Whoopi Goldberg really went off this morning on The View. It turns out that Whoopi is a smoker, and she got super peeved when she was talking about how smokers have to go outside and be pushed aside in order to light up. Whoopi was upset that there’s almost no where she can go to smoke, and said that at work she’s forced to go out by a dumpster in order to get her nicotine fix.
[to Joy] Nobody is coming near you [with cigarettes]… Don’t bitch about the problem if you don’t have an idea to solve it.
All these people said no you can’t smoke outside, can’t smoke inside, can’t smoke upstairs, can’t smoke anywhere. I think it’s bullsh*t.
I have been asking for a [designated place]… At the View, there is a designated place outside where we’re supposed to go and smoke. Now, because they don’t think that smokers are people, or have any feelings, or have any rights at all. It’s next to [a] dumpster. So you’re degrading people. So why not just say ‘you guys are scum and the scum of the earth’?
That’s how you make folks feel as opposed to saying ‘You know what, we know this is a tough thing to kick. So until you’re able to kick it, we want you to go over here and smoke.’ In a place where you don’t have to stand outside shivering or getting rained on because people think that you’re a bonehead because you smoke.
[Transcribed from The View, aired 6/9/10]
I get that smokers don’t want to be treated like outsiders, and that seems fair on the surface. Some of the anti-smoking laws in the US can be extreme. However, smoke rises and it collects when people smoke inside. It’s very difficult and expensive to make well ventilated smoking rooms that don’t end up leeching smoke and chemicals into adjacent areas. When you let people smoke right near doorways and under awnings everyone that has to enter a building gets smoke in their hair and clothing.
When smoking is more acceptable then more people do it. I have allergies and am chemically sensitive. Smoker’s “rights” take away my right to breathe and not get headaches. I’ve lived in Europe where smoking is still prevalent and socially acceptable. That means smoking in all sorts of places that end up making me sick, including motel lobbies. I was once forced out of a motel in the middle of the night due to headaches and dizziness from all the smoke. It was a decent night out, and the people could have easily stepped outside.
Smokers endanger their own health and their friends and families’ health when they smoke around them. It may be temporarily stigmatizing to be a smoker in the US, but the effect that it has on your body can be permanent and deadly. Making smoking socially unacceptable helps smokers quit, protects their loved ones, and helps discourage kids from picking up the habit. In my (albeit biased) viewpoint, that’s worth it, and it’s worth getting smokers like Whoopi mad. I’m sorry she has to smoke near a dumpster, but I’m also sorry she’s still smoking. Tough love for smokers.
Whoopi is shown on 5/20/10 and 5/3/10. All photos of Whoopi credit: WENN.com. Photo of Whoopi alone also credit L.Gallo/WENN.com
alright i’ll say it then: you guys are scum and the scum of the earth!
smokers rights really get on my nerves. i mean no one is forcing you to go out to the dumpster and smoke. smoking is not a human right so why would people make allowances for it?
Yeah she went a little Jerry Springer crazy on that rant. I know its hard to quit but Whoopi seems like a strong dame, I hope she can kick it and then stop trying to justify it. She can rant as crazily as Hasseltrap, imo.
“Whoopi Goldberg wants more smokers rights” F*&k no.
It is amazing how ugly people are to smokers, but everyone has to go out of their way to be nice to obese people.
Someone should give Whoopi an electronic cigarette. At least she could get her fix without having to go anywhere.
Its not like someone is born a smoker and its a life-long disability, its your choice and you’ll live if you don’t get a fix.
@Boat, I definately have to agree with you there though.
Gotta love Whoopi – she IS old school, after all!
I am a smoker, and while I get what she is saying, I have to agree with Celebitchy. Smoking is very unhealthy and the current tone of discouragement toward smoking is a good thing. If it’s raining or I don’t have somewhere decent to go have a smoke, I just don’t. And of course my health is the better for that. Keep on discouraging me from smoking, I say!
@ Boat: good point. Smoking and obesity are BOTH optional.
Very well said, CB. It makes me nauseous too especially when I’m pregnant. It’s not a right. It hurts others. It makes me sad to see people smoke. I feel really bad for them. There are so many great things out there to help them kick-it. I hope Whoopie gets help. But, I don’t really think she wants to stop. That’s her choice. But, the rest of us shouldn’t be punished because people choose to do that to themselves.
I never had a cigarette in my mouth until I went to college in 1970. My rommate smoked, so did my parents and grandparents so now I am the one getting the monkey off my back. Haven’t had a ciggie for one year thanks to patches, prayer and just plain tired of wanting them all the time! Nonsmokers don’t get it and that’s OK. Be polite but keep up the social pressure to STOP a smoker.
@Tia: Hang in there. If you really want to quit, you can. I quit cold turkey from two packs a day over 20 years ago. I’ve never had a cigarette since and I’ve never missed them.
I agree whith whopie ! People are far too bent out of shape about cigarettes . I think it’s a controll isue . People that have no personal power feel the needs to controll others . It’s none of my buisness if someone smokes . There are a lot of things that are worse for people than cigarettes . Car exsaust for one . Plastic in our ocians . I am tired of nit picky controll freaks trying to make laws againts EVERYTHING .
I wish people who wear too much perfume/cologne would cut that crap out too. Their stuff makes me gag too. My eyes water and I literally GAG. Waiting for the day THAT becomes illegal too so I can have my right to breathe back again!
I’d rather stand next to a smoker than a big fat fatty fat fatty who smells of sweat, french fries and feces.
should i just apologize now?
Yep, same as always, the smokers and the fatties are the last bastion of discrimination.
When the government stops making a fortune off the taxes they slap on smokers, I’ll entertain a debate.
Tobacco taxes were originally to pay for all the healthcare the smokers would eventually need, instead they go to road improvements and new buildings and sporting arenas.
Where we CAN’T smoke.
It is a legal activity, legal to buy and possess, and hyper-taxed by the govt. As long as it is not illegal, they have to figure out to make the accomodations separate but equal.
Oh, and Kitten rocks.
As a non smoker I feel for Whoopi. My state taxes the crap out of smokers and they have no rights.
It doesn’t seem fair to take money from smoker’s, bitch about them smoking and then treat them like shit.
I smoke. Couldn’t give a flying one what others think- I’m well aware of the damage I’m doing to myself.
I smoke outside, making sure I’m away from others except fellow smokers (and certainly nowhere near children), so don’t really consider myself to be doing harm to anyone else. I’ve had a few militant anti-smokers go out of their way to walk over to me and complain about it, which seems bloody silly to me but then there’s idiots all over.
For the moment I enjoy it, as do all the people on this site who drink alcohol, which I don’t do. It’s strange that smoking is considered the root of all evil by some who are still fine to drink alcohol- a chemical which can and has led in millions of cases to destruction of livers, marriages, family relationships of all cases and the skeletal integrity of those unfortunate enough to be hit by drunk drivers.
Not saying smoking’s all fine or whatever, but it’s interesting where some choose to draw their lines.
I think my right to breathe trumps her right to smoke. I don’t smoke, so why the hell should I have to put up with her cigarette smoke or anyone else’s? I don’t care if people smoke. I just don’t want them smoking anywhere NEAR me.
I used to smoke. A lot. Then after 30+ years, I got tired of the coughing and feeling like crap so I popped $400.00 to get hypnotized. BEST thing I ever did for myself. I think the craziness that comes from the “militants” (and I love that name for them) is that it has been proven to kill people – even the second hand smoke. Plus, it stinks like shit! Can’t stand the smell anymore… but that’s just ME. You do what you want Whoppi… but I do hope you consider quitting. You WILL feel so much better!
You can’t get second hand calories from someone eating a Big Mac, but you can get second hand smoke from someone smoking near you. Both are drags on health costs, no doubt, but sorry, there is a difference.
I have the same problems, allergies and headaches and stuff from smoke and it’s gotten worse in recent years, so I try to avoid it at all costs. If people want to smoke in their homes, cars, etc, knock yourself out, but not in enclosed public places.
