h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

JzG,yk, the comments in the first 60 or so posts on this thread were about the original version of the article. It was completely rewritten, but there's no mechanism in H2G2 to show that a comment refers to a previous version.

Which explains much. I see it all, now. Some of it.

Why are so many people trashing this article? Smokers, write your own. Disappointed non-smokers, write your own. It is not the responsibility of this poor author to voice all of your opinions. He is only responsible for his own.

On a side note: It is all but said by god himself that cigarettes cause harm to your body and cause even worse harm to those around your body when you smoke. Therefore, lay off! Please.

Tut tut! Surely you too have been taken in bay the global conspiracy of anti-tobacco liberals who aim to destroy the harmless tobacco industry by faking research, in the pursuit of their anti-smoking bigotry

You go, man!

I'm so sick of smokers inflicting their repulsive habit on me, expecting me to put up with the very real health and aesthetic consequences, and then whinging about ME being intolerant if I bruise their fuzzy, dainty, sensitive little feelings by daring to express my truthful, honest opinion on the subject of what they are doing to me for no good reason. Apparently in their hypocritical little world some people are more equal than others. They feel entitled to make other people ill and stink up others' hair and clothes, but say something disapproving, hint that the experience is less than enjoyable, give in to the natural urge to cough in their presence, or (God forbid!) ask them to assume responsibility for their own behaviour and show some consideration for others and suddenly you find yourself branded a genocidal maniac.

A few months ago, when I was still having trouble breathing from severe, passive smoking related asthma (with longterm consequences which cost me thousands of dollars in lost wages and extremely expensive, side-effect ridden medication), I asked a smoker approaching a bus stop where I was standing whether she could please finish her cigarette standing away and downwind, explaining my medical condition. Her response, as is most smokers' was snotty. "We're outdoors, so it shouldn't bother you." Like the vast majority of smokers, this badly informed, meanspirited idiot felt she knew more about what really bothers me than my professional medical advisors or I do. She was willing to risk my life and cause further serious damage to my livelihood because she felt that moving three or four metres downwind until she finished her precious smoke was too much to ask of her.

Well, I lost it. I blew up at her. Don't even remember what I said, but I let her have it good. It was all I could do to refrain from hitting her and shoving that damned cig down her stupid throat. Then she started whining, "Get off my back". I told her that, since we were outside, it shouldn't bother her. She finally shut up and moved her stinking self away. Stupid peabrained cow. Yeah, she deserves lung cancer. I heartily wish it on her.

In contrast, I recently encountered a young male smoker at a different bus stop. He stood well away, paid attention to where his smoke was going, put out his cig and THEN approached the others waiting for the bus. Needless to say, I went out of my way to thank him for his thoughtfulness. He didn't know what to make of my comments, as he thought his behaviour was self-evident, the obvious, courteous, responsible thing for an adult who has chosen to smoke to do. If all smokers were like him, smoking bans would be unnecessary and nobody would hate smokers.

Unfortunately, in my experience, the woman represents the attitude of most smokers, whereas the young man stood out as an exemplary exception. Smokers who need to ask why they are so vilified need only look in the mirror for the reason.

Bottom line for smokers is, if you inflict it on others, then quit whining about the consequences. If you don't want to be given a hard time, then don't give people a reason to give you one. It's a bit like a mugger complaining about a knee in the groin from a hoped-for victim. If you're gonna dish it out, at least take the inevitable consequences with some dignity. Quit your hypocritical whining and lecturing on what we should tolerate from you, at least until you develop some consideration and tolerance for the needs of others. Just grow up and quit whining.

It's like this. Get off your high horse, it's not only the extremely susceptible to ad homineum dismissal Christian fundamentalists that don't like smoking. As a liberal communist witch I can honestly say that I am just as opposed to organised religion as I am to people taking things that are only going to hurt them. My smoking friend who wakes up every morning and coughs up a lung tells me it hsa a relaxing effect. Oddly enough, as a singer I prefer to just have a cup of tea and get it over with. Cammomile. Or even a warm milk. Soy if that's what you want. If you're a vegetarian like I am you'll probably find that cutting out eggs and milk becomes necessary as they start to make one ill....
....Like the cigarettes I'm not stupid enough to smoke.

Hiya,

sorry, I've just been browsing this converstaion. You mean there are actually people out there who enjoy the thought of smokers dying an incredibly unpleasant and painful death. My, what a developed society we live in.

I am a smoker, but I'm not particularly proud of it. I got through my (relatively) formative years without taking up smoking, despite the disgusting levels of youth-targeted advertising I was unfortunate enough to experience. As it stands at the moment, I am thoroughly addicted to cigarettes. I enjoy smoking, but I don't enjoy the thought of tar-filled lungs and cancerous growths in the throat. I hope to give up smoking ASAP. I am well aware of the health risks posed by passive smoking, and as often as possible will check with any companions as to whether they mind me smoking or not. I am more than happy to adjourn outside if they do.

