of not. People probably give them dirty looks because they find breathing the second-hand smoke annoying. I don't just look at someone, I say something too. Why should I suffer just because someone wants to smoke? Everyone has the right to smoke, but moreover, everyone has the right to breathe. Enough said? I can go on.......

Answer 6

I feel the same way as you do. My dad always smokes away from the house, and everybody who walks past him gives him dirty looks. Maybe it's cause about Second-Hand Smoking, that's the only reason I think it would be, but I mean, it's the smoker's right as US citizen to smoke in the approved spots in the USA, people should just ****ing deal with it!

Answer 7

It's not the respectful smokers I have issues with. It's the ones that tell me and my 11 year old to get out of their way so they can light up. It's the ones who ask me, a non smoker, why I feel I have more of a right to breathe fresh air then they do to smoke. It comes down to that we are NOT born smokers and those who choose to smoke should follow the example of the ones who are respectful and responsible about it. Don't crowd around an entrance or exit and make me push through you.

Answer 8

AS long as they keep the smoke outside I don't care either. Although if I smell it on them, they need not expect a hug and kiss. I am this way because I have asthma and will wheeze if I even smell smoke on a smoker's clothes. Also if someone has smoked in a room and I come in afterward, even a day after, I will have a bronchial spasm. Otherwise I don't care what people do. There is no morality to smoking in my mind.

Answer 9

Because they're fundamentalist idiots and hypocrites, I mean those who would harass smokers or look them as if they were criminals or dirty...

Look, I just dont care what other people people do in their private life, as if they do it with their dog or whatever. I smoke, I'm well informed and I'm not asking anyone to smoke. I wouldnt smoke in front of children or in a non-smoking area. So, whats the f***** problem???

What was the saying.. ? Live and let live??

Anyway, I dont bother much about that kind of people... Up theirs.!!

Answer 10

I already vote for DoubleG's answer. It is about differences. I personally don't smoke and don't allow smoking in my home. The smell of the breath and clothes of a smoker bothers me, but it is their right. If they choose to do something that is known to be harmful to them and others, so be it. I ride a motorcycle and know that some bimbo in a car on a cell phone will someday kill me - so be it. I do it anyway.

Answer 11

I have no problems with smokers, if they are in a place that is for smoking, like a designated area or outside. They do have a right to smoke, that's true. But nonsmokers do have a right to clean unpolluted air as well.