# On Asking Smokers Not To **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 25, 2010, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-asking-smokers-not-to/540709 "2010-05-25T15:48:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-asking-smokers-not-to/540709/121 "2010-05-28T14:07:08Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > You smokers can believe that you smell of fresh cut roses after you shower all you want…but I know better. My grandfather was a chain smoker. Hell, my HUSBAND was a smoker. He’d step out of the shower, and I’d kiss him…and I could taste the smoke on his flesh. Not just his mouth, but everywhere else, too. Smokers are not just depositing the smoke on their bodies, they are INGESTING it, and it becomes part of their bodies. A very few smokers seem to not develop a smoky smell (don’t know about taste, I wasn’t on kissing terms with these people). It’s pretty well accepted that certain dietary habits will change a person’s smell, why is it so hard to accept that putting other substances in the body will also change that body’s smell? Kissing someone is one thing. Smelling smoke on someone standing near you is quite another. It is true some things like garlic (if you eat enough) may come out through the pores and smell. That said if you eat apples you do not smell like apples. Probably a good thing we do not smell like our last meal all mashed together. The smelly part of smoking is the smoke. Smokers do not ooze smoke (although that’d be kinda cool). I suspect you are hypersensitive to it combined with what you know about the person to smell smoke at some remove even if they are freshly bathed and have not had a cigarette. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-asking-smokers-not-to/540709/122 "2010-05-28T14:54:27Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I don’t think this is a battle you’ll win - smokers like to smoke outside, regardless of who they’re affecting or where they are. Anymore, outside is the only place smokers **can** smoke! ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-asking-smokers-not-to/540709/123 "2010-05-28T17:02:06Z")
> [@Yookeroo](#): > > Funny how every smoker claims to be a considerate smoker. Funny how you don’t know me and have no idea how I smoke. But go ahead, make all the judgments that you wish. > [@Yookeroo](#): > > I’d say that smoking at the Blackjack table inside a casino was pretty fucking rude to begin with. Well, you’d be wrong there, when the table was one of the limited ones where smoking was specifically permitted by the owners of the business. And when as I said I wated 45 minutes to sit at that table, rather than go to one of the literally hundreds of open seats at specifically non-smoking tables. But knowing that would have required reading what I posted, which was clearly too much effort. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-asking-smokers-not-to/540709/124 "2010-05-28T17:19:26Z")
I am a smoker and can’t recall ever being asked to but out. Of course, I’m a very considerate smoker, so I only smoke in places that seem unlikely to offend anyone. That could certainly be part of it. If you asked me politely, I can’t imagine a circumstance where I wouldn’t accommodate you. And I always, always take my buts to the trash. That said, if you are someone who is so sensitive that smoke gives you headaches, or you simply must wash your clothes if you’ve been near a smoker, can isolate tobacco smoke over bus fumes, then I expect you to be actively campaigning to have tobacco made illegal. If your campaign consists entirely of harassing smokers then shove off. If you want me to buy into your oversensitive tripe then you’d better be able to back it up with letters to your political representatives or tobacco companies. If not, then don’t expect me to have any sympathy for your terrible plight. If you don’t care enough to act on your beliefs, don’t expect smokers to change their behaviours to accommodate you. I happen to believe that leafblowers are an abomination, and should be illegal, in all circumstances. But unless I’m willing to actively lobby to that end, I should keep my mouth shut about people using them, and suck it up, because they’re not illegal. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-asking-smokers-not-to/540709/125 "2010-05-28T17:22:42Z")
**villa** , there’s no sense in arguing with people who are convinced that all smokers are eeeeeeeeeevil, maliciously plotting the murders of those around us using a substance so potent that a single dose at a dilution of (fuck it, I don’t feel like typing zeros for the rest of the day) can make a person smell bad for the rest of his short, short life, what with the cancer that’s sure to ravage his body by next week. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-asking-smokers-not-to/540709/126 "2010-05-28T17:40:23Z")
And they can detect it from the next county. _:shrugs:_ Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-asking-smokers-not-to/540709/127 "2010-05-28T17:42:09Z")
