Tobacco Nazis...High road or low road?

[cigcars]

You know, there are so many smells and aromas/odors going on in the world that several peoples and groups patiently endure; the slaughterhouse up the road where you can hear the cries and screams of the pigs being butchered; paper factories (My GOD!!! ); sewage treatment plants built in poor neighborhoods that the marching, picketing residents were powerless to prevent the construction of, so on a clear day...you can smell forever; and our foreign visitors who you feel strongly compelled to tell that garlic is NOT a cologne! The list is endless. So why do people have to go out of their way to get on cigar smokers? I think it's because of the image of the cigar smoker: I'm rich. I'm privileged. I've arrived. I've got this powerful smoke that spells it all. And I'm thinking that with those images that come to some minds about cigars and those that enjoy them - correct or otherwise - there's always that underlying spark of resentment that compels some folks to have to make you stub out that symbol of "bombastic announcement" to the other "peasants" out there. I'm just thinking that this is how some folks take it, that cigar smokers are "brazenly making a 'statement" at least in their eyes, and therefore whereas ordinary cigarette smokers are depictions of everydaymen/women, and therefore can be left alone, cigar smokers have to be "dealt" with and "crushed" back down to size. 'Make any sense to anybody as far as my humble observation?

[Ken Gargett]

The government is to blame for this

no! the management of the qld reds! they are to blame for every bad thing in history.

[Ken Gargett]

exactly!

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

yes, truly hate that.

some years ago on the way home from cuba, i was in the lanchile lounge in santiago and i had hours to kill. had a good snooze, a good read, a few champagnes and i had saved a bolivar gigantes for the smoking section in the lounge. headed in there with a drink and lit up. pandemonium. sorry sir, the smoking section is only for cigarettes. no sign for that. so i ended up with a wasted bolivar gig. no amount of arguing swayed them and i was on the verge of being ejected.

rob's thread is similar to the one i posted end of last year. on the footpath outside a pub in helsinki where it was legal. this old woman starts waving away the foul air ten yards before she got to me. despite the fact that the wind was blowing from behind her. a beagle could not have smelt the smoke. so i made sure there was an extra big cloud when she did get level.

[westg]

The only place I really feel comfortable smoking a cigar these days is at home.

[JamesNYC]

People like that guy over Rob's balcony annoy me no end..

Even when I go out on my deck in my own back yard and light up a cigar, the next door neighbor who's on the closer side of my house, loudly slams the windows shut as if to make his point that the smell is bothering him.

The point should always be made that we are enjoying a legally obtainable product in the few places left in the world where we are still allowed to enjoy them. That being said, I'm all for complying with requests if approached in a fair, polite and reasonable manner, but that's just me.

Here's a thought, we should declare one day of the year ,

'Our Right To Enjoy Cigars' day. International 'ORTEC Day' !!

We can gather together in each city or town around the world on mass and walk down Main st enjoying a cigar.

Add a Cuban band and a few Samba girls dancing, for some atmosphere and color.

What would they do, lock us up??

I reckon our numbers might even increase!...

I have this as well.

Of course I pretty much smoke in warm weather, which is when they have their windows open. I like my neighbor, and they have seen me smoking, but we don't talk about it- I think because they know that I am perfectly within my rights to light up my cigar.

I live in NYC. Bloomberg outlawed smoking in public parks. I think that is absurd.

I just hope they don't pass some other stupid law that would make it illegal for me to smoke on my patio.

[PigFish]

'...I have kids on the balcony.'

"I know, and their smell is ruining my cigar!"

[Redsoxnat]

Well if I may weigh in...

After 13 years behind a bar I can honestly say that you have given this person way to much credit.

People like that guy are just A holes. Might have been a bad day but might just be a POS. People just look for it nowadays just because it gives them a chance to have a say in something.

You obviously made the right choice in not reacting and ending up getting into a situation that would have been worse for you in the long run.

Well done sir, even though it would have been nice to blow a long cloud of delicious smoke in his face after you kicked his ass. Takes the bigger man to not.

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?

