Tyler,
I completely take people at their word and am concerned if they tell me that
they are allergic to smoke, or have respiratory problems because of it. I'm
not trying to say that everyone who complains is doing it arbitrarily. But
I seriously have met many, many people who I am skeptical of when they say
it bothers them. This would include a co-worker many years ago who spent
every night playing guitar for hours in stuffy smoke-filled bars, who loudly
complained that my smoking *inside* my office 20 feet away was bothering his
allergies; several people who I know have smoked marijuana for years on a
regular basis who have vilified me for smoking tobacco; the woman who I
mentioned yesterday who encourages her child to rudely chastise adults who
are smoking outside several yards away from her; but who nonetheless leaves
the child with babysitters who chain smoke inside on a regular basis, or who
will smoke herself if her latest boyfriend is a smoker; and there are many,
many more personal experiences which I've had with people like this. I am
not exagerrating about these people. On the other hand I have two close
friends who truly do have problems, one with allergies and one with
emphysema. I swear to you those two, who have the most right to complain,
have never done so in front of other smokers in all the years I've known
them. Not that they shouldn't complain but it is strange that the honest
ones don't and the highly suspect and hypocritical ones do. Unfortunately
the majority of my experiences has been with the latter and I wonder what
they really are getting at by their actions. I suspect it just makes them
feel superior in some way, or gives them an excuse to pick out someone to
harass. That's sure what it feels like from this side. It's a shame that
they gives a "bad name" to the people who really have a valid complaint.
Kakki
Tyler wrote:
> My problem with smoking? I am TERRIBLY allergic to
> cigarrette smoke. <snip> The worst part of all this is that people don't
take
> me seriously when I claim to be allergic to tobacco
> smoke, even when it's known that it is a fairly common
> allergy. the assumption is that I'm making a big deal
> over nothing My point is all this is that not everyone who
> complains about seconhand smoke is hypocritical or
> over sensitive.
