Quote:
Originally Posted by Mancie
I don't know of anyone who has stopped going to pubs because they can't smoke inside....have smokers stopped using trains, planes, or even taxis because they are not allowed to smoke?..if so then they are pathetic...and I am a smoker.
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This is really a bs argument ... people don't take trains, planes, and taxis for a good time ... ok., maybe a Via Rail train through the Rockies ... however, people who go to pubs are heading there for a fun nite out. You can't compare them in this way ... well, you can, but it doesn't make sense.
And the stats thing: it isn't appropriate to argue that only about 20% of UK adults smoke,therefore, only this percentage of pub customers smoke. I think one will find that, among the folks who head out for a pint, the percentage of smokers is quite probably higher. In order for the stats to make a little more sense, one should poll the people who regularly go to pubs in order to find out what percentage of them smoke. I would hazzard a guess that it will not reflect the 80-20 split. I often pop into Rhea's Bar, a working stiffs pub with a lot of regulars, for a beer. Last time I was there, I noticed that all of the patrons were smokers, as was the bartender.
Going out for a drink at the pub is an adult activity. (Ok, some of us may have started a little early). No one is forced to go to a pub. If there were true choice, then the owners of pubs should be able to choose whether the premises are "smoking" or "non-smoking." And then the customers would be able to choose.