I'm a smoker. Not of the obnoxious kind. For instance do I only smoke in one room at home, since my girlfriend is a non-smoker. I always, always, make sure to ask before I light up and soforth, but what gets to me is the rhetoric nonsmokers use (not necessarily people in this forum).
If i light up a cigarette in a restaurant , not seldomly does some obnoxious nonsmoker yell out "YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO SMOKE HERE" even though I am. It just the sign on THEIR table, which says No Smoking", whereas mine of course says Smoking allowed. A lot of non-smokers ARE bashing smokers for no reason other than to have something to bitch about.
My girlfriend threw a party one night, and had invited 5 friends, of which four were smokers.
She is okay with people smoking in the living room if there is a "reason" for it (parties, birthdays etc.). So people lit up of course. Within 60 seconds, the nonsmoking friend demanded that everyone should leave the premises and smoke outside (in -12 degrees centrigrade(30 fahrenheit, I think)). Unfortunately I wasn't home at the time: I would have dragged her bare ass in the snow from here to afghanistan. She knew that there would be smokers, she knew that it's allowed in OUR home, still she comes in to other peoples homes and think she can orchestrate how we do things.
A lot of smokers have that tendency: "I have seen the light, and you have to obey". To my that's a load of BS. I know smoking kills (second-hand, too), but is it too much to ask of nonsmokers to respect the smokers?
Not to mention non-smokers way of addressing someone who smokes: Start off demanding that you put out your cigarette, instead of asking politely (because it bothers you blah, blah). That would be nice for a change.
Whenever people start TELLING me what to do,because they WANT it, as if it is their God-given right, I'm equally inclined to do the exactly opposite, just to spite(spelling) them.
It's okay they don't want to deal with the smoke, but it's NOT okay to disrespect (in a non-rapper-manner) other people, be they smokers or nonsmokers. Sometimes it feels like we're second-rate citizens.
Sorry about the rant. Now I need a cigarette. Pheeew!