Why do smokers think it is okay for them to litter?

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bizmark

Banned
Feb 4, 2002
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<<

<< Do you think that it is wrong for people to throw cigarette butts on the ground? >>



Personally, I use the ashtray in my car. Empty it everytime I get gas. If I?m outside I flick the cherry on the ground and then stomp on it, and make sure there is no tobacco in the but, and put the butt in the next trashcan. As a general rule, you should not litter or do things that are an obvious fire hazard. Perhaps I should re-think that entire ethos as everyone is wishing me to die. :)
>>



Okay. I think that that was what was really at issue here. I agree with your stance as you just stated it, and I don't think that any one of the 'nazis' would disagree with it to any large degree. You are doing precisely what (society (including me) seems to think) you should do: keeping your trash where it belongs -- in the trash can or ashtray. The issue was getting mad at people who are disrespectful and throw their cigarettes on the roadside or sidewalk, and it somehow turned into an argument whether people should be allowed to smoke in public or not.
rolleye.gif


I think that this (kind of like the Israel/Palestine thing) is an issue that people just tend to get really emotional about (on both sides), and they only see what they think others are saying, rather than what they actually said. Many people jumped in here and immediately started bashing smokers for all sorts of reasons not related to the (original) littering issue. Also, you (and some others) jumped in here and started bashing the smoker-bashers on all sorts of reasons not related to the (original) littering issue. It just spiraled downward from there: trailer trash, insulting people's kids, personal attacks .....
rolleye.gif


Cheers! :)
 

Jimbo

Platinum Member
Oct 10, 1999
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I mostly agree with you. :)
The real crux of the issue, on both sides, really is not littering. The littering argument is just another means to an end in the tactics of the anti-smoking crowd. Unfortunately, if it were not the issue of littering, it would be something else. There seems to be distinct need to demonize others in the human races that are not like you. Was it over the line to give attributes to Optimus? kids that he was displaying? Maybe. Mea culpa.
Then again the concept of wishing a horrible and painful death on others, and then gleefully denying them medical care, because you do not like the way they smell, is just flat-out creepy. What I said may have been rude. What the other side said was sinister.

:)
 

BillGates

Diamond Member
Nov 30, 2001
7,388
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Wow, turned out to be a very heated debate, and luckily nobody was killed.

After all that, I need a cigarette....;)









(actually I never touched one, but I'm not going to say anything more)
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,483
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<<

<< After all that, I need a cigarette... >>


Righ now I'm 2 into a sixer.
:D
>>



I'm 4 into one...but you're on Pacific time, so I'll give you 2 beer handicap :D
 

Red Dawn

Elite Member
Jun 4, 2001
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I'm still un-nerved about Gopunks threat to crap on our lawns!!I swear if he tries I'm going to turn the Sprinklers on his sorry ass:)
 

satori

Senior member
Nov 2, 1999
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Hey, I actually got >yelled< at once for walking over to a garbage can to throw away my cigarette.

I'd just gotten off the plane at Sea-Tac airport and walked out to the departures curb to have a cigarette. It was pretty late, so there weren't many people around. 2 guys smoking about 20 feet away and a lady about 30-40 feet in the other direction. I walked up to the guys to ask for a light and then went back to wait for my ride. I purposedly stayed farther from the lady, since she wasn't smoking. But, a minute or 2 later, she comes over and tells me, in a pissy voice, "You can't smoke here." I was flabbergasted (see, smokers can use big words, too!!) at first, since I had no idea what she was talking about.

But, then I looked around and noticed the little signs saying no smoking allowed. I lived in Seattle up 'til 5 years ago, and I still fly back about once a month, and I've >always< smoked up at the departure curb (along with tons of people). But, apparently after 9-11, they changed the policy to only allow smoking on the downstairs arrivals curb. So, I say "Sorry, my mistake" to the lady, put out the cigarette, walk over to a trash can and throw away the butt. The lady follows me and says "What are you doing?!?" I look back with this perplexed look on my face. She then says "You're gonna start a fire!" I'm incredulous (wow, another big word!!) at this point, so I say "What the F@#K do you want me to do with it? Throw it in the street?". She started stammering and might've blurted out "Yes", while I walked back inside to cool off. Man, was I pissed off.

BTW, the butt was definitely out. I've had years of practice at putting cigarettes out. I'm proud to say I'm an expert cigarette-puter-outer (Okay, that's a made-up big-word). Never started a fire in a trash can or burned a forest down!! :)
 

Aceman

Banned
Oct 9, 1999
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Well seeing as this thread has gone completely off topic again, I'll give your a rebuttal to your "Facts"

Smoking is an inherently "Me first and damn the consequences - it feels good so I'm gonna do it" thing:
Real Answer: So is everything else, food, sex, and many other things in life

Fact: It destroys your own lungs, making you a strain on the health care system and your family.
Answer: Fvck you! I'm gonna do it so mind yer own business! This is a free country, you PC police hippy!
Real Answer: There is no proven study that smoking WILL destroy a person's lungs. But, if you want to believe this garbage, better believe that a smoker's life expentancy is shorter than a nonsmoker and therefore puts less of a strain on health care systems

Fact: 2nd hand smoke kills non-smokers.
Answer: Fvck you! I'm gonna do it so mind yer own business! This is a free country, you PC police hippy!
Real Answer: There is NO PROVEN link to this. Please provide me a link showing this is 100% proven or retract it! There is speculation, but not proven hard facts.
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
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<< Real Answer: There is no proven study that smoking WILL destroy a person's lungs. But, if you want to believe this garbage, better believe that a smoker's life expentancy is shorter than a nonsmoker and therefore puts less of a strain on health care systems >>



I disagree with this one. Living shorter doesn't equate to lower medical expenses when you factor in all the doctor visits, blood pressure medication, nitro glycerine patches, oxygen tanks, and endless other expenses that a person suffering from emphazema, lung cancer, or heart disease incurrs due to smoking for their entire life.
 