Yeah I know. But sometimes one cannot help oneself. The thing is, non-smokers are **generally** in the right. It is a shitty habit. It does affect other people. Smokers through their historical lack of consideration for reasonable requests from others have brought most of the backlash upon ourselves. And then you get the person who thinks smoking in an area a private business has set aside for smoking is in some way “rude.” Fortuntely most non-smokers aren’t so ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-asking-smokers-not-to/540709/128 "2010-05-28T17:47:00Z")
> [@minlokwat](#): > > And now I’d like to make my closing arguments. > > I started this thread with the intent of garnering ideas on handling a delicate situation –nothing more. I was especially interested in those who have actually been on the receiving or active end of the request and some posters have weighed in with their experiences. > > I didn’t want this to spiral down and degenerate into another smokers vs. anti-smokers debate which can be summed up with both sides essentially saying: “We hate you, you suck” and its many derivatives. > > I must say I’m surprised that several posters read into the OP some degree of self-righteousness or a hidden agenda. As a partial observer, I don’t see it and more importantly, I can honestly say that wasn’t my intent. You can go through my past posts through lo these many years and I don’t think that emerges as a common theme and for that matter, I’ve never previously weighed in on the tobaccco use debate. > > Lastly getting back on point, I suppose I was bothered more from the idea of someone smoking at the playground than the smoke itself. Also now that I think back, none of the other parents seemed to care in the slightest. As some of the posters asserted, a sincere request normally elicits a courteous response but considering the delicate ground on which this matter rests, it doesn’t seem worth the bother. > > I’m out. I have been on the “receiving end” of the equation. Ask me politely, with the same minimum courtesy anyone is entitled to, and I would put out the smoke - unless you tried this in a designated smoking area, and you had plenty of easy options to not be there. Stomp up making icky faces and demands, I’d tell you to go get fucked. Simply put, you get treated as you treat others. Act nice, I treat you nice. Be a jerk, I treat you like one. Flies, honey, vinegar. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-asking-smokers-not-to/540709/129 "2010-05-28T18:50:24Z")
> [@DianaG](#): > > **villa** , there’s no sense in arguing with people who are convinced that all smokers are eeeeeeeeeevil, maliciously plotting the murders of those around us using a substance so potent that a single dose at a dilution of (fuck it, I don’t feel like typing zeros for the rest of the day) can make a person smell bad for the rest of his short, short life, what with the cancer that’s sure to ravage his body by next week. [Quote=Shodan] And they can detect it from the next county. [/QUOTE] Anyone else noticing this pattern? 1. Blow up and exaggerate claims beyond all recognition 2. Mock own exaggerations instead of original claims ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-asking-smokers-not-to/540709/130 "2010-05-28T18:54:58Z")
> [@SteveG1](#): > > I have been on the “receiving end” of the equation. Ask me politely, with the same minimum courtesy anyone is entitled to, and I would put out the smoke - unless you tried this in a designated smoking area, and you had plenty of easy options to not be there. Stomp up making icky faces and demands, I’d tell you to go get fucked. Simply put, you get treated as you treat others. Act nice, I treat you nice. Be a jerk, I treat you like one. Flies, honey, vinegar. Give me a reason to give you any more respect than someone that spits chaw at my feet or farts continuously, both of which effect me health-wise less than smoking. If people standing next to you did these things, how polite would you be in asking them to refrain? ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-asking-smokers-not-to/540709/131 "2010-05-28T18:57:38Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Give me a reason to give you any more respect than someone that spits chaw at my feet or farts continuously, both of which effect me health-wise less than smoking. If people standing next to you did these things, how polite would you be in asking them to refrain? Very. Sorry, when asking someone to stop doing something, I find it serves me better to be polite rather than confrontational. It’s also just the way I was raised. I try to make being polite my default setting, even if I don’t think the other person necessarily deserves it. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-asking-smokers-not-to/540709/132 "2010-05-28T18:57:47Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Anyone else noticing this pattern? > > 1. Blow up and exaggerate claims beyond all recognition > 2. Mock own exaggerations instead of original claims Dude, you’re the one who felt the need to rebut the statement “there’s nothing magical about cigarette smoke”. