Calling All Smokers!

[Flatouthruthefog]

A quick and sincere thanks from a non smoker to all you smokin' folks who have abided by the new law so quickly and (so far as I have heard) without any big complaint.

I am really amazed that you have taken this new restriction on board so quickly and peacefully. I want you to know that this particular life-long non-smoker appreciates it very much.

And hopes it encourages you all to cut down - purely for your own sakes!

[Austhaied]

For me it's just another great excuse not to go out.

Let's see how long Thailand remains a "nanny state".

My guess is 3-6 months, then back to normal.

[gpdjohn]

I'm lovin' the "power smoker" picture..hehehe

The Rimping Grocery around the corner from my 'hood has a Coffee Bus coffee shop and last week the wifey and I noticed alot of Tamlieut in the parking lot..( nope, not sittin' as usual but up and actually walking around..amazing ) and a brandy new non-smoking sign posted on the refrig next to the coffee bus, a big one too.

No one was lighting up as usual and another guy told me that the police were actually on a "revenue enhancement " mission of catching smokers in the act.

The next day back we go ( wifey is a coffee yai freak )...

The sign is missing, folks firing up smokes all over and the BIB are again at thier post...next to the book store reading and yaking with the security guys...

So far, it has only lasted that one evening...at least in my neck of the woods.

[amexpat]

It looks like some are taking it better than others.

It's here to stay just like other places it has been enacted. People like it.

Some smokers find that they also like not having to deal with other peoples' smoke, butts, ashes.

[Maejo Man]

Bangkok seems to be relenting already. One large gogo bar in NEP banned smoking from the first day, but as of last night all the ashtrays were back out and people were happily puffing away as normal.

I noticed several others with smokers inside too. Even Bus stop (soi 4) has the ashtrays out again, all be it in only half of the establishment........The only people that are making money out of this are the printers of "no smoking" signs

[Austhaied]

It looks like some are taking it better than others.

It's here to stay just like other places it has been enacted. People like it.

Some smokers find that they also like not having to deal with other peoples' smoke, butts, ashes.

You obviously haven't been here too long have you ?

Nothing in this country is "here to stay". Especially a law like this one. Show me a Thai cop that doesn't smoke. As soon as they realize it's too difficult to implement they'll just give up and go back to where they were before. This is not Canada, Australia or Ireland.

That reality will become clear soon.

That's the truth Ruth.

[FolkGuitar]

For me it's just another great excuse not to go out.

Let's see how long Thailand remains a "nanny state".

My guess is 3-6 months, then back to normal.

Some of the nanny's are going a bridge too far...

I noticed one fellow walk roughly 30 meters across an empty outdoor restaurant to talk to some people at a remote table (placed well away from all the others and half hidden from view) and demand that the fellow there to stop smoking as the smoke was bothering him. The nanny was sitting about 5 steps away from Chiaphum Road, breathing in all the muck from the tuk-tuks and selors but this didn't bother him at all. But one fellow sitting almost half a football field away smoking a cigarette was enough to get this fellow up and complaining.

I'm a smoker who no longer smokes. Haven't in Nine years, six months, two weeks, three days, 17 hours, 22 minutes. 104661 cigarettes not smoked, saving $36,631.60. You can bet your sweet a$$ that I am aware of smokers. The fellow smoking was less than 10 meters from me, and I never noticed any smell of burning tobacco. The guy up front could only have 'seen' him smoking, but that was enough to play Cigarette Nazi. As he walked back to his table, he was punching buttons on his cell phone. Calling the cops? I'd imagine so.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral, 48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy." I wish I knew who said that...

[Austhaied]

For me it's just another great excuse not to go out.

Let's see how long Thailand remains a "nanny state".

My guess is 3-6 months, then back to normal.

Some of the nanny's are going a bridge too far...

I noticed one fellow walk roughly 30 meters across an empty outdoor restaurant to talk to some people at a remote table (placed well away from all the others and half hidden from view) and demand that the fellow there to stop smoking as the smoke was bothering him. The nanny was sitting about 5 steps away from Chiaphum Road, breathing in all the muck from the tuk-tuks and selors but this didn't bother him at all. But one fellow sitting almost half a football field away smoking a cigarette was enough to get this fellow up and complaining.

