When will Germany stop KILLING and DISGUSTING people by allowing public smoking?

Question

I'll put this in "Berlin" in case anyone there (or elsewhere) can give a serious answer to a serious question This country is INSANE, allowing smokers virtually everywhere. Businesses are losing MORE customers than they will ever have by continuing to tolerate smoking ADDICTS ruining other people's meals. Most people I know don't even eat out because of this. Mothers and fathers think NOTHING of feeding their filthy ADDICTIVE habit in the presence of their kids, even infants! WHO is going to intervene, and WHEN? There is no doubt in my mind that CRACK ADDICTS kill FAR less people than weak-willed and selfish smokers ever will! WAKE UP, Germany!!! Even other EUROPEANS were disgusted when they visited the World Cup here. The amount of smoking is barbaric and NEVER takes the rights of the non-smoking MAJORITY (although sometimes I wonder) into consideration. Aren't any EXTREMELY strict laws forthcoming regarding this addictive insanity? And the morons even use the country as an ashtray!

Answer 1

Hi from Düsseldorf, Germany. I do not know where in Germany you have been, but I as a German must say that you are totally wrong. I will explain:

I assume you (like most of North-American tourists) visited Bavaria (like Munich etc.) or Berlin or Cologne. But - THIS is not Germany. It is like I would say: "America is a country of gamblers and everybody wastes his money" because I visited Las Vegas. Las Vegas is not the States, right?

Those tourist places are very different to the "real" Germany. We are very very tolerant people because we've learned from our own history, and in restaurants we do allow smoking - of course we do - because in most places we have separate smoking and non-smoking sections. So - what the heck is wrong with it?

Regarding us Germans, using our country as an ashtray... also nonsense. It is strictly forbidden to snap a cigarette on the street or just to let it drop anywhere. We have regular cops, but also so called "city-cops", and it costs 20 Euros (more than 20 dollars) to pollute the country like that. Of course... morons are everywhere and there are always people who do stupid things, in my country, in your country, everywhere. But this is definatly not a reason to call all of us morons. This is really rude and intolerant.

So next time visit the real Germany, no tourist places, and no, in my area (North Western part, close to Holland and Belgium), NOBODY wears leather pants, we do NOT have an Octoberfest here (it's a bavarian thing) and no, we do NOT eat Sauerkraut and Bratwurst all the time, and NO, we are NOT intolerant but allow everybody his own freedom, in hope that he/she will use it respectfully. Auf Wiedersehen!

Answer 2

Comparing the socil acceptance of smoking world wide, Germany is in the middle of the extremes. In the US, a smoker always asks "Do you mind if I smoke?" and will refrain from doing it if you answer "yes". In Germany, a smoker will not ask. But if you say something he will either apologise and put his cigarette out or smoke out of a window to minimise your exposure. In the Middle East, you will be offered a cigarette as a sign of politeness. "No thanks, I don't smoke" will not count, you have to take it anyway and get the smoke blown into your face on top of it. Go figure. To answer your question more directly: I'm German and I've got asthma. Generally it is very easy for me to avoid smoky environments, as a lot of places are non-smoking anyway. It is common (or at least was before the smoking ban) to see ashtrays in front of office buildings, so that smokers could smoke outside. Same for clubs and other public buildings. The only problematic places were bars and pubs or theatre lobbies or similar. I think the smoking ban took care of that, haven't had the opportunity to check yet. (The only thing I noted is that office workers are now smoking inside, since smoking in public in front of the door is now prohibited. ARRRGH!) So overall your heart problems shoudn't prevent you from enjoying a trip to Germany. Have fun!

Answer 3

what to say about that.
It is right, that it people allowed to smoke nearly everywhere they want, but for example it is forbidden in public places, like schools, administrative buildings, hospitals, and so on.

at the moment the are discussing about a law to protect children by forbidding adults to smoke in front of their children. A little bit crazy to make a law about that.
There´s also a discussion that restaurants, pubs and so on should become smoke-free.

I think it is just a matter of time!
A lot of people are against that rules and laws, because it is first something completly different and second a kind of cutting their self-destemination.

Its a slow progress and only strange for people not living here.
For us it is a completly different feeling to go into a pub in an other country where no smokers are...

Answer 4

Oi! Watch your language!! I don't like being called an insane moron! And we don't allow smoking everywhere! In restaurants and bars there is a shut off place for smokers, in train station smoking is entirely prohibited and people from Russia, Kasachstan, Mexico, Spain, France, Scotland and other countries told me they were surprised how few people actually smoke compared to their own country! And no one complained during or after World Cup!
Do your research!!!!


And, by the way, I am a german non-smoker!

Ps: we have a population of 80 Million people and only almost 20 million are smokers. How is the ratio in your country???

Answer 5

why dont u shut the **** up.u dont live in germany so what the ****.smokers KILL others u ignorant and stupid at the same time.they lose business?where do u get this idea from.again u dont live here so how would u know.im german and i live here and businesses r doing so good and u know why case we have FREEDOM.we dont decrement and send our people out the door to smoke,the r parts in restaurants for smokers and NON smokers and windows open so the smoke gets out.dont pretend u r so all knowing so case u may were here for vacation and no one stoped smoking for u princess.

Answer 6

Oh, give it up already. I am a non smoker, but smokers do have rights. And your opinion about crack addicts, get real. There's still a free country where people can do what they want. If you don't like it stay home. Take a trip to China for a change and maybe you will love the spitting on the sidewalks and the excessive smoking.

Answer 7

Germany 's economy needs the tax which is paid on every box of cigarettes .I think germany is also the only country which has cigarettes machine where everybody (no matter what age ) who has 4 € buy cigarettes . Even kids ! Thats the reason why so many germans smoke . I started with 13 years and it was kind of normal / cool . But i dont smoke anymore (Yipieeeee )
and yes you a right it stinks and i feel disturbed if i enter an bus or s-bahn and ppl stink after cold smoke . YUCK :(

Answer 8

I agree to Etobicoke, not all off us are Smokers and you can not smoke everywhere.
If you avoid the Tourist Places you will meet a complete different Germany. It is like here in the US,where I work at this moment. outside the Box- speak Tourist Destinations like Florida ,California and Co. you will encounter a complete different country.
I am a Non-Smoker from Hamburg

Answer 9

You are American. You may live in germany but you can not say bad things about the public things when you want an answer. Rauchen kann tödlich sein. Echt. Ich lese jeden tag. Rauchen kann tödlich sein. Das ist mir sheiss egal. In Amerika kann Mann immer rauchen. Warum nicht in Deutschland. I can smoke where I want to and Ich kann trinken so viel wie ich will. Nicht dein Problem. Gesundheit. tschuss.

Answer 10

If you are annoyed by this matter... wait untill WorldCup is in HOLLAND :-) Meet you there while you get stoneeed without wanting it. If you call germans insane, dutch folks must seem more than sick to you!!!!