No, it seems to be more fun to throw smokers out into the street and sneer at them...
Another of your thoughtful and interesting posts Rincewind. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> But I can't let that comment pass without reply.
I know a number of people who work in the area of public health and I don't know anybody who wants to "throw smokers out into the street and sneer at them". Mostly, they are professionals in the health area who are rationally and reasonably concerned about the private and public damage that smoking does.
Painting them as jackbooted anti-fun types who delight in restricting public liberties simply isn't right. Perhaps such a stereotype does exist somewhere, but most of them are not like that. Most of them also know that banning things simply doesn't work. It didn't work for prohibition of booze, and it clearly fails for drugs.
We have a number of programs here that offer help to people who wish to quit smoking, coupled with an ongoing public health awareness campaign, but it will probably never be possible to fully stop smoking. And of course we are also working on trying to overcome the negative effects of obesity, alcohol abuse, car exhaust, reckless driving, industrial pollution and all sorts of other issues. They all need work, and the existence of one doesn't somehow excuse the other. And none of them are ever likely to completely go away - but that doesn't seem like a good reason not to keep trying to find ways of minimising the harm they do.
Isn't it possible to discuss the issue of smoking, in private and public, without painting smokers as anti-social deviants and non-smokers as liberty hating wowsers??? Come on people! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
