<p>People travel on vehicles to get to places where they usually can’t on foot, while people smoke to satisfy their own addictive urges. People can choose not to smoke; people can’t choose not to drive. Driving is a necessity; smoking isn’t. </p>
<p>Now, I understand that you do not care about your own health as much as I do because of the hedonistic nature of American culture, but let me enlighten you with an instance in which you would care.</p>
<p>Imagine you had consensual sex with an African American boyfriend, and he impregnated you, and you chose to keep the baby. Now you, being a student, must walk around Berkeley everyday to get to your classes, meaning you’ll be exposed to second-hand smoke. Knowing that your baby may be born deformed because of these smokers, would you simply stand by and accept their treacherous activities as is? </p>
<p>Think about the poor baby. Think about the babies of all pregnant women at Berkeley, for heaven’s sake!</p>
<p>OMG Lucyan! How incredibly racist of you! What does throwing “African American” in there have to do with anything except to demonstrate your own shortcomings with other races?</p>
<p>And seriously, giving an example of a pregnant person and their baby is beyond ludicrous. Believe me, there are many more harmful substances we all breathe all day that are probably far-and-beyond more dangerous than a brief few minute walk through some cigarette smoke. The government goes on and on about second hand smoke, yet will let factories spew out god-knows-what into the air on a daily basis, and let diesel engines cough out black smoke on our raods, or they’ll spray us with chem-trails. If you are so concerned about unborn lives, perhaps you should look into those sources of pollutants in the air, or in our water, or in our food.</p>
<p>Seriously, I hope you don’t represent what a typical Cal student is like.</p>
<p>I mentioned the race of Fluffin’s boyfriend to underscore the high importance and difficulty of protecting the baby’s health - it is well known that African Americans, on average, have higher mortality rates than their white counterparts, making it more important to shield African American babies from the toxic effects of second-hand smoke.</p>
<p>With all due respect zeppinlover, I really hope you aren’t being serious. There have been research studies showing just how detrimental second-hand smoke is. To deny the dangers of second-hand smoke would be to deny the grand authority of science itself.</p>
<p>I’m sorry to tell you that most if not all Cal students I know share my same degree of hate for these mass murdering smokers that abound on campus. No one wants lung cancer or dead babies because of a selfish smoker. </p>
<p>Right. So go and buy a gas mask to help your theoretical “baby” survive and to save your own health. It’ll be much more effective than complaining on CC where no one can do much to stop these smokers. You’ll also protect yourself from other pollutants too, and while you’re at it, why don’t you start walking and biking more, give up processed foods, get away from the computer to reduce radiation from the screen etc.?</p>
<p>As for others worried that people at Cal are as stuck up as lucyan, let me assure you that they aren’t, s/he is only the rare exception. Berkeley was one of the most accepting campuses of all those that I visited and the students there respected personal rights of people the most. This included smokers who respected your choice for being healthy, and also non-smokers respecting your choice to smoke. During my two month stay there, no one tried to impose their beliefs on me like Lucyan is trying to now. I’m pretty sure that Lucyan is just a ■■■■■, especially when it’s obviously clear that nothing s/he says or does on CC really changes anything for the better. His/her attitudes really do not reflect the attitudes the rest of Cal’s student population.</p>
<p>Was going to edit my post to further clarify, but ran out of time, so here’s the full version:</p>
<p>You simply do not have the right to tell what people should or should not do to their bodies. Your claim that smoking should be banned because it infringes on <em>your</em> rights is hypocritical and selfish, because you don’t realize that by banning smoking, you are also infringing on the rights of smokers. Instead of trying to make the world revolve around you by making everyone stop doing what <em>you</em> don’t like, perhaps you should go and buy a gas mask to help your theoretical “baby” survive and to save your own health. It’ll be much more effective than complaining on CC where no one can do much to stop these smokers. You’ll also protect yourself from other pollutants too, and while you’re at it, why don’t you start walking and biking more, give up processed foods, get away from the computer to reduce radiation from the screen etc.? In fact, you can even move to another state if you care about your health so much, as we all know that California is not very well known for its fresh air.</p>
<p>Your logic for your intolerance reminds me a lot of those who oppose gay marriage. You spread a bunch of ideas about how the activities of the homosexual community are bad for everyone else (“Think about the children!”, “Think about the parents who will have to explain to their children!”, “They spread AIDS!”) and then claim that it infringes on your “freedom of religion” by legalizing it. Sure, people who are gay don’t have to get married or even have partners, but why shouldn’t they?</p>
<p>I also find it a bit funny how you have to point out that me having sex with an African American was consensual, as if we would have assumed it wasn’t? The part where you also claimed that African American babies should be protected better than other babies due to their lower average mortality rates is also funny. Don’t you believe that everyone should have the same opportunity to survive, rather than to put extra focus on keeping African American babies alive because they’re “rare”? Perhaps you just have terrible logical thinking skills, but your arguments aren’t very persuasive at all.</p>
<p>As for others worried that people at Cal are as stuck up as lucyan, let me assure you that they aren’t, s/he is only the rare exception. Berkeley was one of the most accepting campuses of all those that I visited and the students there respected personal rights of people the most. This included smokers who respected your choice for being healthy, and also non-smokers respecting your choice to smoke. During my two month stay there, no one tried to impose their beliefs on me like Lucyan is trying to now. I’m pretty sure that Lucyan is just a ■■■■■, especially when it’s obviously clear that nothing s/he says or does on CC really changes anything for the better. His/her attitudes really do not reflect the attitudes the rest of Cal’s student population. Intolerance and hate aren’t generally accepted in the Berkeley community.</p>
<p>I really hate cigarette smoke blown my way. Actually I would like to sue these smoking idiots for blowing smoke in my face. Some obnoxious smokers do it on purpose just to annoy other people. Can I punch them in their faces? I always wanted to tell these idiots to stop doing it or to smoke only in your room or a place where nobody is around, then usually I decided to walk way. I will never associate with smokers. </p>
<p>@Fluffin: “anti-smoking” has nothing to do with “Intolerance and hate aren’t generally accepted in the Berkeley community.” You need to lighten up.</p>
<p>I am wholeheartedly in agreement with BearFacts. I’m fine with smokers as long as they keep their smoke away from me; but blowing smoke around when other people are clearly in their proximity? That’s just asking for trouble! I don’t care if smokers kill themselves with their noxious habits, but don’t try to kill innocent bystanders!</p>
<p>This is ridiculous. You’re trying to argue that “you paid to go there,” but so did all of the smokers. They paid the same tuition rate that you paid. Smoking has already been banned indoors virtually everywhere…if you can’t deal with walking past a group of people smoking a few times a day, then I think you have bigger issues.</p>
<p>The dangers of second hand smoke aren’t even really relevant here. Yes, it is certainly damaging…but these is typically in reference to non-smokers that are trapped indoors with smokers. When the smoke is contained, you breathe in a much higher amount of it. I don’t think that you taking in a single breath of smoke filled air is going to kill you. I’ve breathed in more dangerous stuff in my chemistry labs before. </p>
<p>If you don’t want “your rights” infringed on, then quit trying to infringe on others rights. </p>
<p>For the record…when I first started reading this, I thought you were seriously referring to people standing in doorways smoking crack.</p>