Aceman

Banned
Oct 9, 1999
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Josh, have you considered how much money is being spent on medical expense for the 10-20years longer that say a nonsmoker will live? Along with that how much in social security their drawing?
 

Nil

Senior member
Mar 16, 2001
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<< I'm still un-nerved about Gopunks threat to crap on our lawns!!I swear if he tries I'm going to turn the Sprinklers on his sorry ass:) >>



Don't worry, I think he was just talking about crapping on my lawn. Thats cool, the neighbors dog does, just so long as he doesn't mind the fact that I've set up a camera, and I will post the pics!
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,483
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Ace, I never considered SS, but other than that yes I did consider everything.

And as you said in your post, ON AVERAGE the smokers die earlier. That doesn't include the ones that spent years upon years on meds and support that they could have escaped if they hadn't had a self destructive habit.

I kind of get to look at both ends of the spectrum - one side of my family is made up entirely of smokers, and the other side of the family consists almost entirely of health care professionals.



 

datalink7

Lifer
Jan 23, 2001
16,765
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<< Well seeing as this thread has gone completely off topic again
>>



Off topic? I believe the origional topic was "why do smokers think it is okay for them to litter?"
 

Aceman

Banned
Oct 9, 1999
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<< And as you said in your post, ON AVERAGE the smokers die earlier. >>



Where's I say that??? I said that if you believe that smoking will destroy your lungs that you also better believe that it will shorten your life expectancy.
I still say that I'll bury everyone here if I die of "natural causes/diseases" I've smoke for 15 years and used tobacco for 22 years. I've been through a smoking study and I've seen the damage (Better yet lack of it) on my lungs. I smoke(d) 2-3.5 packs a day since I started smoking and as of age 29 I showed signs in my lungs of that compared to someone who's smoked a 1/2 pack a day for 2-4 years. Do I believe that I'll die from smoking......NO. Do I hope that others will have pity on me if I do die from smoking.........NO! As for now, I'm living my life and not changing a thing. I may be an "exception to the rule" but my physical from that smoking study had the doctor saying after analyzing my lifestyle/health "According to how you live, I'm talking to a dead person. According to your physical, you're in better health than the common man your age."
 

Aceman

Banned
Oct 9, 1999
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<< best. thread. evar. >>



No same ol same ol.

We talk about the terrible littering that a smoker causes, then it goes completely off the topic and have everyone attacking smokers for second hand smoke that is "harming" them. Even though there are no HARD FACTS to support this.
 

PullMyFinger

Senior member
Mar 7, 2001
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"We talk about the terrible littering that a smoker causes, then it goes completely off the topic and have everyone attacking smokers for second hand smoke that is "harming" them. Even though there are no HARD FACTS to support this."

No, actually it was the "don't stomp on my right to smoke" people that chimed in first, then the "you start forest fire people" spoke up, then it was the "second hand smoke kills/saves people", Catholic priest haters played a small part, and finally Gopunk threatened to pinch a loaf on everybody's front porch. There, three pages of posts wrapped up in three lines of text, game over.:D
 

Jimbo

Platinum Member
Oct 10, 1999
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<< and finally Gopunk threatened to pinch a loaf on everybody's front porch. >>

Talk about "thread crapping".
 

GiGoLo

Senior member
Oct 1, 2001
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hehe... funny you mentioned that. my roommate and i smoke a few packs a week... then one day we find a note on our front door that says "we picked up approximately 176 cigarette butts from your front yard this week. please dispose of them properly..."

but its all good cuz the yard workers always chop them up in the lawnmower anyway :p
 

Jimbo

Platinum Member
Oct 10, 1999
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<< hehe... funny you mentioned that. my roommate and i smoke a few packs a week... then one day we find a note on our front door that says "we picked up approximately 176 cigarette butts from your front yard this week. please dispose of them properly..." >>


That's weird. Is this your OWN front lawn? Not a condo or appartment?
 

bizmark

Banned
Feb 4, 2002
2,311
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<<

<< and finally Gopunk threatened to pinch a loaf on everybody's front porch. >>

Talk about "thread crapping".
>>



LOL!
 

dejacky

Banned
Dec 17, 2000
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I'm not entirely against people smoking, but I AM AGAINST people smoking & throwing their cigarette butts on the ground & out their car window. Whenever I see people throw waste out their car window I honk them down until they pick it up :). They get so scared hehe.

-dejacky
 

BillGates

Diamond Member
Nov 30, 2001
7,388
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Wow, my killer thread is back from the dead... I should have counted the cigarette littering violations I have seen since I started the thread. It should be legal to crash into people who are so lazy and ignorant.