I don't know where you live or where you have asserted yourself but in some places one would be risking life and limb to do this (on any matter), even though some of the individuals in those areas are I'm sure, nice too. I'm assertive too, but I'm not foolhardy. (Not talking about where I live, I would do the same as you round here, unless I was getting a bad vibe).
I appreciate that - but the thing is, if we are talking about bringing in a law to prohibit smoking in public, we need to bear in mind that laws are obeyed by law abiding people.
People who illegally smack complete strangers on the nose because they have been asked not to smoke are the same people that will ignore a law on smoking in the street.
People who respond positively to a politely phrased request are the ones who are most likely to obey the law, thus making the law simply another way of criminalising some poor sod who stops behind a bush for a furtive fag, while having little impact on the real bastards whom nobody dares to reprove.
If you make so many laws that most of your citizens are tempted to break at least some of them,then respect for the rule of law is undermined. I think that's important.
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Date: 2009-01-21 07:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-21 08:57 pm (UTC)People who illegally smack complete strangers on the nose because they have been asked not to smoke are the same people that will ignore a law on smoking in the street.
People who respond positively to a politely phrased request are the ones who are most likely to obey the law, thus making the law simply another way of criminalising some poor sod who stops behind a bush for a furtive fag, while having little impact on the real bastards whom nobody dares to reprove.
If you make so many laws that most of your citizens are tempted to break at least some of them,then respect for the rule of law is undermined. I think that's important.