Whoopi’s complaining that she has to go next to the dumpster to smoke – I’m sure there are perfectly fine sidewalks in front of their studio, and probably even a small open area nearby. If the place she’s going sucks, find a better place. But she shouldn’t expect someone to build something better for her because of her habit.
kitten – perhaps your point about control would be more credible if you could actually spell the word correctly. actually, no, correct spelling wouldn’t help – your comment would still make zero sense.
fae – really? alcohol and smoking as analogous? give me a break.
if whoopi doesnt like it, she can quit smoking. why should an employer have to spend extra time and money making a special place for you to poison yourself and drive up everyone’s health care costs? and it’s ridiculous that she’s got a problem with standing near a dumpster, but cool with sucking crap worse than what’s in that dumpster into her lungs. shut it, whoopi, you sound like an idiot.
i have no problem with smokers as long as they are respectful enough to understand i don’t smoke, i don’t want to smoke, i don’t want to inhale your second hand smoke. And all of my friends understand my point. however i’ve been in many areas where someone will light up right next to me, they are endangering my health and that is not ok.
I would say that there need to b designated areas for those who want them, but don’t complain when they’re outside, it’s keeping everyone healthy by putting you elsewhere.
It’s illegal to smoke anywhere in Calabasas, CA where there is a chance a non-smoker will inhale your fumes. (your home not withstanding-however your porch and front yard are fair game).
if i could afford the housing there i’d live there.
I am offended by girls who walk down the street with their ass cracks hanging out and shirts cut so low I can tell if they breastfed their kids or not. Can I start walking up to them and asking them to put something on? Its an assault on my eyes. I was a smoker, so I know what she is talking about. If someone smokes and another doesn’t like it, they feel it is their duty to come over (even if you are far far away from anyone else) to let you know exactly what they think of your habit. Nevermind that they just approached a stranger and gave them a lecture about something that is none of their business, lets not get into their obvious issues. Not smoking inside I can totally understand. Aside from the secondhand I know that it stains everything it touches and its a pain to clean. But I don’t agree with telling other people how to live their lives. Alcohol ruins far more lives than smoking does, and yet I don’t see people running into bars screaming about the horrors. Obesity is rampant, but I don’t see people running through the grocery store smacking ho-hos out of overweight peoples hands. Just chill on trying to control other people.
I just think everyone needs to stop worrying about everyone else and worry about themselves. WHO THE F cares if u don’t like the smell or it gets in ur hair? Then freakn MOVE!!!! Very VERY simple. There’s thousands upon thousands of NON smoking places..1 or 2 here and there that DO allow smoking is NOT such a hard thing to ask for!! But to say that u have the right to breathe..so do we num-nuts..and if u don’t like it, then go somewhere else..u r all freaks with ur “right to breathe” statement…like there’s not enough oxygen in this world for both smokers and non smokers?? Get over it!
Smokers, your right ends where my nose begins.
Why do I have to pay the price of your disgusting habit – headache, nausea, eye irritation, my body/hair/smelling of smoke for hours. Not to mention having to wash my clothes or having to incur the expense of drycleaning just because you smoked. My time, my energy, my money all wasted because you smoke. And yes, the impact on the environment.
DISGUSTING!
p.s. i cannot believe people talk about smoking in terms of “rights”. so many levels of stupidity.
We have 2 smokers in our office of 15. They smoke outside because they have to but they stand right next to the door and the smell wafts off them when they come back in. It is minor enough for me to ignore but I know of at least one co-worker that goes out of her way to “crop dust” the desks of the smokers as revenge.
I’m a former smoker. I do not mind the scent of cigarettes, and it doesn’t tempt me. People act like the scent of cigarettes is the scent of pure evil, but C’MON. It is NOT that bad, it’s just awful in small spaces. Outside in front of a building or in a bar with a ventilation system, it is not that big of a deal. I’m sorry, but some non-smokers are just jackasses. There are so many worse things.
andrea, when you remove the liberties of a specific group of people, as the case has been with smokers, what little they have left are referred to as “rights”
If you feel that way, don’t avail yourself of *anything* cigarette taxes pay for.
PS You should wash your clothes, anyway. It’s simply a matter of good hygiene.
@ Samantha
I totally agree. When I was a smoker a larger woman came over to my table (we were sitting in a restaurant in the SMOKING SECTION) and screamed at me, in front of my mother and aunt, to put my “filthy cigarette” out, and screamed that I was killing myself. I lost my temper and followed her back to her table and told her not to finish her greasy, fatty meal because I didn’t want to pay for her health care when she got diabetes as a result of her obesity.
Yes, I know, very rude – it’s nothing I would normally say – but I wanted to prove a point.
Andrea, I completely agree! We may have many rights but the right to smoke isn’t one of them. How ridiculous. I feel sick when someone comes inside from smoking a cigarette outside and sits down next to me in class. I don’t know why the smokers that take this hard line “I have rights” approach forget about everyone else’s.
All I will say is this: I worked in an office with a woman who smoked. She continued to smoke after she knew she was pregnant – to be fair, I’m not sure the pregnancy was intentional or that she didn’t try to quit or at least cut down. She had complications with her pregnancy and wound up out on disability for the last 5 months of her pregnancy, and delivered a baby who had some medical issues.
So, my employer 1) lost 5 months of a full-time employee, 2) paid disability insurance premiums to cover the employee’s leave, 3) paid health insurance premiums to cover the additional medical costs for the employee and her baby, and 4) paid a temp to cover for the employee during her leave. And whoopi would like my employer to what, make a nice comfy area so MORE employees can smoke?
Face it, smokers, you are a liability to your employers. You’d be wise to pipe down with the complaining considering how much you’re costing them already.
Katija,
I really disagree with you. The smell that lingers on smoker’s clothes makes me sick. When I visited my (smoker) mother before her death I would have to change my clothes after I left her house or got out of her car. I didn’t mention this to her because I’m not a jackass. It seems as though the smoke from cigarettes sticks to everything.
@ Kitten is right. This is a control issue. Some of the most rabid anti cigarette peeps I know love smoking their weed and eating red meat. What about the environmental effects of industrial cattle farming or the amount of tar in cannabis? Do you smoke sensitive types stay away from auto traffic? Gasoline combustion engine exhaust is lethal. What about the toxic chemicals in virtually everything around us? Vilifying cigarette smokers is not cleaning up the mess we call home in any significant way.
Come on people get a grip.
The prob with your reasoning is the fact that cigarettes are really stinky and affect everyone near the smoker. I smoked for 10 years and really loved each and every cigarette. It wasn’t until I quit that I realized how foul it is for everyone around. It’s a particularly nauseating and persistent smell too. I hate walking through a gauntlet of smokers, now esp. with my toddler. Was recently in Tokyo where you can only smoke is designated spots outside. Less garbage, less stink.
It sounds to me like Whoopi is bitching like a priveledged person (who are always great at bitching.) The vast majority of smokers I know are very considerate about the health implications and go out of their way to shield you from it and never complain about where they have to smoke. I’m sure that she could find a solution for herself rather than bitch about the fact that other people aren’t protecting her “rights”.
Smoking is an addiction. I know of no other group of addicts who are collectively treated with such disdain.
I’ve been a smoker for over 20 years. I’ve tried to quit many times with no success. I never smoked in the house once I had kids and I still smoke outside as I do not allow smoking in my home.
I get the non-smokers who hate the smell and the smoke bothers them but I wish that they would stop and think. Maybe the person you seem to enjoy looking down your nose at is genuinely addicted and would love to quit….like me. I’m going to try to quit again soon!
I suffer from an extreme allergy to perfumes, scents, body sprays etc. I develop a migraine so bad I become blind in my left eye for hours. My throat swells so I’m gasping for air, I projectile vomit. I am allergic, and said allergy has kept me from church, movie theaters, concerts, sports games, bars or any other venue that includes people for the past 15 years. I dread Christmas shopping. When perfume is outlawed I can join society again. I have a bottle of ‘unscented’ Vaseline Intensive Care in my bathroom. I can only assume the makers of this product don’t even bother to smell it before making this claim. I mean really, could nobody in that must-be-massive company be bothered to sniff their product? Ditto unscented shampoo, conditioner, mouse, gel, body soap. Even Dove let me down with their unscented brands. I feel for you in your allergy.
