Tobacco Nazis...High road or low road?

[El Presidente]

Was just enjoying a PL Picadores last night on the balcony while in my hotel in Sydney. I was just working away.

From the apartment a floor above comes a loud voice to put out my cigar as he has children on his balcony.

I was polite. "Move them inside mate, where there are ashtrays there is smoking".....and ashtrays there were on the balcony. It is one of the reasons I stay here. That and the fact I have been kicked out of enough hotels in this fine town.

"Put it out or I will come down and shove it down your throat" was the nice reply.

I took about four long puffs. It was a still night. I was now feeling a tad giddy.

A few minutes later I could hear knocks on a door. I smiled as I knew it wasn't mine. The knocks continued down the hall. Nice people were answering them. He was getting closer. The bloke had all the navigation skills of Columbus.

Finally my door was knocked.

"Will I ...won't I? Will I ...Won't I?.......Oh bugger it...I will". It had been a long day and I was keen on some entertainment.

It takes a special person to get his trousers in a tizz over cigar smoke...and to go to the next level of actually scouring the floor below.

I was faced with a rather stern bloke of my age and a foot shorter. He was the Anglo version of my greek mate Artie. I had pictured tatts and a knife but hey.... real life rarely meets expectation.

"Are you smoking cigars" my pudgy intimidator asked?

"No" I said. Albeit I purposely put 4 cigars in my top pocket before I opened the door.

"My wife said it was coming from below and you are below as best I can tell".

" alas, your wife must have the nose of a working dog. She must be a pleasure to work"

We exchanged pleasantries. I may have mentioned he resembled one of the short angry people from the last Lord of the Rings movie.

I shut the front door and went back to the balcony. Fired up again. I heard the sliding door upstairs shut. The kids are now finally safe.

I can not understand the anger in some people. The willingness for confrontation. I like to think that I can let most things pass but they just get under my skin. I will grow up one day

[ErikB]

Well done. People are strange creatures. They complain about the smell of cigar smoke yet happily inhale car fumes all day

[LordAnubis]

I wonder if they were outside on the balcony eating a maccas meal.....

[zappaFREAK]

Never grow up!!!!

[wea1959]

I might have countered "Yes, I am enjoying a cigar, are those your children above disturbing my peace and quiet?".

[dicko]

I wonder if they were outside on the balcony eating a maccas meal.....

exactly!

the most astounding is when the people complaining about cigars are smoking durries!!!

[Coolio]

People don't have patience anymore, which just leads to anger and then confrontations like this.

I don't get it.

Where's the love these days?

[Fuzz]

Obviously not a Sydneysider. Else you might have opened the door to a guy wielding a shovel.

[El Presidente]

Obviously not a Sydneysider. Else you might have opened the door to a guy wielding a shovel.

I would have shut the door quick smart

[DoubleDD]

I would have sent him back to his wife holding his teeth.

[El Presidente]

I would have sent him back to his wife holding his teeth.

I rarely want to hurt somebody!

I have turned a new leaf in my life ....and that would lead to the expulsion form a hotel I love. Non option.

+ i couldn't hit a bloke that much smaller than me. It just isn't right + he was more than likely just having a bad night.

Crikey he was lucky that I didn;t have a few under my belt. Then again maybe I was as well.

it was just the seething anger that got to me. Really....over a cigar?

[OZCUBAN]

The government is to blame for this

or he's an ICE addict

[OZCUBAN]

What is it tonight Rob ? A Double Corona

[Fuzz]

I've had people walk across from the other side of the small lake here, just to complain about my cigar smoke.

"Really miss? I didn't realise you could smell my smoke from 200 metres away, over the smell of petrol fumes from the car park and the curry from the local Indian restaurant."

[David88]

This sort of thing does seem to be happen quite often. I have been sat enjoying a cigar in a smoking area before and had cigarrette smokers complain about the smoke from my cigar...I try to just laugh it off and not get wound up, it never helps

[Fugu]

The government is to blame for this

I fear that one is very true.

It’s about tolerance. Which should of course go in either direction. But today this isn’t the case anymore, since people feel they are backed in every situation by governmental anti-smoking legislation. They believe they generally and always have the right to complain and don’t bother with any reflection whether they actually might be right or wrong. And with fewer and fewer cigar and pipe smokers in public this is not going to get any better in the future.

When I look back at my childhood – how much I loved it as a kid when people in restaurants or cafés were smoking their cultivated pipe or a good cigar… We, lucky us, enjoyed a very different socialization those days…

Paul

[wabashcr]

I try to be mindful of the fact that people who don't smoke cigars find cigar smoke to be revolting. If the guy had made a polite request to put it out so his family could enjoy the balcony, I'd have surely complied, regardless of the fact that smoking is allowed by the establishment. I learned from an old college professor (and heavy smoker) that regardless of my rights to smoke, a gentleman always tries to accommodate those who object to the smoke, within reason.