[luv2fly]

'...I have kids on the balcony.'

"I know, and their smell is ruining my cigar!"

Change that damn diaper!

[MrGTO]

I'm over it. I use to go to bars that allowed smoking but now exclude cigars. They aren't getting my money anymore. I still don't get why people tolerate cigarette smoke. It's smells like chemicals...

[Duxnutz]

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?

You have the patience of a saint. I think Sydney-siders are loosing their marbles. Lots of angry folk about. Guy let me have it on the bus to the car park tonight about his Jetstar flight. I told him to fly on a reputable airline

[Fuzz]

You have the patience of a saint. I think Sydney-siders are loosing their marbles. Lots of angry folk about. Guy let me have it on the bus to the car park tonight about his Jetstar flight. I told him to fly on a reputable airline

Back in the day when I was a Woolies employee, I used to tell customers who complained to me (I worked in the head office, not supermarkets), to go and shop at Coles... like I do.

[Duxnutz]

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

Agree it happens often. 3 of us got asked to leave the smoking area at a pub because a couple tarts could smell our smoke.

[Smooth]

Same happened to me late April last year at a nice hotel in the valley Brisbane. I was staying there as I was moving house etc.

Had a top floor room with rather large balcony. I moved one of the deck lounges as close to the room as I could, made a coffee and lit a party short.

Ended up in the same situation as Rob but they asked to meet downstairs as they were a floor below and couldn't come up to me. I'd had a gutfull of moving plus other things and was not in a good mood. So I foolishly went down.

I'm 6'5" but very slim.

Will skip the legal bits but I defended myself from 4 morons and three cop cars arrived shortly after.

I have photos of the cops locking them up while I was giving a statement on the driveway smoking a fresh short.

Not allowed in the valley until again until May 1st this year.

Well handled rob! Not worth it.

[Smoker]

I have photos of the cops locking them up while I was giving a statement on the driveway smoking a fresh short.

Brilliant.

[joejack11]

ridiculous

[Fugu]

ridiculous

Boosting your post counts today - eh?

[mf83]

I was once asked to stop smoking a cigar in a beer garden near to where I live because I was disturbing people who were eating. Now these people were at least 20 yards away from me as I made sure to keep as far away as possible. One rather large chap (who probably had never seen a salad) came to me and in no uncertain terms told me to stop smoking. When I refused to he informed me that "the boys" would be round in 10 mins to have a chat with me. Being from Northern Ireland I took this with a pinch of salt. Needless to say no one came and I finished my cigar,accompanied by some Zeppelin through my earphones to drown out the tuts lol

[Orion21]

Same happened to me late April last year at a nice hotel in the valley Brisbane. I was staying there as I was moving house etc.

Had a top floor room with rather large balcony. I moved one of the deck lounges as close to the room as I could, made a coffee and lit a party short.

Ended up in the same situation as Rob but they asked to meet downstairs as they were a floor below and couldn't come up to me. I'd had a gutfull of moving plus other things and was not in a good mood. So I foolishly went down.

I'm 6'5" but very slim.

Will skip the legal bits but I defended myself from 4 morons and three cop cars arrived shortly after.

I have photos of the cops locking them up while I was giving a statement on the driveway smoking a fresh short.

Not allowed in the valley until again until May 1st this year.

Well handled rob! Not worth it.

They attacked you because you refused their request to stop smoking your cigar? Jesus, this is a new level of crazy.

I remember a few years ago I was in Toronto on business and met up with a few of the Toronto FOH folks for a get together. We started at the LCDH and then moved to a restaurant that had a huge deck that allowed smoking. We had been there a while when a group of four very attractive women were sat next to us. They were relocated at least two times before ending up on the other end of the deck, all the while shooting dirty looks our way, The funny thing is we weren't the only ones smoking cigars, just the ones closest. Sad to say Toronto has banned smoking outside at places like this so the intolerant win. Luckily where I live smoking in cigar bars is still legal. They have banned smoking in bars, but they can have smoking patios as long as they offer a separate non-smoking patio as well.