Wow, I can’t believe how strongly some people feel on this subject. Smoking is an addiction, addiction is a disease, people with diseases should not be ostracized because of it. Is it so wrong to ask for a spot away from the doors but not next to a dumpster? I don’t think so. At my work, there are only 3 people out of 20 that smoke, yet there is still a spot in the back of the building with a bench and shelter from the weather.
wtf – i did not say anything about washing my clothes, but thanks for the tip.
also, your definition of “rights” doesn’t make any sense and is just plain incorrect. and i will avail myself of whatever cigarette taxes pay to compensate for the higher health care costs i have to pay thanks to smokers.
i hate the smell of cigarette smoke, but i have no problem with smokers smoking away from doorways. what pisses me off are people who smoke in places where i can’t escape, like a bus shelter when it’s raining. that’s when i ask them (nicely)to put it out. smoking isn’t a right per se, and it is detrimental to the health of others. but i think we can all get along if we just use common sense.
The right to breathe clean air, trumps the right to smoke. Everytime. The end.
ps-some people literally get sick from smoke. It’s NOT a control issue. My parents have, since quitting, both separately said to me ‘wow, i didn’t know how awful it was to be around smoking until i quit; now i can’t even stand being next to someone in the grocery store’.
And, for those of us who have always been allergic to it, it’s h*ll. How about some common sense there?
I smoke, tried to quit several times-bought an electric cigarette..etc
If society deems smokers as social misfits,and cigarettes kill millions…why are they still legal? The U.S banned ephedra b/c one fat baseball player took it and died while playing in 100 degree heat. ONE!
Just make it illegal, What a bunch of hyppocrites the US government is!! Tax the crap out of the smokers, spend those tax dollars on everything but getting rid of the problem!
STOP SELLING CIGARETTES
lindylou – i know of plenty of other groups of addicts treated with greater disdain than smokers. say, heroin addicts, for instance. they go to jail. that’s a hell of a lot more disdain than being asked to smoke near the dumpster.
breederina – you obviously don’t have much accurate information if you are seriously comparing smoking cigarettes to smoking weed, eating red meat and car exhaust.
FYI, as a nurse, I see a lot more bodily destruction from booze and obesity than I do smoking…usually because these two addictions directly contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes, which in my opinion is a vastly underplayed disease. Cancer is up there as well, and lung cancer is about even with other types. This is not to say that COPD isn’t prevalent and awful, but people don’t go blind or lose limbs because of it. I’m just sayin’. Obesity is far, far worse from a health standpoint. BUT all of these things are due to an illness called addiction. And anyone who’s ever been addicted to anything can tell you how difficult it is to stop. Cigarette smoking is no different. My mom is addicted to cigarettes. Badly addicted. I hate the way her house smells and I cringe when she lights up cigarette after cigarette. However, there’s nothing any of her loved ones (particualarly me and my dad) have been able to do about it. She can’t stop. So while I think the anti-smoking sentiment is generally right (but why don’t we treat food or booze the same way??? Because second-hand calories and second-hand alcoholism don’t exist? That’s pretty selfish), I think some of you people are assholes for suggesting that somehow smoking is an easy thing to quit. Or that any addiction is easy to kick. You are mistaken, and you need to check yourselves. The only reason smokers are treated as they are is because it effects other people, and so those other people then feel they have the right to be dicks to smokers. I don’t know ANY smokers who are disrespectful about it. But they still get sh-t on for having a legitimate addiction. And it’s somehow now acceptable to sh-t on smokers. So I have to back Whoopi on this one, a little.
Nicole:
“u r all freaks with ur “right to breathe” statement…”
I find it strange that you of all people are so fanatically defending smoking – since when were 14-year-old girls allowed to smoke?
ps. u r illiterate
Lady D, I worked with a woman like you. She told me “unscented” stuff actually has added chemicals to cover the scent. She says she needs to buy “fragrance free.”
I used to smoke but I quit when the smell started disgusting me. It was hard to quit and that was when you could still smoke in bars. The smoking ban is so much nicer because now everyone can enjoy bars and restaurants and it’s easier to not crave a cigarette after a couple of drinks.
Smoking is not a right, just like driving is not a right. It’s heavily regulated but you don’t have a right, it’s a privilege. In my province, you can’t smoke inside, nor can you smoke outside if the area is covered (i.e., overhangs outside buildings, covered patios, etc.). I love that because before, when you went into work in the morning, you had to push through the crowd of smokers to get in the door and then you’d reek.
Alcohol doesn’t directly affect me, nor does obesity but smoking does. I couldn’t imagine going up to someone and bitching at them but that’s their behaviour.
I wonder why people even START smoking in the first place. You all know how disgusting it is, smelly, nasty not to mention deadly….yet you guys still start. Then you complain about how addicted you are and that it’s a disease.
STFU.
I find this whole anti smoking thing funny because it is these same people who biatching about the smoke wearing too much fragrance which has similar ingredients to cigarette smoke and smells just as stinky or worse. I’d rather smell Drum tobacco than Victoria’s secret anyday!
I quit smoking a year ago (started at 12) and realized, when my sense of smell recovered, that it would be less offensive to go around farting than it is to blow that foulness in the air. A lit cigarette is one thing – cigarette EXHALES mingled with the smell of someone’s body’s metabolic chemicals? Gross in the extreme.
Now I’m pregnant – inhaling it makes me literally gag – and I have to walk through smokers on the street to get to and from work. I just hold my breath, but damn it would be nice not to have to quit breathing for a block in order to get home without puking on the street.
Fat people should have to eat their meals out by the dumpster. I find it offensive to watch them kill themselves with food.
Finally!!! I agree with something this woman has to say. I say everyone should just chill and stop complaining and whining. There are too many laws telling people what to do. If you don’t like something–then you have the option to go somewhere else. I wish they would leave the option of having smoking and non smoking up to the business owners. What’s next? They tell you what is acceptable to say, not to say to do and what we have to tolerate and what not to tolerate. I mean, they are going to ban something else. All of a sudden America isnt looking so free anymore. Kinda reminding me of …. a different country.
Too bad, I really was liking it here.
People have gone a bit overboard on the anti-smoking. While I don’t condone doing that to one’s body its a choice and as long as its legal, people should have a place to smoke. I’m sensitive to smoke myself but have always allowed friends who are smokers to enjoy a ciggarette outside. I will join them outside and we have a chit chat. It is no big deal.
I dont smoke but if you want to smoke then fine with me. I dont see a problem why smokers can’t have a decent place to smoke they smoke but they are still people or because the smoke they become untouchables less than equal? if we lived in the flip side where everyone smoked and a few did not I would hope that society would allow a space for me that was smoke free that i could feel somewhat human and somewhat equal even for a short span of time. ok so the person who smokes has a disgusting gross habit why degrade them? for it. we in society like to degrade and single out those that are different either from a gross digusting habit or for reasons the different group can’t help. I kind of agree with whoppie make a decent spot for smokers somewhere that is far from the entrances of buildings allow them some sort of decency even if they are doing something nasty and smelly.
First, I would like to say I am an ex-cigarette smoker. Quitting certainly was not easy, but is obviously a healthy choice to make. While I can understand the laws made to keep people from smoking indoors, where there is a lack of ventilation, I do not understand laws that keep people from smoking outside near building entrances etc. I live in NYC. Cigarettes are taxed to death here by the federal and state governments (a pack is over $10 now).The air quality here is nothing to brag about. I would certainly rather have cigarette smoke in my face than bus exhaust any day. Celebitchy, I also find it extremely hard to believe that by momentarily walking past someone is smoking the smell will be in your clothes and hair. As I said, I used to smoke and even my clothes and hair didn’t reek like some people who smoke (maybe those people just don’t wash themselves). The mayor of NYC even wanted to introduce legislation to keep people from smoking at parks and beaches. I believe there is enough air at a park or a beach for non-smokers to share the area peacefully with smokers.
PS – @Kelaa, this is very true. I recently read an article detailing the massive amount of carcinogens in most (if not all) major perfume brands. They are not even required to list these “hidden ingredients.”
