The really strange thing is, in this thread, (which is about second-hand smoke) Indygrrl states:
:dubious:
That was entirely deliberate. In fact, not only could Indygrrl take advantage of that proverb, not only could the Other Woman take advantage of it, but also about half the people in this thread could take advantage of it.
And another proverb that folks might want to take to heart, whether you be Indygrrl, the Other Woman, or people in this thread: you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.
Not sayin’ I’m perfect, mind you. I’m just sayin’.
Daniel
I totally agree that she acted very inappropriately, and if she truly did say what she said she did to the woman in front of her child, I fear for that child. 
But comments like this…
lead me to believe that the fact that it was a cigarette butt has more to do with the, in my opinion, overly harsh reaction, than anything else.
Some of the posters on this board do have a history of treating smokers like the antichrist. :eek:
birdgirl, a closer reading of my posts will indicate that I am, indeed, not advocating that it should be OK for smokers to letter. Moreover, I am not saying anything about how seeing this should make you feel. Rather, I am simply stating that it seems to me that smokers inhabit some special class that people for some reason fell compelled to confront.
Buck the Diver
That thread was back in January. She said she smokes about 5 cigs a week. Perhaps she fell of the wagon? And what, may I ask, is your point?
Well, obviously because she smokes she must be a liar as well. Duh!
As an aside, did you know that in the state of Washington that Tobacco tax generated [url=]302.3 Million Dollars. Take a look further down and note the screwy breakdown of that cash.
My guess is that if they put 1/3 in to prevention, 1/3 in to helping people quit and the remainder in to healthcare that the problem would go away in a decade.
Ok, from my reading of the OP, I’ve been able to discern the following:
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Indygrrl knew full well that tossing the cigarette butt on the ground was littering. As does every smoker that I have met on the face of the Earth. Just because you don’t care if it’s littering doesn’t mean you don’t know.
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It was the fact that she does not smoke often enough to litter on a regular basis(Given 5 cigarettes per week, and the average closeness of an ashtray during a smoke.), or that she even does do this on a regular basis, that made her angry at the woman’s comment.
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She called the woman fat because she was angry. This does not excuse a personal insult, but it’s not like no one’s ever done that in the Pit before. Calling someone “cuntslime”, “asshat” or “fucktard” on a message board(I’ve seen worse, perhaps some of you are new to the Pit) can be just as damaging to a person as calling them a “fatassed bitch”. It’s immaterial whether someone has the depth of knowledge to know that thay really are not an “asshat”.
So, while I don’t agree with the OP, and I think Indygrrlmay have gone over the top, I think the general assumption that her exchange in the parking lot makes her a bitch/asshole/bad parent/pig, ect. is also a bit over the top. I would also assume that many of you have never done anything in your lives worse than littering. I know some of you have already callously insulted someone.
Just my 2 cents.
BTW, I’d also like to say that we all smell like something. At least smokers know what they smell like in advance.
Hm. Point number 2 wasn’t from the OP, I starting rambling on the rest of the thread. Crap. 
I think you and I have very different definitions of the word “amusing.”
Indygirl glad to see you 'fessed up. I figured it was probably one of those general “angry at the world” things when I read your OP.
Yes, I do have more of a problem with smoker-litterers than I do with regular litterers. But I have asthma. I have a fucking right to get pissed off at people who insist on damaging MY lungs for their own non-essential needs/desires. I can smell that shit when I’m in my own car driving behind someone smoking, and it pisses me off. It pisses me off that smokers think “out of sight, out of mind” works when it comes to people knowing you’re smoking. You know what? Holding it under the table just means it’s going to travel FURTHER at breathing level. You want to make an effort at being polite? Put that shit OUT, or hold it as high over your head as you can reach (I’ll probably still smell it, but at least you’re trying). And quit bitching at me because I have the gall to get upset at the damage you’re doing to my health. You won’t be around for me to sue when I get lung cancer, so kiss my ass.
And yes, I probably would make a comment if it was just litter. I make comments even to people who spit on the ground. A dirty habit is a dirty habit. And yes, I’m a bitch for saying something. You’re a bitch for doing it in the first place, and for getting upset when people ask you to behave like a civilized human being when you step outside that smoke-filled cave you call a home.
