Smoking in public places is so freaking rude!!?

Question

I wanted to know how other people feel about this because I think it's so freaking rude how people will come and stand right next to you and light up!!! I am 7 months pregnant so it's quite obvious I am pregnant and I have had people come and stand or sit right next to me and smoke and they get offended when you get up and move and even more offended when you ask them to move....it's a scientific fact that second hand smoke kills so why should those of us that dont smoke be subjected to the crap? I feel like if you want to smoke and kill your self go ahead but dont bring others down in the processe....have enough decencey to not smoke right next to Pregnant women or Children or The elderly .....am I the only person that feels this way?

Passive Smoking is Dangerous
Secondhand smoke is a toxic cocktail consisting of poisons and carcinogens. There are over 4000 chemical compounds in secondhand smoke; 200 of which are known to be poisonous, and upwards of 60 have been identified as carcinogens.

When a cigarette is smoked, about half of the smoke is inhaled / exhaled (mainstream smoke) by the smoker and the other half floats around in the air (sidestream smoke).

Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) plays a part in more health problems than you might realize. The following facts point out why it is so important to have smoking bans in place. No one should be forced to breathe in air tainted with cigarette smoke.
Secondhand Smoke and Cancer
The U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has classified secondhand smoke as a Group A carcinogen.

Cancers linked to passive smoking include:
Lung cancer - 3000 nonsmokers die every year from lung cancer caused by ETS

Nasal sinus cavity cancer
Cervical Cancer
Breast can

Answer 1

I totally agree i am freakin 14 i do not want smokers lungs when i have never smoked and am not gonna!!! but still people think its ok to light up beside me right outside a mall one even lit up by my 4 yr old cousin and at that i told her loudly how smoking is a yucky habit and to stay away from people who smoke because it can make her sick!! they got the hint!!

Answer 2

No you are definitely not the only one. I think that restaurants should not hav smoking sections, or if they do, they need to be far enough away so we cant smell it or be a victim of second hand smnoke. It would eliminate a few deaths a year if we cut the places where people are able to smoke. Now it is a disgusting habit yes, but it is still their nasty right to smoke, so maybe if we also had designated smoking areas in public buildings. In the Las Vegas airport, they have a glass enclosure with slot machines and bathrooms so they can go in there and smoke like chimenies if they want to. So if we put those in the malls and restaurants and all that, maybe that would help too. I know it soundds harsh and maybe a bit discriminant, I find it hard to figure out what it is that makes it right to smoke around people who do not wish to be around it. Congratulations on your pregancy and enjoy the next few decades of your life with your child, they will be the best you could ever imagine.

Answer 3

I hate that. The other day I was at a Subaru car lot having a tire fixed and was waiting right outside the door. Its a busy place, and nicely kept up. Some woman came up and sat by me saying "well she guessed she could smoke here"and lit up. I about gagged. I went inside and after she left I went back out there to see she had been sitting in front of the NO SMOKING sign! I used to smoke like 30 yrs ago but have hated the smell ever since. Plus I have mild asthma and it chokes me. Hope I don't sound too bitchy! Also here in Seattle you aren't s'posed to smoke within 25 ft of public doorways, either....

Answer 4

It's more than just rude. They are invading your body with it, and simply so that they can derive a little pleasure. Therefore, it is akin to rape.

Since I don't go around spraying the immediate air they are breathing with insecticide, which would amount to the same thing, then where do they get off polluting my immediate air with their smoke.

And anyone who says "Look at all of the cars that are making pollution" can bugger off, because it is hardly the same thing. Cigarettes, cigars and pipe tobacco are designed to do one thing only; to create smoke. That cars create exhaust is secondary to their main purpose of providing transportation.

And to those who think the non-smokers should leave the area, drop dead. They aren't the ones doing anything, it is the smoker who by their action is intruding on others. If someone was standing about flailing their arms, should others make way for him or should him stop flailing his arms? He should stop, obviously. The same holds true for smokers.

And the harmful affects of second-hand smoke have been known since the 1970's, when the then Surgeon General referred to it by its less politically correct term of "involuntary smoking".

To the person below, an apartment is rented so it doesn't belong to the person renting it, so restricting them from smoking in it isn't intruding upon their private lives, anymore than restricting people from smoking in hotel rooms is.

Answer 5

You're definitely not the only one that feels that way. A lot of smokers are already on edge when they light up... that's part of why they light up! I think that their response has more to do with themselves than you... the fact that they've been found offensive and that they've repulsed someone else to the point of moving or asking them to move. Don't let it deter you. Just make sure to keep it short and polite; they've all heard the song and dance about how it's bad for their health and probably loathe what they're doing already. Keep moving, keep asking and have that healthy baby!

Answer 6

It is EXTREMELY RUDE!!! You cannot tell if someone has a problem like asthma just by looking at them, so people should not light up just anywhere unless they ask if the person minds first. It is called "Common courtesy" and a lot of people seem to not use that anymore. My sister and mother in law both have BAD asthma and cannot tolerate any smoke. I too had people light up next to me when I was pregnant and I flat out told them "Excuse me, I'm pregnant, please take that elsewhere." I'm not going to move if I was there first just so they can pollute the air!

Answer 7

I agree with you on all of your points. I don't smoke, but a lot of my friends do. The only thing that bothers me about your question is that I don't I don't want the government controlling any more of our private lives. We have laws in place now where people can't smoke in their own apartments. However, no one should smoke near you. No one should ruin a person's meal in a restaurant. No one should smoke around a child. If people only had more respect for their fellow human beings, this wouldn't be an issue.

Answer 8

I agree that someone should ask (especially a pregnant woman) if smoking would bother them. The scientific verdict on second hand smoke actually has not yet been determined beyond the loudest of the anti-smoking groups. I see that you have learned your talking points well. Much scientific evidence does not support the second hand smoke problem though it is now a popular view. I suggest that you can and should move away from anything that you consider toxic..

Answer 9

I equate smoking in a public place with playing your favorite music at top volume in a public place (Personally I listen to heavy metal). It's selfish and an assault on the senses.

This is the land of the free, but it's obvious some people can't decide if we should be free to blow smoke in your childs face whenever you take them outside, or free to keep your children safe from this menace while in public.

Answer 10

Come live in Australia, the only places a person can smoke freely is in their own home and outdoors only. All clubs, bars, pubs and restaurants are off limits to smoking. The Government is even trying to ban smoking in your own car if children are present.