This is really very funny. It could be an early harbinger of a loss of commitment among the ranks of nanny state cheerleaders.
Nah. Probably not.
Maybe they put the smokers by the dumpster so they’d actually throw their butts in the garbage instead of all over the sidewalks, streets, etc. – that is what I call disrespectful! I don’t care if someone smokes as long as it’s not by me but I sure as hell care that I can’t sit on the damn beach or in a park without having to bury or move all the damn butts around. The world isn’t your damn ashtray so why don’t you have some respect and actually throw your butts in the garbage rather than where I have to walk, sit or stand all over them. Do you throw your other garbage on the street too?
Lady D, I completely sympathize with you. I too am extremely allergic to perfumes, and scents of all kinds. It’s due to an extreme allergic reaction to aromatic flowers (most scents come from the concentrated essence of flowers like lavender and roses). I have had the same things happen to me… except I’ve also been rushed to the hospital more than once in my life. I was in Macy’s in Herald Square with my mom when I was about 11 years old when a perfume counter person sprayed her and some ended up on me. I had my very first full-blown severe anaphylactic reaction… I blew up like a balloon as my throat closed up and my lungs contracted. I was gasping for breath and had my first Ambulance ride due to it. I had to have silk flowers at my wedding to be safe (even though I could have done something unusual like sunflowers), only to find I had to stand under a chuppa that had real flowers all over it. Spent my first night married attached to an IV.. how’s THAT for romantic?
Look, I can feel for those smokers out there who are angry they can’t do what they want where they want. But.. as a person who knows full well that certain aromas can be deadly to some of us around you, I don’t want to DIE just because you want to get your fix or smell nice.
@ Kelaa, you don’t know that. It’s an easy argument to make but absolutely no back-up.
@ Jennifer, smokers should not be near the doorways. I don’t want to walk through a cloud of smoke to get inside. Even just sharing an elevator with someone who reeks of smoke can make my hair smell. It’s gross and I don’t like it. It’s imposing on me. Maybe you didn’t notice the smell of smoke but others do. My dad is a hard core smoker and I can smell it on my mother, who doesn’t smoke.
I used to smoke and it was really hard to quit but it’s possible.
Why do my comments always await moderation? I’ve been posting on this site for years, always the same user name. Is it because I sometimes don’t like what’s written?
andrea– you’re right, it was machiavelli.
My bad.
I’m not a smoker but I’m not going to stigmatize people for it.
Frankly I could care less if they brought back smoking and non-smoking sections (just not on planes). People who attack smokers are a–holes. They think they’re somehow superior to them, yet will cry like bleeding hearts over fat people? Hypocrites. Let smokers have some of their rights back. As long as I can go back to my smoke free home I don’t care what you do.
There’s absolutely no reason that one group of people should have more rights than another group of people and that’s exactly what smoking bans do. Now only a select amount of people should own open air? Give me a break.
I just recently quit smoking but damn, the anti-smoking sentiment is a bit ridiculous… I mean jeez, if you take some basic precautions you should be fine, you don’t have to be a fucking freak about it :-/. Smoke diffuses pretty quickly anyway.
Ever hear of secondhand and thirdhand smoke? Enough cuckoo rants from smokers including the ever vile and self-absorbed Whoopi Goldberg. Barbara Walters needs to take back her show. It’s a disaster with Whoopi.
I can see her point. People treat you like you have a needle hanging out of your arm. Maybe the 1st couple cigarettes are a choice but after that it’s a habit, not a choice. Smokers do have rights.
This is not temporary, it’s been getting progressively worse for 20 years. I quit over 2 yrs ago but I certainly remember all the BS.
There should be a compromise that respects everyone.
I’m allergic to cigarette smoke to the point that walking into a large room where someone is smoking or walking past a smoker (even outside) inhibits my ability to breathe. I am literally prevented from taking in a full breadth until I put enough distance between us. When co-workers in my cubed office environment return from smoking, my breathing is impeded by coughing.
I’m also allergic to excessive cologne. I can breathe around it, but it initiates sneezing and/or coughing fits.
Vehicle exhaust does not provoke as much of a reaction probably because of the level of emission filters on mufflers, etc.
I don’t think people should be able to smoke indoors, even in ventilated areas. This is because most HVAC/ventilation systems just re-circulate the air in a building. You would notice this if you were in a building that ever had a fire even on another floor. The air is quickly recirculated until the smell of smoke (although you can’t see it) is soon noticeable.
I understand that cigarettes (like so many things that are unhealthy for you) is an addiction. I don’t advocate that anyone should be made to feel less than human because of an addiction.
What I don’t get is the animosity towards obese/overweight people? Why is one form of discrimination bad, while another one is acceptable? Is it because you feel free to associate laziness, gluttony, stupidity, etc. to an obese person? If so, why?
I have encountered plenty of skinny/underweight people who have poor hygiene and may smell. Others who have gross eating habits and are difficult to watch while eating. I don’t automatically associate these traits to obese people. And I don’t see obesity as being a choice.
There are plenty of people of similar lifestyles and eating habits who vary significantly in size.
Most American lead rather sedentary lifestyles in relation to the amount of calories eaten/burned throughout the day. For some, their caloric intake is immediately reflected in their proportions, especially if their short and/or have a family history of obesity. For others, the evidence doesn’t become apparent until mid-30’s or after having kids.
I myself work while sitting behind a computer most of the day. I used to weigh 115lbs (5′ 5″) in college and since have gained about 30lbs.
i can’t believe people are comparing obesity to smoking- there’s no such thing as second hand fat!!
Oh boo hoo Whoopi. Smoking increases a person’s risk of lung, bladder, kidney, pancreatic, and esophageal cancer, just to name a few. And not only does it increase the risk to the smoker, it increases the risk to people who get stuck breathing their smoke from their habit. You want to slowly kill yourself? Fine. But it do it the hell away from me.
The biggest problem with the anti-smoking laws, it that it gives intolerant people an excuse to voice thier small minded judgements of others.
I am a former occasional smoker who not only no longer smokes but can’t stand the smell, either. I have no idea how I smoked (on and off) for over 10 years! While I dislike when people smoke in public areas where they obviously shouldn’t–like amusement park lines or right outside doorways–I have a serious problem with the governement banning smoking in places of business. Not because it infringes on ‘smoker’s rights’ but because it infringes on business owner’s rights, I think that business OWNERS should be allowed to determine whether or not smoking is allowed in their establishments. Then we as smokers or non-smokers can determine which businesses we choose to frequent.
Sorry Whoopie, but you lost out with me. Don’t believe in smoker rights. Don’t believe I should be considerate of you when you smoke your cancer sticks.
“if you don’t like it, go somewhere else”…. easy to say, weird to live with. We were outside at a concert in Washington (that allows smoking inside), young little know-it-all sat behind my husband and started complaining when he lit up a cigarette. She wanted HIM to move…. funny the way that went!
@BOAT, Obesity is NOT always optional, there are many factors into that. So dont color it so black and white, and stereotype overweight people. It’s not fair to the overweight. Ive been on both sides. Many meds made me gain weight literally overnight, there are steroids I as given for a condition that blew me up and I refused to take them, I’d rather suffer the chances of dying instead. (Is that normal, all docs told me no, but I insisted on it).
There are family genetics that are involved. Lots of factors.
Of course then you do have the fat fucks who eat themselves to 400=1000lbs…that is just making a choice, but to just say ALL obsese people is not right.
I believe Whoopi was whining 1-2 years ago about being a smoker and a desire to stop. I think her comments are more about her own frustrations than about her rights.
If she doesn’t want to smoke by a dumpster or go outside, I have the solution. She can QUIT smoking. It will solve her problem AND improve her health AND save her the money she is wasting daily on cigarettes.
I don’t know about other states, but here in California, cigarette smoke and smoke from a briquette-fired BBQ are considered to be in the same class of carcinogens.
I’m not a smoker, and I agree that smoking is gross, but I think secondhand smoke is a red herring that’s been demonized to a ridiculous extent. It’s a convenient scapegoat that we feel like we can do something about, whereas we feel powerless against the things that are really going to kill us, like traffic accidents and environmental decay.