I'm a smoker who no longer smokes. Haven't in Nine years, six months, two weeks, three days, 17 hours, 22 minutes. 104661 cigarettes not smoked, saving $36,631.60. You can bet your sweet a$$ that I am aware of smokers. The fellow smoking was less than 10 meters from me, and I never noticed any smell of burning tobacco. The guy up front could only have 'seen' him smoking, but that was enough to play Cigarette Nazi. As he walked back to his table, he was punching buttons on his cell phone. Calling the cops? I'd imagine so.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral, 48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy." I wish I knew who said that...

Great post.

The nazis will come out of the woodwork for a while. Then they'll crawl back under the rock from where they came once all this crap blows over. Which it will.

Edited March 9, 2008 by Austhaied

[realthaideal]

The fellow smoking was less than 10 meters from me, and I never noticed any smell of burning tobacco. The guy up front could only have 'seen' him smoking, but that was enough to play Cigarette Nazi.

Hey FolkGuit. Nice post indeed. I know you're aware n all, but the person wasn't so much a nazi (also Wiki 'Godwin's Law' for why 'Nazi' voids any argument's validity) as much as the sight of the cigarette creates in the non-smoker a psychological reaction that is in fact an overreaction. I don't smoke tobacky myself, and I hate the smell of the smoke, and I deal most of the time. But some ppl, as with the haze here, see it and the mind starts reeling and having conniptions. The suggestion of something they don't like affects their psychology so much that they start to have symptoms. Are some symptoms real ? Yes. Sometimes. But then you could go to the Thai food subforum and hear all the craaaazy discussion about how Thai food has MSG (most does) and then hear how science refutes nearly all claims that it does anything to us and then all the others who 'know' they have reactions to it chime in all up in conniption-fit arms. Such is life. Oh well, until we as humans have a grip on our psychology the mind will have its unruly way.

Speaking of psychology and pollution by the by, how about the Thai girl smog mask of five fingers placed over the mouth and nose while riding the scooter ? Cutest silliest thing ever. I wonder how many parts per million fingers can screen out ? Maybe it's the magic of the Thai ladies' fingers ?

[bunta71]

The Thai girl smog mask thing IS the cutest silliest thing ever! But I once saw my neighbors in the Philippines quiet a relentless barking dog by slicing a hot dog length-wise,hollowing it out, filling it with MSG and tying it back up with thread. Had such a profound "psychological" effect on the dog that I never again heard it bark.

[Austhaied]

The Thai girl smog mask thing IS the cutest silliest thing ever! But I once saw my neighbors in the Philippines quiet a relentless barking dog by slicing a hot dog length-wise,hollowing it out, filling it with MSG and tying it back up with thread. Had such a profound "psychological" effect on the dog that I never again heard it bark.

Now that's "evil"..

[Crow Boy]

First up - I am a non smoker, never smoked and personally don't understand why anyone does smoke. However what concerns me most about this is not the smoke, the cigarettes or tangents into MSG additives to Thai food and dog deterrents is that one group of people have decided for their own benefit to demand that another group cease something that is legal, taxed, and available to any consenting adult. This nanny state mentality is one of the many reasons I left my home country and moved to Thailand. No you can't smoke, no you can't buy a beer from the 7-11 because you might want to drink it. We are not talking about Group A narcotics that are illegal and have serious penalties if caught, these are legal activities which we as adults can determine if or when we wish to partake.

Personally I prefer people not to smoke when I am eating but I would not think of walking across a vacant room and demand a person smoking cease. I like the outside bistro areas and prefer them to sitting in the arctic cold of inside. It is my decision to share my space with smokers and my choice if I wish to move away from them. To prevent someone from having a cigarette reeks (sorry pun not intended) of so much western mentality of "we know what is best for you"

In my house, in my car my decision is please don't smoke but in the open air? Come on, get real.

If this or any government really wanted to combat smoking the answer is simple - make it illegal to buy, sell, possess or smoke it. Then stand back while they suddenly realise the drop in revenue through direct and indirect taxes and the impact of their spending. The public outcry would reverberate across the world. Outcome would probably be mandatory smoking for all adults and free cigarettes.

