I was reading this over at Mostly Cajun and I couldn't agree more with what he has quoted.
I'm not one to light up a cigarette in a restaurant but I get really frustrated when people make a big deal out of those that do. No matter where I go with my dad, be it a restaurant or a park or even a bar, if he smells the slightest hint of cigarette smoke he's all bent out of shape about it. Now he won't say anything to the person smoking (cuz he's not rude like that) but it sort of taints our experience because it colors his attitude so much. Or maybe its me that just gets bitter at him for being so intolerant.
In his defense...He's a pharmacist by education, an oncology pharmacist by practice, and a director of medical education by trade. His father died of cancer. My mother's father died of cancer. His wife is in remission right now. My mother is as well. He's seen a lot of people die of cancer. He's seen the pain it leaves behind, even if people aren't killed by it. Maybe his severe reaction to cigarette smoke is just his desire to save people from themselves because of the way his life has unfolded.
I guess I still don't totally understand. There isn't a single person in the industrialized world that smokes and doesn't know the potential effects. Who does he think he is going to surprise by telling them what could happen? People, especially Americans, have the 'not me' mentality. Every smoker knows what could happen. I think most just believe the really horrible things won't happen to them. Maybe they don't believe that, but how many people live their life today because of what might happen several decades down the road?
Eating high calorie, high fat, high salt, high sugar food is bad for people too but do you see people raging over the guy at the restaurant one booth over for ordering fine French cuisine that could kill a man in one bite. Drinking alcohol is bad for you. Eating preservatives is bad for you. Drinking the water is bad for you. Breathing the air is bad for you. Doesn't it come to a point where LIFE is bad for you? But people don't rail on those things nearly the same way.
I happen to like the smell of cigarette smoke. When I get a whiff I am reminded of some really good times in my life. Sometimes smelling a little smoke come across my table while I'm eating actually enhances my dining experience. Why should anyone have the right to take that away from me? I don't care if it isn't socially popular.
If you don't like cigarette smoke, vote with your dollars and choose a restaurant that doesn't allow smoking. If you are a server/bartender that doesn't like smoke, choose a different place to work. If the owner wants to make it a non-smoking establishment, let him. Hell, you could even make a registry that shows which restaurants allow smoking and those that don't. Restaurants and bars could put a sticker on their door even...Then there would be no surprises.
I just don't freaking understand it...Why the hell should the government have to be a parent that these whiners go running to to make their lives better? Are you so damn intolerant that the rest of the world must adapt to what YOU think is appropriate? Restaurants don't have to serve alcohol but some of them do and their clientele is sometimes different as a result. Should we mandate that all restaurants carry alcohol? Or maybe none of them? How far should this go?
The government is not your provider or your parents...the government should facilitate a cooperative society and be your protector at the most basic level, nothing more. Grow a pair and take responsibility for yourself. Don't expect daddy government to make it all better.
My parents, especially my Mom, get upset when they smell smoke; but that's because she has asthma and is very sensitive. But sometimes i wonder if her sensitivity is more in her head than in reality.
ReplyDeleteBut in this case, i have to disagree with you. I personally like it that ppl can't smoke indoors in CA, if you wanna smoke you can sit outside (and it's usually nice anyways). The problem with allowing people to smoke indoors/in restaurants is that people tend to chain smoke and the smoke gets stuck in the room bec of poor ventilation. I think it would be okay if people in general only smoked one or two with a meal, but the smoking makes people want to stay and talk more and hence smoke more. And though this is a pleasant environment, the smoke accumulates. Personally after a few hours in a vegas hotel my eyes start to burn from the smoke.
Though i am normally for less gov't bans, i think the smoking one is a good one. Sitting in the same room as someone else drinking wine will not give you cancer. Why should people who are concerned about their own health have to compromise that because a few people are so addicted that they can't wait an hour to smoke. It's all about choices and rights. Who is getting 'hurt' more by allowing the smoking? And i think that people have a right to go into any business establishment and not worry about any side health effects. And this vastly outweighs other people's choice to smoke, something that is done purely for pleasure.