[allenf]

Freedom of expression, or antisocial behaviour?

 

[allenf]

Yay!
YMMV.

 

[PinkFloyd]

Freedom. Banning smoking in effect is a ban on working men congregating in groups and is yet another sign that our culture is being eroded from all angles. They won't be content until we are all sitting alone in front of monitors devoid of real social interaction. Bang goes the unions, bang goes our weekend nights out, bang goes our culture. What next, a ban on alcohol in pubs in case it offends some vegetarian lesbian who wants to eat her mung bean salad in peace? It's all getting way out of hand and all this political correctness is going to backfire bigtime one of these days.

 

[markl]

I picked no, not because it's a "disgusting habit". I don't really care if people want to saw their own arms off, it's not my business. But it is my business if they want to saw off mine as well. I vote "no" because I don't want the risk of being exposed to all the smoking-related illnesses because of smokers' so-called "rights". But more power to smokers who do it in the privacy of their own home. Unless their spouses or children don't smoke and they are exposing them. They should think about that, too. Oh, and smokers should not be entitled to any medicare or other public aid for their inevitable health problems. Why should I have to pay for their self-inflicted diseases?

This thread will be closed shortly...

 

[allenf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PinkFloyd Freedom.

My thoughts exactly.
But...I want to be thought of as a progressive, relaxed, considerate and generally really-nice-person-to-know, but I don't like being told what I can and cannot do.
Statistically, I should have been killed in my youth on one of my motorcycles many many times over...but I wasn't, and here I am.
A Taxpayer.
Bow down to the nanny state?
Grrrrrrr.......

 

[PinkFloyd]

If there had been a "vote" and the vast majority of British people voted "no" then I'd be happy with that but to be dictated to by a small bunch of politically correct fannies is not my idea of democracy in action. The only democracy we have is the "vote" to put these dictators into power for a few years.. anyways I'm going to shut up NOW, this is verging on political and as such not allowed.

EDIT: pubs are traditionally a place of decadence and debauchery where a pint of beer and a fag go hand in hand, it's tradition it's our culture... if people don't want to drink alcohol or don't want to smoke then don't go into a pub.. way too many moaning minnies roaming about these days poking their noses into places and trying to lay down their "laws" and "their" ways. So a man can't have a pint and a smoke nowadays in case someone is "offended"? Absolutely PATHETIC, our forefathers fought in the trenches (with a fag in their mouth) to preserve our freedoms and now a handful of whining, carping, lily livered wimps are........... I really don't want to say anymore on this it annoys me like mad!

Quote:

Originally Posted by markl Why should I have to pay for their self-inflicted diseases?

By the way, the revenue from tobacco duties pays for the National Health Service in the UK, without this revenue the NHS would collapse and we (like you in the USA) would actually have to pay at source for our healthcare whether we could afford it or not.

 

[MrSlacker]

I voted "no" because I hate smell of smoke and I hate even more when people are doing it next to me. Its your body, do whatever you want with it, but please dont kill mine.

 

[Ebonyks]

I say freedom. The public mandate of how private busniess can operate regarding the consumption of tobacco within their instution strikes me as ludicrous. The idea of people being offended by the health risk of smoking while they're in a bar strikes me as humorous. It's a bar! If you're really so worried about your health, you shouldn't be out drinking in the first place.

As for the idea of excluding smokers from medicare/medicade, where do you draw the lines relating to health-promotion activities and coverage? Should people who eat mcdonalds on a regular basis also be cut out of coverage? How about those who don't work out 3x a week? I mean, there are many health-related practices that many of us *should* do and don't, so why discriminate against some bad habbits and not others?

Just some food for thought.

 

[allenf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by markl I picked no, not because it's a "disgusting habit". I don't really care if people want to saw their own arms off, it's not my business. But it is my business if they want to saw off mine as well. I vote "no" because I don't want the risk of being exposed to all the smoking-related illnesses because of smokers' so-called "rights". But more power to smokers who do it in the privacy of their own home. Unless their spouses or children don't smoke and they are exposing them. They should think about that, too. Oh, and smokers should not be entitled to any medicare or other public aid for their inevitable health problems. Why should I have to pay for their self-inflicted diseases?

Sure.
Why should I pay for an inherited disease you inherited from your parents?
<Joke, In real life I'm not an a**hole>
Here in the UK, smokers have paid disproportionately for any end-of-life healthcare, through taxation on tobacco products.

 

[markl]

I may want to hang out at a place that lets me shoot heroin, but that's illegal too. For better or worse, like it or not, the government has long had the power to regulate what we put into our bodies. This power extends to tobacco as well, I can see no logic by which it would not. Either they can regulate anything or nothing. But really, they aren't trying to stop people from smoking, just from blowing their smoke into the lungs of non-smokers in public.

As for the McDonald's analogy, there's a difference between food, which we all must consume to survive and smoking which is *voluntary* and has only one function-- the slow death of its users.

 

[fewtch]

I voted yes, even though I'm a former smoker and really can't stand the smell of cigarette smoke anymore. Out of all places, pubs/bars should definitely allow smoking.

 

[PinkFloyd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by markl I may want to hang out at a place that lets me shoot heroin, but that's illegal too. For better or worse, like it or not, the government has long had the power to regulate what we put into our bodies. This power extends to tobacco as well, I can see no logic by which it would not. Either they can regulate anything or nothing. But really, they aren't trying to stop people from smoking, just from blowing their smoke into the lungs of non-smokers in public. As for the McDonald's analogy, there's a difference between food, which we all must consume to survive than smoking which is *voluntary* and has only one function-- the slow death of it's users.

Do you realise 90% of the prison population are there through "alcohol" related crimes. Alcohol is dangerous, a drunken man could walk up to you and stab you... should we ban drinking in public places just incase? Similarly, smoking is dangerous to you (you claim) if you walk into a pub, why go in then? Why not go elsewhere, maybe a dedicated non smoking pub? I'm all for that but an outright ban, across the board on smoking?? No way is that fair.

 

[SptsNaz]

I'm voting yes, even though I don't smoke. Come on people, do you really think you'll live oh so long that the very mild side effects of second hand smoke will eventually catch up?

Second hand smoke has never bothered me. I guess I can see why some don't like it though (smell, etc...)

 

[MikeB06]

I voted Yes for pubs and bars. My idea and the idea of some comedian I heard is that if I am gonna go out and drink alcohol and destroy my liver, a bit of second-hand smoke isn't really going to ruin my night. However, I am very much in support of taking smoking out of restaurants, where non-smoking sections often don't do much, and you're putting second-hand smoke in the air for families with children and other people in no condition to be breathing in smoke. Plus, many people like my parents cannot even stand the smell of smoke while eating, and they shouldn't have to be put in that situation simply because they chose to eat at a restaurant. So, it seems my opinion on smoking in bars/pubs is greatly different from that in restaurants. I think my reasons are pretty reasonable though.

 

[Hell_Gopher]

Speaking as someone who lives in a country where it is illegal to smoke in bars - none of the aforementioned catastrophies have come to pass.

Bars are the same lively places, and have the same people in them as before. When they brought the law in, business in pubs went up not down.

It's great being able to breathe in bars.

I always get that sinking feeling now when I'm in another country and go into a bar.

Btw, I am a bit of a social smoker.