CB

[twschw]

A quick and sincere thanks from a non smoker to all you smokin' folks who have abided by the new law so quickly and (so far as I have heard) without any big complaint.

I am really amazed that you have taken this new restriction on board so quickly and peacefully. I want you to know that this particular life-long non-smoker appreciates it very much.

And hopes it encourages you all to cut down - purely for your own sakes!

I, as a smoker, actually appreciate the politeness of this post. It beats the pontificating posts on other threads. I personally would never smoke in an enclosed restaurant but if I were smoking in an open air bar and someone politely told me that my smoke was bothering them I would, of course try to minimize the effect of the smoke to them. However if approached in an aggresive manner I would simply ignore them and light another. To get respect you have to give respect.

I do doubt that a restriction on smoking in bars will have any effect on how much I smoke since bars are not where I spend much of my time.

[FolkGuitar]

The fellow smoking was less than 10 meters from me, and I never noticed any smell of burning tobacco. The guy up front could only have 'seen' him smoking, but that was enough to play Cigarette Nazi.

Hey FolkGuit. Nice post indeed. I know you're aware n all, but the person wasn't so much a nazi (also Wiki 'Godwin's Law' for why 'Nazi' voids any argument's validity) as much as the sight of the cigarette creates in the non-smoker a psychological reaction that is in fact an overreaction.

I have always found 'Godwin's Law' to be one of the more foolish contributions to Internet behavior. One doesn't have to wear jackboots to be a Nazi any more than calling someone a Nazi automatically reduces the validity of a statement, despite what someone named Godwin may like us to believe. If it walks like a duck, and talks like a duck, it's most likely a duck.

I don't smoke tobacky myself, and I hate the smell of the smoke, and I deal most of the time. But some ppl, as with the haze here, see it and the mind starts reeling and having conniptions.

How many members of the Nazi party were ever in the same room with an Armenian, Romney, or Hasidim? I wonder if invoking Godwin's Law could have saved 11,000,000 people from being exterminated....

As you say, people do tend to overreact in many different situations. Labeling them doesn't negate that fact. Like Crowboy, I dislike having the govt. tell me what I can or can not do. I don't like helmet laws, but would never ride without one. I dislike cigarette laws, but chose not to smoke. I don't find seatbelts comfortable, but will always put one on when riding in a car. I don't want someone telling me I must or I have to pay a fine. I remember when one of the US states was trying to pass a seatbelt law for motorcycles... Death packaged in a 2" strip of webbing. Fortunately it was voted down.

I do find the majority of cigarette smokers to be polite. If asked politely, 'most' will smoke away from you or if needed, put them out. Seeing this fellow storm across an empty outdoor restaurant and demand that the smoker stop was more offensive than the smoker's behavior. On the other hand, the smoker was breaking the law.

Maybe we need laws to stop people from making demands upon others?

A law to stop my wife from telling me to take out the trash.

I know perfectly well how to wash the dishes. Don't tell me how to do it!

[Rasseru]

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral, 48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy." I wish I knew who said that...

I never heard him say it myself, but I understand it was Vittorio De Sica, an Italian movie director, who lived from 1901 to 1974.

[sylviex]

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral, 48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy." I wish I knew who said that...

I never heard him say it myself, but I understand it was Vittorio De Sica, an Italian movie director, who lived from 1901 to 1974.

Director of "The Bicycle Thieves" (et al), no less.

back to topic ...

[Jefferson]

> For me it's just another great excuse not to go out.

If that keeps places smoke free, I'm inclined to call that a good thing.

I can't count the times that I set foot in a place, notice the presence of smoke (or lack of air) and did a 180 degree turn.

[BigSnake]

[solent01]

Yeah, and just wait for the next <deleted>*k up to people enjoying themselves, you can go to a bar, but you can't drink

TIT, it won't last that long

[Austhaied]

> For me it's just another great excuse not to go out.

If that keeps places smoke free, I'm inclined to call that a good thing.

I can't count the times that I set foot in a place, notice the presence of smoke (or lack of air) and did a 180 degree turn.

Glad i can be of service to you.