Indygrrl, I’m a bit surprised. If I remember right, I’ve read lots of your other posts and responses to other threads. You always have seemed pretty nice, and reasonable.
I’m betting you had a bad day, but still. Sweetie? Even if the woman was driving a gas hog, and even if gas-hogs ARE wrong.
Two wrongs still don’t make a right. And littering is pure-d-wrong. No ifs and OR but(t)s. It’s no different than if you’d thrown a gum or candy wrapper on the ground.
you bitch at strangers for spitting? damn. have you gotten your ass kicked recently? bitching at strangers for something that little, well, don’t do it in the rural south…
and a quick question: are cig butts really non-biodegradeable? i remember hearing in high school that camel filters are made of cotton, and therefore are plant material. but i have nothing to back this up. course, that was at RJReynolds high school…
long time lurker here. beginning with a hijack. :rolleyes:
[hijack] this series of posts was very interesting in the sense of the theory of attributions. people from the west are more likely to make internal attributions about a person’s behaviour (i.e., a person’s character or dispositions are the reason for the actions), rather than external attributions (i.e., situational factors prompted the response). this is contrary to the people from the east, who make external attributions more than internal attributions. the two differing societal systems are a likely cause for this dichotomy: independent (in the west) versus collectivist (in the east).
it was fascinating to me to observe this because, in all honesty, when i read the OP, my first thoughts were “wow…she must have had a really bad day to lose it so completely” (yes, i’m Asian). then i go on to read all the stuff about bad mother, litterer, so on and so forth. fascinating difference. [/hijack]
required PC statement: not to say that one POV is right or the other is wrong. it’s just a frame of mind stemming from our environment.
Whoa there doggy…back that little yellow bus up. At no time did I come at you all crazy like, calling you a smoker bigot or anything of the like, so why don’t you just relax there with the full on foot stompin’ temper tantrum you’ve got going on. Smokers do not smoke with the sole purpose of pissing your high and mighty ass off. You’re really not as important as you seem to think you are.
And the actual act of smoking really has nothing to do with the OP, littering does. I was just making an observation about how I don’t think people would act all crazy if she littered with anything other than a cig butt. Apparently, I was right.
Well, from your actions on this thread, I was thinking more along the lines of “big baby” but to each their own…
Jesus, Mary and Jospeh, will you calm the fuck down? First of all, she said she smokes about 5 cigs a week. You act as if she’s got 10 cigs hanging out of her mouth day and night. And smoke filled cave? The hell? Not all smokers smoke in their homes. I smoke as much as Indygrrl (about 5 or so a week, enough that I can’t even make it through the pack before it goes stale) and wouldn’t dream of smoking inside my home. Why don’t you work on your reading comprehension skills and take a little anger management lesson before you go apeshit and hijack a thread so you can start screetching and pulling your hair out for no good reason. :wally
Grrrrr. Hampsters ate my post. Anyhoo, I wanted to add that some of the things I said in the above posts were perhaps harsh. I apologize to anyone who may have been insulted.
And Morrigoon. . . damn! You need to cool down for a sec, ok? 
My point? Well, maybe this: January 30, Indygrrl posts that she doesn’t smoke. On April 14, she posts in the Pit regarding an incident specifically involving her smoking.
Duh. :rolleyes:
Is there a new rule I don’t know about…contradictory posts less than 90 days apart don’t count? Perhaps Indygrrl will clear this up and we won’t have to deal in suppositions.
Actually, Buck, it’s not unusual for someone who smokes 5 cigs a week to say they don’t smoke. In essence, while they inhale smoke on occasion, they’re not “smokers”, you know?
This is mainly due to the fact that smokers don’t consider them such, although non-smokers probably do. In my mind a smoker is someone who is at least partially defined by smoking, which Indygrrl isn’t. I’m sure she’d do fine with or without it. Someone who drinks five beers a week doesn’t qualify as an alcoholic.
Huh? You still didn’t answer my question, Sherlock. What’s your point? Why does it matter? People have been known to either pick up smoking, or go back to smoking after quitting in a two and a half month period. :rolleyes:
Sooo…say she was a smoker and quit prior to January 30. Then she started again. Gasp! That changes EVERYTHING! Except, not. Still not seeing what difference it makes…
aasna, may I be the first to say “HUH”?