This has been going on for a while, at least since the 80s/90s. I still remember the TV commercials from when I was a kid likening smokers to cartoon villains.
It’s social engineering. Those advert programs of the 90s made it to where people felt comfortable publicly shaming smokers (walking by fake coughing, or flat telling people they’re gross).
I’m with you in that as long as I’m not puffing away on a busy sidewalk or inside a shared space, as an adult I should be free to indulge as I see fit (nevermind that I won’t smoke inside aside from weed, shits nasty). Point is, most of the time it doesn’t do diddly squat to anyone, it’s just people sticking their fingers into your private life where they don’t belong, just because they can and an authority gave them permission to. It gives them something to do and something to feel superior about.
Second and third-hand smoke and vaping aerosols contain harmful, toxic and cancer-causing chemicals that can be breathed in. Also not as much a problem with vapes, but the smell of smoke is truly disgusting and makes a lot of us feel sick to be around. I have had a conversation with someone who was smoking, and immediately gone inside and thrown up. I don’t care what you put in your body on your property, but in public spaces it very much is of public concern.
I’ll agree that smokers need to be more cognizant of their actions while recognizing how it affects others, and take steps to mitigate it (ie smoking away from other nonsmokers, disposing of their trash, washing their hands, etc). You could’ve just as easily removed yourself from the conversation while the other person was smoking. No one is denying that cigarette smoke is nasty, and the onus is on the smoker to prevent ill effect to those around them, and the absolute easiest for a smoker is smoke away from others.
It’s also more harmful to be walking through an alleyway surrounded by tall buildings with trucks idling, not to mention there are more harmful things in city air or home cleaning products that directly affect you more than someone with cigarette funk on their clothes. Sure it smells rank and can make you feel queasy, yet I get the same effect when someone lathers up in excessive amount of perfume/cologne, or is eating certain foods around me. But that’s on me, it’s my problem, and it’s the tradeoff of going out in public. We don’t have control of the environment around us.
This has been going on for a while, at least since the 80s/90s. I still remember the TV commercials from when I was a kid likening smokers to cartoon villains.
It’s social engineering. Those advert programs of the 90s made it to where people felt comfortable publicly shaming smokers (walking by fake coughing, or flat telling people they’re gross).
I’m with you in that as long as I’m not puffing away on a busy sidewalk or inside a shared space, as an adult I should be free to indulge as I see fit (nevermind that I won’t smoke inside aside from weed, shits nasty). Point is, most of the time it doesn’t do diddly squat to anyone, it’s just people sticking their fingers into your private life where they don’t belong, just because they can and an authority gave them permission to. It gives them something to do and something to feel superior about.
Second and third-hand smoke and vaping aerosols contain harmful, toxic and cancer-causing chemicals that can be breathed in. Also not as much a problem with vapes, but the smell of smoke is truly disgusting and makes a lot of us feel sick to be around. I have had a conversation with someone who was smoking, and immediately gone inside and thrown up. I don’t care what you put in your body on your property, but in public spaces it very much is of public concern.
I’ll agree that smokers need to be more cognizant of their actions while recognizing how it affects others, and take steps to mitigate it (ie smoking away from other nonsmokers, disposing of their trash, washing their hands, etc). You could’ve just as easily removed yourself from the conversation while the other person was smoking. No one is denying that cigarette smoke is nasty, and the onus is on the smoker to prevent ill effect to those around them, and the absolute easiest for a smoker is smoke away from others.
It’s also more harmful to be walking through an alleyway surrounded by tall buildings with trucks idling, not to mention there are more harmful things in city air or home cleaning products that directly affect you more than someone with cigarette funk on their clothes. Sure it smells rank and can make you feel queasy, yet I get the same effect when someone lathers up in excessive amount of perfume/cologne, or is eating certain foods around me. But that’s on me, it’s my problem, and it’s the tradeoff of going out in public. We don’t have control of the environment around us.