I realize that nobody is going to believe this because it seems so counter-intuitive, but if you do the research (and read the actual studies rather than a biased interpretation of them), you’ll find that there is in fact no_credible_evidence that passive smoking causes the kinds of increases in cancer, asthma or heart disease that everyone now assumes it does.
Passive smoking has been blown waaaaay out of proportion by anti-tobacco groups and the media over the last 25 years.
A 2003 German study of flight attendants over 37 years found no correlation between exposure to second hand smoke and an increase in cancer risk or mortality.
Even an early 2000’s study by the American Cancer Society found no correlation between breast cancer death among women and second hand smoke exposure via a spouse. They admitted that those results differed from past studies, and speculated that the previous studies had been more susceptible to recall bias due to their methodology.
It seems unfair to me to marginalize smokers and pretend that their habit is going to kill us, when in reality we just don’t like it. It’s a dangerous, slippery slope that we’re heading down when we start legislating against things simply because we find them distasteful.
Self-righteous and just plain dumb… Whoopi (and MissMilly) you can smoke IN my house if you want… I will e’en buy you guys an ashtray! …AND I’ll make us some ALCOHOLIC drinks too! And then we’ll go abuse some children…
Get a grip people!
I don’t begrudge a smoker a ciggie but I don’t care to pay for the consequences whether a minor smell on my clothes to a major problem in my lungs.
Having said that, the product is still legal and I don’t think a close enough eye is being kept on the cigarette makers. You know as soon as someone stopped looking they probably started up-ing the nicotine and whatever other nasties to keep smokers hooked (I would say poor smokers but some smoke because they like it and don’t want to quit).
As for comparing obesity with smoking, this comments board shows that no-one is going out of their way to be nice to obese people. What a fallacy. If you sit next a person downing twice as much food as one would expect, what are the health implications for you? NOTHING! Your stomach doesn’t fill with fat, however if next to a smoker, then your lungs may cop a little of that.
The health $$ cost argument is valid but it works both ways. Ever seen the ER on some Saturdays? Sprained muscles, fractured bones, etc. Not saying it’s an equal argument, just saying there is one.
Having lost my father and grandparents to smoking-related illnesses (and watching them slowly rot and wither away), cigarettes are traumatic to me. I don’t think this is a habit that allowances should be made for beyond what exists, I was happy when they were banned from restaurants because the wafting smoke prevented me from focusing on the taste of my food and the less places people can smoke, the more they will think about cutting back or quitting. What smokers don’t get is that their self-destructive habits don’t just affect them but rather also touch the lives of the rest of us didn’t ask for the second-hand smoke or to smell like an ashtray because we stood next to a smoker. When I smell a cigarette, that pain of losing my family over a choice they made hits me and it sucks. Not to mention, smoke damages the environment, the buildings smoke constantly comes into contact with, and what about the fact that littering is illegal for the rest of us mere mortals but smokers can throw their cigarette butts anywhere they chose without taking responsibility for picking up their own mess? I’m pretty tired of hearing about smokers “rights”, smoking is a choice and non-smokers share this planet too. I have seen firsthand what these things can do to people, and I doubt anyone would touch a cigarette again if they’d seen what my eyes have. I respect how difficult quitting can be for people and accept that there are smokers in the world and having some designated smoking areas is fair, provided they are far removed from non-smoking areas. I don’t go around preaching to smokers, but I can really appreciate anyone with the bravery to quit.
It is my right as an American to smoke. My father is dying of throat cancer and it hurts more then I can express but there is enough information on cigarettes that smoking isnt just done out of stupidity or addiction. It is a choice as well a choice that I and everyone else has the right to make. What I dont get is why one form on discrimination is OK but others arent? How many people have farted in a public building? Its nasty smells is is unhealthy because microscopic poo particles are released in you non smoking farts which I just may breath in yet are people made to fart in a specific area? NO. Nor is it illegal to wear over powering/too much perfume even nurses do it and they take care of SICK people who are MORE sensitive then most. I am a smoker by choice, I am a human who doesnt deserve to be FORCED to stand out in the elements to smoke, nor do I deserve to be cut down ect because I am a smoker. Everyone talks about acceptance … I am supposed to be accepting of everyone else but get shit on because I smoke. Fuck that.
People are not forcing others to go out by the dumpster to smoke in order to degrade or shame them, non-smokers just want you way the hell away from them. And understandably so.
I nearly lost my voice totally after a night of business negotiation with two smokers who couldn’t give a damn of stopping to smoke even when i told them that it was tough on my throat…even when i was already coughing at times..
The next morning, i wepted continuously, had my throath still burning, coughed hard all the time, had multile ganglions, fever, couldn’t talk and could barely breath.
I was prescribed antibiotics and was obliged to write on papers because i had no voice. My doctor thought it would cured in two weeks…it ended 2 months during which my cough habits was so severe that they were afraid that it could permnently damaged my vocal cords and that I wouldn’t be able to talk anymore.
I had breathing problems and after thorough medical analysis it was established an hypersensistivity to nicotine smokes that made me rated asn a pre asthmatic. At the end as my conditions didn’t improve after those two months, i was given doses of cortisone and went from a 120 lbs for 5’8″ to 165 lbs with a face that was puffy as hell.
So no, no rights for those smooth criminals. Cigarettes is the number one killer in many european countries and the second one after car accidents and long before aids for young people before 25…it kills thousands of innocent people aroud. Glad it is now forbidden to smoke in many european public places but they still smoke in clubs and cafes and many restaurants still tolerate it, not to mention in the workplace, number one place where they do it with no respect to the non smokers while you are both sharing the same office day after day, years after years…some offices where you are often in the minority who doesn’t and are submitted to this torture while your colleagues don’t care to the least since they are in the majority….
My uncle just past away in december. he was 52, never drink, never smoke, the sweetest, god fearing adorable man ever…and he died after 7 months of battling lung cancer related to cigarettes smoke. He past away in front of his 20 years old daugther who was in denial and lost her mind till this day.
A whole family in pain, totally destroyed with a 45 years old widower and 5 children who are still in shock and don’t understand why papa is gone and what has happened to them because of some unconscious smokers around !
stil almost everybody own a car…talk about fresh air..
Obesity is nothing like smoking so it’s ridiculous to compare them.
I’m sure most buildings do not relegate their smoking employees to a dumpster area. This issue is being overinflated methinks by passionate smokers and nonsmokers.
For the record, any strong smells make me sick and get headaches so I would have to say I’d prefer that smoking areas be far away from entrances/exits. And since I don’t see any smokers refusing to be away from doorways or in small areas, what is the real argument here? There isn’t one.
Of course its not being FORCED smokers will only have to pay a heft fine if you dont go right where we are TOLD to go
I hate when people mention overeating food as being worse than smoking. You miss the most important thing. You eat to live but smoking has no benefit to your body. Smoking moderately doesn’t keep you alive but eating food does.
well spoken. Totally accepted.
And I´m a smoker. From Europe.
but anyway, I´d agree with anything you say, Kaiser (really sucked, when I found out your not a dude)
vi: Exactly!!!
listen, i developed bronchial asthma as a small child due to selfish parents who smoked two packs a day in a small house with small kids and the windows shut. ditto the car rides, etc.. u get the picture. my life and health have been severely affected by their selfish actions. so smokers? go F&CK yourselves.
smokers are just pissed off b/c they can’t control everything anymore. they’re not the majority anymore. they can’t infiltrate our restaurants, bars, malls and every other place people like to frequent. too bad. your bad habit is not my problem. well, technically it is because my health is suffering because of parents who smoked but the damage is done. future damage, however, can be prevented.
listenup: My husband has similar health problems — a rasp in his lungs and terrible, year round allergies — for the same reasons (a mother who didn’t think twice about hot boxing the car, house, etc). While I personally have friends who smoke, and don’t have problems being around them, once I met my husband, it really opened my eyes to the damage that can be done if people aren’t responsible about their habit (especially when children are involved).