If you disagree with smoking, and find it distasteful, nay disgusting, all well and fine. Feel free to object if someone is offending you by smoking, but 'Smokers Deserve Lung Cancer'?. Get a grip, or alternatively, get some humanity.

K

If you read carefully, you'll see that I didn't refer to "Smokers" in general; just those who inflict their noxious habits on others against their will. You're not the first person in this thread to make that error.

Sorry, bollocks.

This thread is *LoadeD* with anti-smokers-retoric of a kind that you wouldn't want to use IRL because you might get kicked in the head. And the moment someone compares it to the things that non-smokers do that are *just as bad* they are ignored or ridiculed.

There have been several a bit less hostile posts but all in all they tend to drown in the hate-posts. Perhaps the general tone of conversation on this thread has something to do with that ?
So don't expect the average reader of this thread to distinguish between the 'reasonable non-smoker' and the irate cigarette-hater because the former are drowning in the latter's posts.

This is the least subtle forumthread I have seen so far(and I have been very active on h2g2 right from the beginning).

What bugs me is this : When this thread was revived(after the heated discussions about smokers and lungcancer), I politely asked if someone could *PleasE* start a continuationthread, so that this one wouldn't continuously pop up on my page(and on the pages of other tired researchers). Lots of people are sick and tired of this 'discussion'.

This appears to be too much trouble. Thank you for that...

So while we are 'forcing you' to smoke(because all smokers are dickheads and asshole who deserve something bad or worse), you all can't even go through the trouble of starting a new thread.



Now would somebody please continue this conversation somewhere else ? It's hardly any trouble at all.

I thank you in advance,

TM.

p.s. I usually express myself a bit more diplomatic but that hasn't helped me here so far. I really feel pissed off about *HaViNg* to write something negative like this.

Well, TM, since you've been here so long, you'll realise that the thread keeps popping up because new readers post a reply to something they see at the top of the thread without bothering to read it all the way through, hence never getting to your request. And, if someone has just posted to the thread it's causing you no added inconvenience if they get an immediate reply. Just be patient till the PTB get around to implementing the promised "Ignore this thread" feature.

I apologise to all those narked for blundering in with my size 13's.

K

Gentlemen, gentlemen,

I don't really need apologies, I am just venting my opinion. Everybody, and I mean everybody, has the perfect right to post on whatever forum. If the situation gets out of hand there's always the community-editors to do something about it.

About those 'newbies' who keep activating this thread : It is my experience that, if a continuationthread is started, the main body of the researchers *will* go to that new thread. The remaining few who did not read the redirect will find out soon enough that the original thread has been redirected. Either because they don't get any response or because someone() will tell them it has.

And indeed, I spoke to Mark about a year ago and I asked him if we could PLEASE have a 'remove-from-active-threads'-option. I am very pleased that this update is on its way. It will save us these kind of 'troubles'.

TM.

Oooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhh. Haven't we opened a can of worms?

I deserve lung cancer, because I smoke. I deserve liver failure because I drink. I deserve CJD because I've eaten beef. I deserve Aids because I'm sexually active (and have a tattoo). I deserve Alzheimers because I've eaten food prepared in an aluminium pan. I deserve salmonella because I eat eggs. I deserve swine fever after eating bacon and ham and pork. I deserve cholesterol poisoning, too.
Do I deserve my life choices being castigated? I don't think so.

If I'm with a non-smoker I don't. If I'm with a non-drinker I abstain.
If I'm with a vegetarian or vegan, I don't prepare meat. If someone I know is celibate, I respect that. Nor do I expect them to like my tattoo. If someone I know has Alzheimers, I don't criticise their use of aluminium cookware. If someone I know refuses to eat eggs - that's fine with me. And the same goes for those who want to keep their cholesterol levels down too. Don't ridicule people for their choices in life; they've simply gone down a different path to you.

What aggravates me most is those who bring in large, non-smoking groups, fill up the entire smoking area of an otherwise empty place of business (a restaurant, for example), then b*tch when a smoker sits in a corner and lights up.

'Nonnie

smoking is bad....period. So live with it!

I'd rather live without it, thanks...

My mother smokes and to tell you the truth I would rather not be around her when she does smoke (and she does almost every minute I see her). It's sad, a woman's own daughter doesn't want to hang around her.....but still I'm a bad daughter for not wanting to hang around her just because of that.

My mother has the decency not to smoke around me.

I smoked.
Past tense.
That I can still taste a cigarette and feel if caressing my lungs and know just how GOOD it tastes is irrelevant. I miss it, but I do not do it anymore. The smell, the taste, the feel. A good cigarette and a cup of coffee in the morning. After the rain, walking down a city street. The winter when all is cold and even the smoke can't heat you up. The first puff.The last drag. Sorry, I have digressed.