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-asking-smokers-not-to/540709/133 "2010-05-28T18:59:50Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Give me a reason to give you any more respect than someone that spits chaw at my feet or farts continuously, both of which effect me health-wise less than smoking. If people standing next to you did these things, how polite would you be in asking them to refrain? If the smoker walks up to you and puts you downwind of their smoke then sure. That would be akin to spitting near you. However, if you put yourself there and expect the other person to accommodate you then that is something else. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-asking-smokers-not-to/540709/134 "2010-05-28T19:10:07Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Anyone else noticing this pattern? > > 1. Blow up and exaggerate claims beyond all recognition > 2. Mock own exaggerations instead of original claims Yes, I have. Especially stuff like this - > [@](#): > > With some of you it smells as if you pulled your clothes from a burning building, rinsed them off and wore them. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-asking-smokers-not-to/540709/135 "2010-05-28T19:23:29Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Yes, I have. Especially stuff like this - > > Regards, > Shodan 😕 In what way is that blowing up a statement made by someone else? Besides, it wasn’t an exaggeration at all-it was straightforward statement of _fact_. Clothes that have long term exposure to smoke from smoking smell just as bad as clothes that have been exposed to smoke from a fire. It seems the only believers in magic here are the ones that think that cigarette smoke is a special smoke that won’t damage clothes like any other type of smoke. There is a reason why the used clothes of smokers get donated to the Salvation Army instead of being resold at second-hand clothes shops. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-asking-smokers-not-to/540709/136 "2010-05-28T19:47:50Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Give me a reason to give you any more respect than someone that spits chaw at my feet or farts continuously, both of which effect me health-wise less than smoking. If people standing next to you did these things, how polite would you be in asking them to refrain? Simple. If you act like an asshole and piss me off, you have destroyed any possibility of my honoring your “request”. I don’t “owe” you anything at all. Oh, almost forgot… I can fart at will, it got me lots of cheap laughs in grade school. I can smoke and fart simultaneously. I haz mad skillz. Wanna go for spitting too? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-asking-smokers-not-to/540709/137 "2010-05-28T20:09:10Z")
> [@SteveG1](#): > > Simple. If you act like an asshole and piss me off, you have destroyed any possibility of my honoring your “request”. > > I don’t “owe” you anything at all. > > Oh, almost forgot… > I can fart at will, it got me lots of cheap laughs in grade school. I can smoke and fart simultaneously. I haz mad skillz. Wanna go for spitting too? I always say stick with your strengths. Way to go, dude. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-asking-smokers-not-to/540709/138 "2010-05-28T20:18:33Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I always say stick with your strengths. Way to go, dude. Shrug. I’m not the one who is like, all dying and stuff from all the ciggy smoke stinking and corroding and Lord knows what else, or acting like I’m some special and entitled one. Get the chip off the shoulder, and you will get more serious, and more pleasant responses from most people. A person can say, “not a problem”, and put out a smoke, or can just as easily say “go drop dead” and keep on puffing. How you initiated contact can have a big effect on the outcome. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-asking-smokers-not-to/540709/139 "2010-05-28T20:18:48Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Do most smokers actually know what they smell like? . Does this policy extend to perfume, B.O., bad breath, etc.? You can ask people to move on and get angry if they don’t? Can I do it to you if I don’t like the smell of your shampoo? ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-asking-smokers-not-to/540709/140 "2010-05-28T20:20:03Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > Does this policy extend to perfume, B.O., bad breath, etc.? You can ask people to move on and get angry if they don’t? Can I do it to you if I don’t like the smell of your shampoo? What’s good for the goose … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-asking-smokers-not-to/540709.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-asking-smokers-not-to/540709.md?page=8)