If the guy was a prick about it, as it sounds like this guy was, he's going to be at the mercy of my mood. If I'm feeling charitable, I'll take the high road. If I'm not having the best of days, it's probably going to turn ugly. I can't imagine at this point in my life getting into a physical confrontation, but I wouldn't rule out some raised voices and abusive language.

Politeness goes a long way with me.

[SCgarman]

I once went to the local cigar lounge/ cigar store to have a cigar indoors to escape a party the wife was having at the house with a bunch of women. I lit up a RASS in a comfy chair amid 3 or so other guys smoking cigars also. Then, a young woman enters the lounge carrying her meal from the restaurant next door to the lounge. The guy sitting nearest myself was her significant other. She proceeds to sit opposite him in an empty chair and eat her food, mind you amidst 3 or 4 guys all with lit cigars. She then proceeds to make a comment about how "strong my cigar stinks" since some of the smoke off my tasty RASS was flowing past her nose as she was trying to eat her food! I mean how idiotic? Bring your meal into a cigar lounge full of guys smoking and then complain the smoke is making you turn green! Now I usually smoke at home not at this lounge, but this chick actually made me feel uncomfortable smoking my cigar in a lounge because she decided to eat her food in the vicinity of a bunch of cigar smoke! Shaking my head!

[Bclass1]

Lovely story.Thanks for the midday entertainment

[RijkdeGooier]

It is legal, I paid for the product.

If I choose to excercise my rights I can, it is really that simple.

[darkleeroy]

I'll be considerate and look for a place out of the way of pedestrian traffic and the sort. If at a restaurant I usually request to be seated farthest away from the rest outside. But once I'm set, this heavy individual isn't going to move.

[Corylax18]

He wasn't mad at you Rob, he's mad at the wife and kids!

He was just looking for somebody to take it out on!

My favorite is when people ***** about cigar smoke in a casino. People are willing to sit in the stink and chemical bath of cigarette smoke for hours, but pull out that cigar and now we've got problems.

[LGC]

I once went to the local cigar lounge/ cigar store to have a cigar indoors to escape a party the wife was having at the house with a bunch of women. I lit up a RASS in a comfy chair amid 3 or so other guys smoking cigars also. Then, a young woman enters the lounge carrying her meal from the restaurant next door to the lounge. The guy sitting nearest myself was her significant other. She proceeds to sit opposite him in an empty chair and eat her food, mind you amidst 3 or 4 guys all with lit cigars. She then proceeds to make a comment about how "strong my cigar stinks" since some of the smoke off my tasty RASS was flowing past her nose as she was trying to eat her food! I mean how idiotic? Bring your meal into a cigar lounge full of guys smoking and then complain the smoke is making you turn green! Now I usually smoke at home not at this lounge, but this chick actually made me feel uncomfortable smoking my cigar in a lounge because she decided to eat her food in the vicinity of a bunch of cigar smoke! Shaking my head!

"Excuse me... but I would never walk into a waxing salon with my chicken wings... and complain about aromas interrupting my meal"

[Orion21]

Rob,

Sadly this is the state of the world when it comes to tobacco. People have been successfully brainwashed to believe any amount of second hand smoke will kill them. The anti-smoking lobby is stronger than the smoking lobby was anywhere, especially when you combine that with state paid healthcare. They can connect cancer to cigerette smoking and project out billions of dollars in costs to the state if people continue to smoke. So instead of targeting the real problems, like bad diet and lack of exercise they scapegoat tobacco in general. Now people take it personally when you smoke a cigar around them. They feel you are personally targeting them for death by tobacco smoke and they get ANGRY!

The worst are the ex-smokers who find it appalling you would dare to be less enlightened as them because you smoke cigars. No amount of logic will penetrate their skulls to educate them. They know everything and nothing will change their mind. You are a menace to society and need to be controlled . . .

As to your run in, that is the most extreme reaction I have ever read. This guy knocked on multiple doors on your floor? Wow. If it had been me I would have just stared at him. I would have suggested he contact the front desk to be relocated and then ask him what was really bothering him. If he continued I would have asked him some very simple questions, "Do you enjoy being your wife's whipped little puppy forced to come down here and track down the person smoking the cigar below you? Were you going to expect to bask in some glory of intimidating me into putting out my cigar and boasting to your wife afterwards? Or are you merely a small unhappy little **** and it makes you mad that someone else is enjoying a nice cigar? A nice cigar that you would mostly likely love to try if you weren't so scared of your wife's reaction to it? Here's some advice. Go tell your wife that smoking is allowed here and if she doesn't like it move rooms." And then slam the door.

[Akela3rd]

The positive comments I've had about the smell of cigars far outweigh the negative. Usually it's "oh I love that smell, couldn't smoke it though". It reminds people, women more than men it seems from the comments I've had, of favourite relatives from childhood. My wife however complains about the cigar smell I bring into the house, or it wafting past her in the garden but will on occasion, with a scotch and soda in hand, have a toke. Go figure.