The difference between overeating is that overeating kills the one who does the deed ONLY. Smoking kills as much if not more those who don’t than those who do. thousands of people have lung cancer due to passive smoking and they die from it.
I am appalled of all those men and women who do it constantly in the working place without any consideration for their colleagues health and at home in front of their babies who are subjeted to passive smoking.
The number of a certain types of asthmatic and other breathing problems has risen because of cigarettes and pollution.
At 15 I was at the European School of Brussels in the belgo-french class with a dozen of european nationalities…we were only two pupils who didn’t smoke among 33 from 14 to 16 years of age. I never compromise with that and refused to be near my best friend until she finished her cigaretets at every damn interruption. She was 14 and was already smoking one box of cigarettes per day.
Most did began to smoke as soon as we entered highschool at 12, sometimes 11.
Again it kills dozen of thousands of people everyday while others have different stages of breathing problems.
I have noticed though that for the past decade national campaigns against cigarettes and the droping of ad on the street, as much as the application of new taxes in it to discourage smokers have had an impact on the number of smokers but still, you want to date someone and your potentials are lessen by those who smoke if you are like me a person who really put her health in danger.
Now because of my condition i will never date again someone who smokes. I did it once on the fact that he told me that he will stop and every two days i was on medication and couldn’t stay in the same place as him and live with him more than that, having to cure myself for several days like i was intoxicated with fever, ganglions, ect.
Have any of you ever seen someone slowly dying from lung cancer? I have. Four women, to be exact. All of them in their 60’s, all of them started smoking in their 20’s, and all of them were heavy smokers for 40 years. Each one of them died a slow, excruciating death. It wasn’t pretty.
If you smoke and defend your right to smoke, fine. Just keep in mind that you have a good chance of ending up like those four women. And then ask yourselves if it’s really worth it.
Why has no one mention secondhand smoking in relation to those who have chosen NOT to smoke?
I find it so funny to hear some smokers who fully well know the dangers to their health, going around talking about their rights. What about the rights of those who lose their lives to illness or develop ailments as a result of secondhand smoking- 54,000 die a year in the US?
If you want to cause damage to yourself, fine. I have no problem with you smoking in doorways or on the streets but I will not sit for a prolonged period in a closed area ruining my health because you have chosen to do so to your own. Sorry. The fact smoking is not illegal and so much help is given to you (in the UK the healthcare system gives support and will still treat you for free if you get one of the a ray illnesses caused by smoking) you have your rights without a doubt.
@Bopa. so true. also an overweight person has no impact on my health
@kitten. you comment is odd…control? WTH? I’m pretty certain these bans are based on overwhelming clinical evidence and findings, also- in fact, it so funny because cigarette companies had so much power in the west! you’d think they’d still have money and the power to override this.
maybe we should save our energies and our fight for something bigger…..hmmm world hunger? war? child abuse? I could argue on both sides of this argument. And I get a lot of points. However calling smokers “smooth criminals” is absolutely ignorant.
I got sick of not being able to smoke anywhere and getting dirty looks from people, so I quit. It was hard, but I did it and never went back. I think the lack of acceptance by society helped me quit. Whoopi, try Wellbutrin. REALLY helped me!
To Sarah’s comment:
Smoking is an addiction, addiction is a disease
Please do not confuse addiction with disease. Please stop using it as an excuse – if you smoke fine, it’s your choice and I agree it’s hard and yes it can kill you but it is not a disease – cancer, HIV etc are diseases.
I agree with the smokers that go out of their way to smoke away from others in that they should be left alone and not lectured – they are grown ups (I hope) and that is their choice. Unfortunately mainy smokers do not.
As crazy as it sounds I do not smoke but used to love the smell of smoke (well atleast certain cigarettes) but a few years ago I developed a bad reaction to smoke. Even before I can smell it my throat tightens and my chest freezes – it feels like all the air around me is gone. This is something I have no control over – much like a disease.
I’m a 26 yr old smoker (for 5 years) and I happen to think I’m very considerate. I always step aside to smoke while waiting for the bus etc. And yes, smoking kills ppl far more than drugs/alcohol. However, smoking kills smokers! Alcohol has killed innocent ppl when idiots get behind the wheel while under its influence, has contributed to sexual assualts and can be a serious addiction in itself. Unlike alcohol, cigs (especially here in NYC) have been taxed to death! The gov should be thanking smokers considering the billions of tax dollars they make off of our addiction. The hatred towards smokers is ridiculous, especially when there are so many other things polluting the environment and costing money far more than smokers. Get off your high horse. I don’t do drugs, I rarely drink, I’m not overweight, leave me with my cigarettes!
BTW, if you think the gov gives a rat’s ass about your health, I’ll just pat you on the head and send you down the the yellow brick road.
Me too, Whoopi. Me too.
One g&t and three cigarettes later (hey, you all keep mentioning them, lol) I’ve finally finished reading the comments. And I’ve just got to say… wow. Fuck me because I’m a smoker? Really? I can’t believe how hysterical some (not all by any means, obvsly) of these non-smokers get. They seem like very miserable, rage-filled people. Really healthy example there, guys. You may not be smoking but it’s obvious whatever you are doing for yourselves isn’t working.
Please refresh my memory…
Where in the Bill of Rights or any of its amendments do I find the inalienable right to smoke cigarettes?
@NicoleAM, ITA. I don’t mind going outside-even if it’s raining, I have an umbrella. However:
When I was at uni, a bunch of us smokers would all get up to go for a smoke, and say quite clearly that we were going for a smoke, or that we were going to the “smokers’ balcony”. A non-smoker friend would sometimes come with us, and spend the entire time standing right in front of us, coughing and waving his hand in front of his face. On numerous occasions. And if I tried to move away, he’d step closer to me. After a while, I just gave up, and blew the smoke directly in his face if he was in front of me.
It really annoys me if I’m trying to NOT get smoke on you, and you make it hard for me. Go outside with a bunch of smokers when they go out for a fag, and then stand directly in front of them, you deserve to get secondhand smoke, frankly.
Nicole I hope you quit soon. My sister died at age 41 of lung cancer. She started smoking at 14 and quit in her 30’s but the cancer was already in her.
I don’t care what smokers do as long as I don’t have to breathe in that stench or pay higher insurance premiums because their lungs eventually give way.
Same for drunks and obese people. If they choose that lifestyle, they can pay the higher premiums for their medical care.
okay so stop driving your cars… thats bad too… stop having kids you can’t afford or discipline. all that’s annoying and bad for society too.
smokers ARE the scum of the earth whoopie,
theres NO medical reason for starting to smoke,
the ONLY reason to start smoking is because you think it’s cool & your’e a follower..period..
The clear hatred of smokers in some comments above is sickening and the logic is so warped, yes warped. It has been two years since I have stopped smoking, so what does that make me now? Not scum? That is how warped some arguments are above: smokers are scum. Like that really solves the problem of Big Tobacco. Not. Do grow up.
It doesn’t matter what people think smokers are, the fact is that nations legalize tobacco and approve of companies making profits, therefore a consumer of a product should have some rights.
Yes, it’s really that simple.
Otherwise, make the product illegal and allow it to go underground and become a blackmarket – which governments wouldn’t want.
The way I see it, today’s anti-smokers who can’t differentiate between hating a product and HATING PEOPLE who smoke (what is the difference between that and racism? None), also have a problem.
Today’s smoker and overweight person are the new scapegoats for people with insecurities and racists, giving them an alternative pathway to express what is commonly known as HATE and it’s masked through some kind of faux social concern.
I used to smoke for decades, and stopped and no I wasn’t ‘scum’. I worked. I paid taxes. I was there for my friends and family, so HTF does that make me scum for the time I smoked?
People get all mad at the smokers, instead they should get mad at the government that regularly gets paid off to allow big business to keep selling this crap. There are some people that can’t quit, just like there are people that can’t stop drinking, or doing drugs, or binging and purging, or whatever… By getting angry at the smokers you are doing just what big govt. loves— the creation of more division amongst one another, instead of joining together and pointing the finger where it belongs– the people that sell this poison, and the lawmakers that continue to allow it!
