Comments on: Smoking versus Fat

By: Gillebro

Gillebro — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 15:07:00 +0000

I have to say, if you succeed in stopping yourself from making moral judgements on smokers (and it’s totally fine if you don’t – the fact that you want to stop is celebration enough, I think), then that is incredibly mature of you. It is far more mature than most of the rest of the world seems able to be, at any rate.

By: audreydc1983

audreydc1983 — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 00:04:00 +0000

Actually, it seems that the studies that claim that secondhand smoke is dangerous have OODLES of questionable practices.
#1 They are based on surveys, not actual MEDICAL STUDIES
#2 They don’t acknowledge that this person may have other bad habits/lifestyle choices that contribute to an illness that they attribute to “secondhand smoke”
…those are the biggies.
Honestly, I really don’t think it’s the “killer” it’s made out to be. But if you’re asthmatic, sensitive to allergens, etc – it can be devastating.
I was a smoker myself, and tried my best to be conscientious about it (picking up my butts, going outside, positioning myself according to the wind direction, etc). But most smokers I’ve met really don’t give a damn. I’ve had a few clove cigarettes over the last 7 years, but for the most part, I’ve been smoke-free. I do understand how smokers are ostracized – because I used to be one. So – I don’t hassle smokers to quit, or tell them to take their cancer-sticks elsewhere, if they’re obeying the local laws of distance from a building entrance.
I think that the belief that all smokers are dirty got around because of non-smokers: to us, smokers smell awful, they look awful (nicotine-stained fingers and teeth, as well as those lovely wrinkles around the mouth later on), and they aren’t, by our standards, hygienic : dropping butts everywhere, dumping ashtrays in inappropriate places, dropping ash on the floor/ground/a table. Eww.
But my issue with smokers is just sadness… the last time I visited my dad, I heard him cough at night, through the walls. It alarmed me…and made me hate cigarettes. My maternal grandmother has Emphysema and COPD – and she may die of it. She smoked for a good 50 years – and now she’ll pay for it, with her health.
Smokers definitely have a right to light up, if they do so please. It doesn’t bother me, because it’s their choice – a choice I made years ago. I can put myself in their shoes – I know what it’s like to be hassled.

By: nonny

nonny — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 07:10:00 +0000

I go to every possible effort to minimise the likelihood of second and third hand smoke reaching non-smokers. I made the choice to take on the risks to my physical health in exchange for the benefits to my mental health -benefits which have been enormous. Without smoking, I have no capacity to hold down a job. Period. I’m sick to death of being told I’m morally bankrupt for smoking. If I don’t smoke, I’m a crazy dole bludger who doesn’t care about The Tax Payers. If I do smoke, I’m lazy, stupid and dirty -judgements that I got my entire childhood for my class status.

Thank you for thinking about your opinion of smokers -it’s something very few people question.

By: Ankrhe

Ankrhe — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 10:29:43 +0000

Wow. This is a really interesting comparison! I'll have to think about this more in future.

By: Bianca

Bianca — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 07:12:00 +0000

I have no problem with people smoking as long as they choose to do so in a perfectly sealed bubble with their own air supply...Me being fat doesn't make anyone else fat, smoking around other people affects them though.

I really don't think its a matter of one being right or better or anything else over the other but they are very different.

By: Jorie

Jorie — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 06:06:43 +0000

I think the thing for me is when I eat or choose not to exercise, no one else gains weight. When my brother in law smokes around me, I take on the risks that he's chosen, not the ones that I have. I don't think it's morally wrong to smoke necessarily, because people have the right to do with their bodies what they wish, it's the fact that smokers can also do to me what they wish that I have a problem with.

By: sykobabble

sykobabble — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 07:30:39 +0000

Excellent post.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 02:30:00 +0000

Excellent post.