Muttering — “Cigarettes, yummy.” — in a voice just slightly above what could be considered under your breath as you walk through the front door — in order words, just loudly to be heard in passing, but not quite loudly enough to provoke or justify a response — that’s the coward’s way.
That route is only about your need to feel self-righteously self-satisfied. It’s a strut, a swagger, perhaps for the benefit of the lady friend accompanying you into the building. You know, the one who politely smiled a greeting on her way past.
If you really have an issue with the fact that the smokers in the building smoke in the duly-appointed smoking area outside in front, where the ashcan has been provided by the building manager, then make a request of her that she move the smoking area to some other location.
But that would require doing something. And, of course, taking an actual stand in the name of the distaste you have risks provoking a response, might require that you actually engage with the world around you.
Might, in fact, require conflict. Better by far for the coward to settle for the strut, and the swagger, in hopes of showing his lady friend how much better he is than other people.
Self-righteous cowardice. Yummy.
I don’t know the person in question, but I do know smoke. Now I hang around folks who smoke and that’s my choice, the persons mostly outweigh the stench. The smoke still smells though.
My dad and I have gone around this for years, he being a supporter of a smokers right to smoke even in the years when he gave it up. I still hold its an avoidable stench with, some say, a health risk. Doing it in public, like all vices that are damaging to the self and possibly to those around, seems bad etiquette.
In the end though I hang with people, some who smoke some who don’t. All the smokers I hang with are at the very least courteous of making sure its not blowing in my face. I in turn try not to blow my vices in their face..and everyone is happy to be nice to each other and get on with hanging out.