NicoleAM you sound like a cokehead I knew in college who was so proud of himself because he ate free-range chicken that wasn’t exposed to hormones! Please explain to me why someone your age, knowing what you know, would willingly choose to start using one of the most addictive substances known? Was it to be thin or cool? Or did you see it in the movies? I get very frustrated seeing young people smoke. They don’t have the excuse of not knowing it’s addictive. So why are you doing the equivalent a putting a slow bullet through your head. Maybe you should learn to like yourself better. PS I am completely fine with taxing the shit out of alcohol, I think it sucks too.
http://intent.com/blog/2009/04/30/perfume-pollution-harmful-cigarette-smoke
“WHO THE F cares if u don’t like the smell or it gets in ur hair? Then freakn MOVE!!!! Very VERY simple. There’s thousands upon thousands of NON smoking places…” quote from Nicole(#24).
Are you KIDDING me? so your reasoning is if there are 20 non smokers and 3 smokers in a public place, you want us the non smokers to move away when you lit up?!! where do you learn your reasoning skills?
They have smokeless cigarettes now so WTF is her problem? I typically like Ms. W but she’s bitching that she can’t spew cancer into other people’s lungs? Whine, Bitch, moan.
@antismoker: Scum of the earth? Really? Over reacting much? FYI, I started smoking when I was severely depressed and wasn’t exactly planning on hanging around for long anyway, and liked the idea of slowly killing myself.
@Antismoker – LOL!!
Reckon you should get involved in Amnesty International or something where superlatives are more readily applicable!
Why are people comparing smoking to overweight people and alcohol? They are NOT the issue at hand and defending your smoking habit by comparing it to unrelated topics or claiming non-smokers have “control issues” (wtf?) does little to convince me of your point, it just makes you seem paranoid and highlights that you don’t have a leg to stand on. Just because obesity is a major health problem doesn’t nullify the issues of smoking in any way, it’s not a competition. Second-hand smoke is disgusting, walking through just one puff makes my hair and clothes reek. I think I’ll pass on the second-hand cancer as well, thanks.
@michelle
My take is that the othe ‘biggies’ on healthcare are always raised when this issue comes up because people say ‘fine go poison yourself but it’s my tax dollars paying for it!’ And it is more by way of a rebuttal that there are plenty of things health care pay for – that argument could be extended to ‘it’s yout choice to have children’ or ‘it’s your choice to live an active life and then you go parachuting and it fails and I have to pay for your recuperation’ and so on. Like I said, that’s my take on the way that conversation always goes. And everyone has their opinion. My opinion is that universal health is a great thing and it’s always going to be used for things you don’t approve of, but it’s still worth it.
Similarly it is my opinion that is many places anti smoking laws have gone way too far (yes, I’m a non smoker).
Another opinion is that when you say “walking through just one puff makes my hair and clothes reek” that you are in possession of some magically odour absorbing hair/clothing because that is just not normal. Seriously – please use my healthcare dollars to go have that checked out, because you must “reek” of one thing or another all the time!
I find this thread fascinating and quite amusing!
Everyone on this board has raised some good points for and against smoking. My question is this: If smoking is such a horrible thing and it sickens and kills so many people why do governments still allow cigerettes to be sold?
Alcohol if used in moderation and not consumed before driving or while pregnant is not as harmful as smoking. In fact there have been studies where a glass or two of wine a week can be good for one’s health. The same goes with watching what you eat and not over doing your intake of junk food. Keeping a healthy lifestyle is important in both cases.
Are there any benefits to smoking? If cigerettes were a children’s toy or food additive it would never have passed government regulations considering all the chemicals that are in it and health problems it produces.
Everyone who takes up smoking today or has smoked for years knows the health risks involved. As someone who watched a close friend die from lung cancer because of smoking I know what it can do to a person.
Quit smoking..It not good for your health and smokers they say are liable to die young.
Smoking makes you smelly and unattractive. Even if you aren’t currently sucking a butt, the stink lingers on you. Don’t think you are covering it up by brushing your teeth/using scented soaps, etc. It does not work.
I quit 2.5 years ago and got both of my parents to quit as well. We all feel much better, much healthier. Interestingly, now I cannot STAND the stink of cigarettes and have a hard time being friends with smokers.
It’s gross and people should just stop it, already!
Evidence for cancer as caused by second hand smoke has not been identified for the same reason eveidence for birth defects as caused by alcohol has not been proven – experimentation on human subjects with the possibile/extremely likely outcome of death or disease would be COMPLETELEY UNETHICAL. This means the evidence we have to go by is largely after-the-fact and chaulk full of variables. Does this therefore mean evidence for second-hand smoke causing health problems does not exist in the universe? OF COURSE NOT. Think about this sensibly people.
“I have allergies and am chemically sensitive.” Oh please. That is such bullsh**t. Just be honest and say you can’t stand the smell etc. of a cigarette, there’s nothing wrong with that. As a smoker, I’m the first to not smoke if someone just says that it bothers them. But of someone gives me that “allergy” (there IS no allergy to cigarette smoke) crock, I will light up two.
I am a smoker, but I have absolutely no problem going outside to smoke. I know it’s unhealthy and I certainly don’t want to subject others to my bad habit.
I smoke outside by the dumpsters at work. I smoke outside at home. And I smoke outside at bars and restaurants. Yes, it sucks when it’s rainy or cold, but the last thing employers should be doing is encouraging a bad habit that has long-term health repercussions for its employees.
Now, when the government tells me I can’t smoke outside? That’s when we’ll have a problem!
As a smoker I could very much care less what non-smokers feel regarding the fact~period. On the other hand I have never lit a cigarette around others when outside without asking first, but generally just don’t do it unless I am in a group of smokers.I smoke in my van, back yard, and inside my own home.I do greatly prefer to NOT smoke around others, and rarely do so. As for their opinion on whether or not I smoke, I could care less. I have never pointed out their bad habits and do not need any comments from them.
::“I have allergies and am chemically sensitive.” Oh please. That is such bullsh**t.::
While this doesn’t directly reference me as I didn’t bring it up in my post, it is in fact true that some people have allergies to tobacco, I did an allergy test several years ago that confirms that I do have an actual strong allergic reaction to it, so it is in fact possible. I was being tested for numerous other things, it was just one of many that came up.
I’m a non smoker in NJ and I was totally appalled when they banned smoking in all restaurants and casinos/bars statewide.
Shouldn’t it be up to the owner of the business if they want to have smoking and non-smoking sections?
I think everyone is also blowing Whoopi statement out of proportion – she’s just asking the smoker’s kiosk NOT be next to a dumpster – it’s not like she was asking for the right to blow smoke in Joy’s face or something.
I can’t believe the close mindedness of some people – you honestly believe someone who smokes is “scum”?
I’m not a smoker and I dislike the smell of smoke. In enclosed areas, I think smokers definitely should not be able to smoke because the smell stays with everyone there and because the smoke is pungent, it means that everyone will be affected.
In unenclosed areas, I think its each for their own. If someone is smoking, then walk away. What’s the point in confronting them about it? They smoke their business you don’t need to enforce your views on them when there are ways so to avoid it so that you won’t be affected.
Jana, you’re an idiot. You CAN be allergic to tobacco.
That’s all.
@ Jana who said “(there IS no allergy to cigarette smoke) crock, I will light up two.”
You’re just plain crazy. People can be allergic to strawberries, shrimp, walnuts and cats – they can certainly be allergic to the bi-product of burning, chemically-treated tobacco smoke.
I will never forget a line I heard in a Sharon Stone movie. A guy was bitching to her while she was smoking a cigarette. He said, “second-hand smoke kills you know.” She replied, “yes, but not reliably.” LOL
@ kc & gg
I “attacked” a statement, you two are attacking me in person (idiot, crazy). Regardless of who is right or wrong (and I admit that you are right and I was wrong), you two definitely have issues that are not related to smoking, IMO.
Funny how the smokers posting here are far less aggressive than the non-smokers, hm.
Okay, I have a question for the smokers. What about patios at a restaurant. Here’s a case where it’s open-air, but often covered with umbrellas trapping the smoke and then the workers have to walk through it…all day, every day. Should it be allowed there? Is it not reasonable to request that people not smoke for a 60 minute period while they have a meal?
