My sister almost attacked a Pregnant Woman!

[Kemrain]

Dude, that's just plain DISGUSTING!

I can see where you're coming from... but just... EWW!

I'd rather swim in the peeing section of a pool than breathe in the smoking section of a restraunt.

This thread fills me with sorrow and rage. I wish people would open their eyes to their own behavior. I wish people would take responsibility for their actions. I wish the world would grow up.

- Kemrain the Not Expecting Wishes Granted.

 

[Mercule]

A smoking section in a resturant is like a peeing section in a swimming pool.

Amen. Smelling smoke just ruins my appetite. Of course, I've got sinus problems, so smelling smoke can also give me nose bleeds and migraines.

 

[Warrior Poet]

I wish people would open their eyes to their own behavior. I wish people would take responsibility for their actions. I wish the world would grow up.

I'm curious as to why you suspect smokers aren't aware of their own behavior, or are somehow not taking responsibility for their actions, or are somehow not "grown up."

Just because someone engages in behavior that is harmful doesn't necessarily mean they aren't taking responsibility for their own actions, or are immature, or are unaware of their behavior. Smoking may not be smart, but I bet there are plenty of people who do it anyway, knowing the risks, knowing the dangers, not only to themselves but to others. Just the other day I saw a guy with a shirt that read "Warning: The surgeon general has indicated that nagging me about the dangers of my smoking may be hazardous to your health." He was pulling on a cigarette as he walked. My guess is, he knows exactly what he's doing, and takes responsibility for it.

Plenty of people, since before humans knew how to harvest and burn tobacco and inhale its smoke, have undertaken actions that were potentially harmful (or definitely harmful) to themselves knowing FULL WELL what the consequences were. Stunt drivers. Parachutists. Drug users. Journalists in war zones. Soldiers. Police officers. Firefighters. People who volunteer for medical experiments. Sewage treatment workers. Animal handlers. Deep sea divers. Nuclear engineers. Surfers. Park rangers. Race car drivers. Sailors.

I'm not advocating smoking. I've seen it ravage the health of at least two family members. But I think it's incorrect to characterize those people as somehow heedless of what's going on. Like I said before: addiction is powerful. You can still know what's going on, and you can even hate yourself for it, but that doesn't mean you're somehow "not grown up."

I don't smoke, but occasionally I do something immature, or make a mistake, or fumble some aspect of my life, and I try to deal and move on if I can. Smoking isn't the characteristic that defines those qualifiers, it seems to me.

Warrior Poet

 

[Kanegrundar]

Smoking is bad, don't get me wrong, but there are ways that if a person wants to smoke they can and have it not affect others. Most smokers I know are mindful of others. They don't smoke around non-smokers, dispose of their butts properly, and are otherwise mindful of other people. That's the way I am when I smoke. I only smoke in my car or outside. I am careful about the disposal of my butts. I don't smoke when there are people around me that don't, even when I'm outside.

That said, non-smokers should feel duty bound to tell me all the dangers of my habit. I know them. I don't hate myself for indulging a habit I honestly enjoy. I don't cough, don't have high blood pressure, so those people can shove off. I do realize that there will some a day when it will catch up with me. That's why I am trying to quit. I'm using the new Nicorette (which doesn't taste like complete ass like the original variety), and focusing on other things to keep my mind off of it. It's something I promised my fiancee I would do, and I'm going to do it. I don't want to be a wheezing fool if I should have kids.

Pregnant women smoking is another matter to me. They may be conscious of others around them, but they are not of the one person in the world that they should be focused on. That's immature IMO.

Kane

 

[Warrior Poet]

They may be conscious of others around them, but they are not of the one person in the world that they should be focused on. That's immature IMO.

I see your point.

I guess I just disagree that there's a complete lack of awareness across the board. Definitely, some are unaware. In some cases, though, I wouldn't be surprised if smoking mothers are actually very aware of the fetus, and that it causes them great consternation and pain to know how they are putting the fetus at risk, and yet they continue to do so. Perhaps that's where the immaturity comes in, coupled, I would argue, with the addiction factor. I still can't help thinking, though, that people (pregnant or otherwise) have consistently put themselves and their children at risk in all sorts of situations, knowing it was risky, and going forward regardless.

Maybe that's immaturity, indicative of a trait of the species as a whole, I don't know.

Never mind -- the rest of this post was getting into polemic territory inappropriate for the forums. I'd better withdraw from this one.

Thanks for the informative posts, folks. I hope that woman's baby grows up to make better health choices than she does, and isn't addicted itself. Kanegrundar, I wish you good luck quitting smoking, and may you have outstanding health for the remainder of your days, that it may also be so for your family. My sister quit after 14 years. It was a long, brutal battle, but she did it, and I hope it's better for you.

Warrior Poet

 

[reveal]

I guess I just disagree that there's a complete lack of awareness across the board.

I think a lot of people feel that way because we see so many lawsuits against tobacco companies with plantiffs claiming they "didn't know" smoking would kill them. We also see these commericals by Truth where we're told, again, how "Big Tobacco" is evil and how bad it is for us, like we didn't already know it was bad for us.

 

[Kanegrundar]

I think a lot of people feel that way because we see so many lawsuits against tobacco companies with plantiffs claiming they "didn't know" smoking would kill them. We also see these commericals by Truth where we're told, again, how "Big Tobacco" is evil and how bad it is for us, like we didn't already know it was bad for us.

Don't even get me started on those people suing tobacco companies. Maybe some of the first smokers didn't know, but I'd say that every last one of the people that have been suing lately have known. They see a way to cash in due to their own inability or laziness to quit. I know the risks, and if I get sick because of smoking, it's my fault and my fault alone.

Kane

 

[JamesDJarvis]

The pregnant woman who wasn't beaten early in the thread probably had more ills then just smoking. Smoking is a dirty habbit, it isn't too bright and may indeed make one ill.
Folks seem to forget that there were a few generations of americans where a large fraction of folks smoked, while pregnant and near babies and small children and there was not a massive spike in deformiities and cancers clearly linked to being exposed to smoking.
Those second hand smoking studies were crap , i myself am all for not sitting in a restraunt or work place full of other peoples smoke however.
I feel people have a right to screw themselves up however they want and until a baby is born it is still all up to the mother, keep the government out of it. Otherwise we re looking at a future where our blood sugar, sodium, fat and cholesterol intake will be mandated by law and folks will lose health care, employment and housing if they don't meet mandated levels. We all have the power to to what is right for ourselves.

 

[Kanegrundar]

Deleted post. I has too many windows opened and didn't notice I was on the wrong one when I went to post. Sorry all!

Kane

 

[reveal]

Beyond the Horizon for GWD20 was a book that was OK that didn't deliver on promises. I remember reading that the book was going to contain new races. I was leery thanks to the core rules, but Machines and Mutants was much better, so I bought the pdf. All in all, it was OK, not great, but unless my eyes are deceiving me there were no new races in the book. Failed promise right there. I was disappointed, but the rest of the book was alright. I may not use much, if any, of it, but at least it was an interesting read much of the way through.

Kane

I think you posted this in the wrong thread.