Smoking and Pumping Gas

Originally posted by ~Lucidity
reply to post by Screwed

 

So I guess we take your comments as a vote for "never appropriate?"

Not necessarily so.
NEVER appropriate or ALWAYS appropriate. Either one.
It depends on your willingness to deal with/accept the potential consequences.
If you walk up to someone and tell them they need to put their cigarrette/cigar out and they beat you to death in front of your kids,.......as long as you are ok with that and accept that, then......

I would say first of all, you have huge balls.
Secondly, you acted true to yourself and your values.

If, while you are getting beaten to death/bleeding out in front of your children, you suddenly realize that you should have kept your mouth shut and desperately wish you could turn back time and avoid the situation altogether, then I would say you acted inappropriately.

It really depends on you.

Personally, I would keep my friggin mouth shut. Shows you what a tough guy I am.
Not worth it to me. But, that's just me.

reply to post by Screwed


Yeah, this leads to my second rule of ethics. "You can do whatever you want in this life, so long as you are willing to accept the consequences"

reply to post by ~Lucidity


I think you did a pretty good job of determining when it is important.

If screwed wants to smoke a big ol' cigar while he pumps, and he looks pretty confident and in control of his situation, then fine. BUT, if somebody is letting a kid swing a gas hose all over the place, while they fling a cigarette all over the place, and the entire situation looks comical or dangerous, then it is probably time to say something!

If I am pumping gas next to someone that looks dangerous or not in control of their situation, and my kids are in my car, you better believe I am going to take control. Appropriate or not, my kid's safety comes before some one's right to look cool or get a ridiculous nicotine fix. And you better believe I am willing and capable of taking control of any situation.

Busy Body - "You know, It's illegal to smoke while you're pumping gas"

Concerned Citizen - "Pardon me, maybe I've seen too many movies but, I am getting really nervous watching you smoke while pumping gas, is there any way I could convince you to put out that cigarette?
Perhaps letting me buy you a pack would convince you. What brand do you smoke?"

Diplomacy goes a long way.

You get further with sugar than you do with vinegar.

If you simply can not resist saying something then there is a way to do it.

As stated above,
You can do anything in this world you want to, No exceptions whatsoever.
as long as you are willing to deal with the consequences.

It's the people who do whatever they want and aren't willing to deal with the potential consequences that really make me laugh.

reply to post by ~Lucidity


Do not beat yourself up, you did exactly the right thing. I used to work in filling stations, and know the dangers of smoking and gasoline. Cell phones are another danger around gas pumps too, but most are so mind mesmerized by it they pay no attention. I would have done the same thing.

reply to post by autowrench


There is no "right" or "wrong" here.
You did the right thing........as long as you were willing to deal with the potential consequences.
You did the wrong thing.....if you weren't willing to deal with the potential consequences.

Personally, I tend to treat everyone as though they have nothing to lose. They just lost their job,came home from work early to find their wife in bed with the mailman, dog died,feeling sick to his stomache goes to the doctor and finds out he has an inoperable brain tumor and has 6 weeks to live, on way home from doctors he stops to fill up the ol' gas tank and has a cigarette to calm his ass down.

NOW go up to himm and spout off some crap about "illegal to smoke while filling up"...lol.
This is just how I approach life and people. But you do what works for you. Maybe I've just been exposed to too many crazy people willing to go ape# on some poor unsuspecting do gooder who pisses them off.

Be safe.

reply to post by Screwed

I don't disagree with that part...about right and wrong and taking the consequences. But I tried to show how the consequences were considered. That some thought went into this. And that the decision got made anyway.

Maybe you missed the point, though, about how many people (me in this case) don't make these decisions easily or in a vacuum either, without considering the other side. Your responses lead me to believe you might not often do that yourself.

reply to post by ~Lucidity


However crazy this may sound,
My decision to act comes only after accpeting that I may die as a result.
A bit extreme and crazy?
You betcha.
But, if you haven't noticed, we are living in an extreme and crazy world.

Assume the worst, hope for the best.

This is not to say I don't EVER open my fat mouth.
To the contrary I do.
But only after considering that it might be the last time I ever get to spout off.

If you aren't willing to die for your beliefs/convictions then it MIGHT be better to just zip it and move on with your day.
If you are........well then....Let 'em have it! Give them a piece of your mind. I hope for your sake that they aren't the guy
I described in my above post.

be safe.

reply to post by Screwed

If you are........well then....Let 'em have it! Give them a piece of your mind. I hope for your sake that they aren't the guy
I described in my above post.

In all seriousness, you raise a good point, but even in that situation, I figure it is better that I act, right then, than let someone less responsible or less prepared have to face that guy later in the day.

The guy you describe is a timebomb, and I have the responsibility and capability to deal with him, but my wife doesn't. If I just let it slide, somebody later in the day is going to have the unfortunate experience of being the spark to set him off. If that somebody happens to be my wife, or a co-worker, or someone I care about, and I didn't preemptively act earlier in the day, then I am as much to blame as anybody is.