I’m finding the thread really unproductive when we all just rag on each other. I think it’s best to ask the non-smokers and smokers exactly what they want and how we can negotiate so we can all be comfortable. Then maybe do some bottom-up lobbying so that the gov. isn’t enforcing unwanted restrictions.
Wif, good point.
I like to go outside for a smoke after a meal, but when I think about it, I am perfectly capable of sitting in an airplane for 9 hours without smoking – when we (smokers) don’t have a choice, we are quite capable of dealing with not smoking. I agree that smoking should happen in a place where it doesn’t bother anybody.
@Wif – I meant to answer your question: No, there shouldn’t be smoking on a patio if workers have to walk through it. I’m sure any smoker would understand that if explained to them like you did.
@Lita
ffs I do not have “magical hair and clothing”, just a working nose and a dislike of smelling of someone else’s putrid habit. I wash my hair everyday, but still, hair has oils and clothes have fibres and they easily trap the smell of cigarettes. Simple enough concept.
And the issue here with regards to moving smokers to designated areas is NOT the impact they have on the economy. I doubt anyone’s saying “smoke 100 metres away from us because you’re draining the healthcare budget with your damn cancers and lung problems”. As many other posters have commented, some people have severe allergies or aversions to the toxic chemicals and odour (I get a massive headache and it pisses me off) and would like the right to breathe clean air, you know, if that’s not asking too bloody much.
Wow i can’t beleive some people are actually questioning the fact that second hand smokers DO kill, that the correlation betwean nicotine related smoke inhaled and illness(breathing related or lung cancer)is a scientific proven fact that has been established a long time ago with many cases in Europe of people dying from inhaling cigarettes from their colleagues for years or being constantly ill because of it and obliged to find another working environment before some Gorvernment like France, Belgium and the UK put a law to force companies to not tolerate cigarettes on the working place and to ask their smokers employees to do it outside or to places built for that within the companies and not at their desk while working at 1 meter of their non smoker colleagues as they used to do, smoking cigarettes after cigarettes during the whole day, day after day, years after years, right next to you…
Hi Michelle,
Yes, in fact many posters on this boards have referenced the health care costs associated with smoking – have a look, read up ^^ there. And as I said, that point is always raised in the anti/smoking debate.
For the other point – if your clothing and hair “reek” after walking through *one* exhaled breath of cigarette smoke as you said then, so sorry, I will continue to believe that you have magical odour absorbing properties. Don’t be upset, OWN IT!! You could be on Springer!!!! Hell, I don’t have magical hair or clothing (just the regular kind) so I sort of started by being jealous. And then I thought about what happens if you walk past a piece of uncooked fish, or some traffic banked up, or a dumpster (with or sans smokers in attendance) or a baby with a messy nappy or something. It must be hard for you. And I’m not jealous any longer.
Lita
You poor thing. If you can’t smell cigarette residue on yourself after walking through a puff of it, I’d hate to imagine what you smell like. Probably like something died. Who knows, maybe you’re just used to smelling rank you can’t tell the difference!
And go ahead and reply with some scathing and witty retort, I won’t bother reading it! kthnxbai 😀
“I just think everyone needs to stop worrying about everyone else and worry about themselves.”
The point has been made over and over again that smoking is harmful to everybody who inhales it, not just the moron who lit up.
If it only hurt the smoker themself then of course I wouldn’t care. Thin the herd! Let some more morons die of self-inflicted cancer.
But it DOES hurt others, and therefore it is not okay.
@ Margo (#43) I get where you’re coming from with cigarettes being outlawed, but it’s not the solution. Making cigarettes illegal would just make them another drug in the black market, with all the implications and risks this entails. Drug trafficking accounts for terrible “second-hand” killing of innocent people, bystanders in the drug wars raging in underdeveloped countries, just like mine.
I smoke a cigarette now and then, and I agree that prohibiting people from smoking inside is a wise choice. I don’t see the big deal with people smoking in well ventilated areas like parks or outdoor cafes though. We should all be able to compromise. All extremes are bad.
They should have to smoke IN the dumpster. And Whoopi – go have a cry in there too. Poor hard done by little smokers.
What a joke. Someone complaining about getting smoke in her hair and “the others could easily go outside” Why dont you choose another hotel ?? Seems its only about what you want and less about a humans right to choose what they like to do! Im amazed at how many people condemn Whoopi…when all she wants is basic rights to be warm and be allowed to smoke in a designated area… But NO!!! The do gooders have deided smokers are to be denied basic human liberties!! America the free ?? This reminds one of how Nazi Germany got started… Shall we be forced to stand beside dumpsters to smoke??? When a smoking room could easily be made available ?? How does having a smoking room affect your Non smoking liberties?? Truth…It doesnt! Get off your high horses and try having a little understanding ! What gives you all the right to impose your wishes on me or any other smoker ??
and furthermore….to mrs Odle. You claim that society treating you like a leper has helped you to quit. I wonder where this line of thought ends ?? What if society were to suddenly decide that only certain people should have children ? We cannot allow a society to condemn anything until every member of that society has been considered ! America is based on an individuals right to decide for his/herself ! Not to be dictated to or to be forced into acceptance through society’s non acceptance of that persons beliefs… That is how dictatorships are formed…and last I checked we werent living in one !!!
i always have a little laugh when non smokers say “i have to wash my clothes because i come into contact with smokers”, lol you should be washing your clothes at the end of the day anyway. i think i would be more offended by these peoples smell rather than smokers.
is she insane! how about non smokers have the right to not have to inhale smokers’ nasty second hand smoke. bad enough we have to see the hundreds of cigarette butts lining every street. in a word, stfu whoopi.
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Good for you Whoopi. “Tough love for smokers”… really. I did not ask for nor do I want a, what… caregiver?. It’s amazing how people just jump on this non-smoking wagon and say GoodBye to a right, a freedom. It’s so sad they do not see the path they go down. Banning ANY right or freedom is treason. If you paid attention in school, if you actually learned anything about war and how YOUR ancestors lost their lives for freedom. Believe or not, you have the freedom to throw freedom away BECAUSE of them. Why open that door for this small thing? Are you just plain dumb?
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The thing about Whoopi Goldberg is that she is a celebrity and is used to people kissing her butt. The idea that other people have rules that she needs to follow seems to offend her sensibilities.
I am a smoker, by the way. I don’t mind going outside… I hear less complaining that way 🙂
Tough love never solved anything, least of all anyone’s nicotine addiction. The fact is that smokers often DO have to indulge their habits under some pretty degrading conditions. I hope Whoopi thinks about trying an electronic cigarette instead.
What’s next though you all should ask yourselves. I do not drunk or use drugs or drink liquor but I am a smoker. I don’t think smoking is lovely but I feel in the bigger picture things like drugs, liquor, and so on should be banned as those things are more of a danger to society than smoking. Think about all of legal issues that happen because of people using drugs and drinking, and think about all the lives put in danger by people who do drugs and drink liquor… We should care about stopping this! I would ask What’s next with all these laws and rules coming that limit people’s rights. I feel some people who drink liquor are a danger to people, they get in accidents, people and homeless get drunk and cause chaos and problems, and so on. Liquor is dangerous and should be banned with so many issues all over world such as people being addicted to liquor, kids getting liquor from people, drunk drivers, crazy drug addicts, all the violence happening from liquor and drugs is a bigger scare to
Me. All I’m saying is liquor causes people to do bad things. Im not saying smoking cigarettes is healthy but Smoking cigarettes do not cause legal issues like liquor does, have you heard anyone getting arrested over something to do with a cigarette, people get arrested usually from liquor and drugs, so what is more important to focus on? But I don’t see as much being said about solving liquor and drug issues?? So should liquor rights be banned, maybe. Prescription drugs and illegal drugs need focus too!! But I’m not trying to tell people what to do. If we start saying what people can or can’t do then you all should worry something you enjoy could be taken away. Just my view and I’m not trying to offend anyone!!
“Ban Smoking, let’s do more to protect our people and Ban Liquor and stop prescription drug and illegal drug abuse”