I guess the moral is, if you have the concern, and the ability to do something about it, then we all have the responsibility to act upon that concern. I would much rather shoulder that responsibility myself than leave it to someone else who might get hurt or killed. In the case of Lucidity, or my wife, I would prefer they go inside and get the attendant, or call me on my cell phone, instead of accosting a potentially violent stranger, but in all cases, it is good to take some responsible action, if your concern is real and justified, and not just busy-bodiness.

reply to post by getreadyalready


Very well said.
I am of the exact same mindset.
I am far more capeable and willing to deal with a dangerous situation than my wife or your wife.
God forbid they confront that person.
I would rather it be me than them and usually I am the first to speak up as I am sure we all are here on ATS.
It is part of what draws us here, we are independantly minded people who aren't willing to just "go along to get along".

But, when I do act, I am under the assumption that I am going to die and I make peace with that before going into it.
If you don't do that then you may be in for a rude awakening oneday.

Beautiful well thought out post, I couldn't have said it better myself.

reply to post by ~Lucidity





There is an element of imminent disaster in such a situation. Were I in your place I'd have spoken to her and if she gave me the same response I'd have taken the ciggie away and called the coppers. The threat, I believe, would justify the action and I would willingly take that to court as a defense. One should always be ready though for the negative reactions that people can deliver. People can be angry and vindictive. I know this already and am immune to it. There is only one issue. Safety and the need for immediate action by someone, not conversation.

Far too many "adults" are no more than tall children. For the safety of all they must, at times, be treated as such.

reply to post by ~Lucidity


S & F. I've seen idiots do that too.

I always get the feeling that eventually they're going to make the news..

The Darwin awards.

reply to post by ~Lucidity


Well, personally I would have hauled ass out of the area watching the rear view in excitement to catch a glimpse of epic Darwin awards. I guess that might just be me though, something about those situations seems necessary, its only a matter of time before she does it again somewhere else, she will only learn the hard way.

Evolution has a process and sometimes it means people need to get blown up at gas stations...

just make sure your smart enough to get outa dodge when you see these walking accidents waiting to happen =)

reply to post by Sly1one


Yeah!

I am just a little afraid of being in that "collateral damage" Zone

Edit: I'd hate to get killed because of someone else's stupidity!

reply to post by ~Lucidity


OP i agree.... i would do as you did.. in fact;;;;;;;;;

i was at a gas station in the winter,, it had been snowing hard and nobody wanted to pump gas
in the bad snow ,, but up pulls a young girl, to the pump right infront of me.
and gets out wearing sandals and a tank-top (nice looking) and so without any qualms,, i enjoied the "show"
i saw her struggling to remove what i thought was her gas cap,, and just was watching,, not minding her
until she started hitting the side of her car ,,(unknown to me at the time, she LOST her gas cap a while back, and had stuck a rag in the hole, to keep out the rain and snow)...
as she pulled a lighter OUT OF HER SNUG JEANS, and proceeded to flick it.. i got FREAKED..
?
"what are you doing"?? i yelled..
she said her rag had FROZEN, and she was "just trying to warm it up"

i yelled,,OH MY GOD>>!!

you could have killed us........

SHE never had a clue....

we would have read about it in the newspaper,, had i not watched some HOT--yet DUMB
woman pumping gas...

i'm stilled freaked out by that-- whenever i see a rag in a gas tank.!!

Wah, wah, wah...

What's the point of this?


For me, that hardly would have been a big deal. The chances of ignition are quite slim. Oh, heaven forbid... something like that will add an edge of excitement to your sedated lifestyle. Take a f*cking chance and stop whining about mundane events or your expectations of other people.

What a bunch of wimps.

reply to post by ~Lucidity


Thank you for being one of the very few people who stand up and speak up when needed.

I'm convinced that if far more people did such things then we may actually have some sort of impact on those who are being mindless or non-caring for the situations at hand.

Kudos to you Lucidity

Originally posted by Mayura
Wah, wah, wah...

What's the point of this?


For me, that hardly would have been a big deal. The chances of ignition are quite slim. Oh, heaven forbid... something like that will add an edge of excitement to your sedentary lifestyle. Take a f*cking chance and stop whining about mundane events or your expectations of other people.

What a bunch of wimps.

This is the exact same type of Attitude as the women at the gas station.. it is unecessary, uncalled for and shows such poor character that I have to wonder about your sanity.

There are safety laws in place for very good reason, and it is up to each of us to insure all comply with such issues whether you personally think the action was okay or not.

reply to post by darrman


Yeah, you'd never believe a person can be so dumb, until you actually see it.

A friend e-mailed this to me..... enough said

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/c56681891ae4.jpg[/atsimg]

reply to post by Mayura



Ah, the illusion of safety.

Going up against social programming is tough, but be aware you are force fed fear on a daily basis. From my perspective, such an event hardly deserves this kind of attention. As far as I'm concerned, cigarette induced gas station explosions are mere urban legend. The chances are that slim.

Still, this may be shocking to those coerced into living such sedated lifestyles. Perhaps they are better being blown to bits. We live in trying times and I suggest becoming bolder in character.

Being aware that death is a natural occurrence and knowledge pertaining to the soul is also useful.

Welcome to the cosmic game.

lighting a cigarette is a bad idea at a pump, since a open flame can spark the gasoline vapours, but a lit cigarette will never ignite gasoline.

you can experiment this yourself, get a little kerosene or gas and fill a bottle cap, then dunk a lit cigarette in it.

it won't ignite, it'll just soak the cigarette and turn it off.

and a cell phone igniting gasoline, will you can try that one yourself if you don't mind throwing your iphone in a jerry can full of gasoline.

i'll send you a $1000 peso's if throwing a cellphone in gasoline will ignite it.