Vaping in Public places indoor. Do you do it?

[sailorman]

I have this same approach. I vape whenever where ever, but would gladly stop if anyone were offended. When I'm indoors, on public property, I hold the vapor in long enough to let it dissipate.

I might stop if someone were offended, depending on where I am. If it's outside, no. I don't feel obligated to knuckle under to someone's bullying. If it's indoors, it depends on the environment. I think I'd tell them that I would stop of they could give me any rational reason for being offended. I'm sincerely interested in what it is that's offensive. If they can even remotely describe the odor and say it's offensive to them, I'll stop. If I'm inadvertently blowing clouds and it's distracting, as in a theater, I'll stop. However, if they say they are offended merely because it "looks" like I'm smoking, then sorry. That's not good enough. I'll be glad to politely explain that I'm not smoking, and the difference between vaping and smoking, but I don't live my life submitting myself to the whims of irrational people. Only those totally lacking in self-respect kowtow to the demands of irrational random strangers.

To those vapers who would submit to the demands of random strangers, I'd pose this question. If you were drinking a soda from a plastic cup and someone asked you to pour it out because it looked like you were drinking a rum and coke and they, as a staunch teetotaler, were offended, would you do it? Why not? They have the same right to be offended as someone who is offended by vaping because it "looks like" smoking.

 

[kwalka]

I 100% never ask permission. I do however assess every situation. If I'm sitting at Outback eating and there is a table 2' away I will politely mention to them what it is I'm about to do, as to determine their knowledgebase regarding vaping. Sometimes they already know and it ends b4 it starts and sometimes their curious and I end up handing them a card. Never will I give mgmt the opportunity to give a blanket scared response of "no sorry". It has nothing to do with some guy who sits in an office in the back if the people in the general vicinity are cool with it. So when the waitress comes back and her head almost spins off her shoulders, I can say we discussed it and their fine w it. More times than not shes having a nic fit and ends up w a card also.

 

[annap]

Glad to see people are still discussing this question

 

[DC2]

That's at the heart of the disagreement. If we vape and someone voices their objection, and we cannot convince them of their error, then we certainly aren't going to persuade these fools by asking permission. On the contrary, our feeling that this may be an issue will only add credibility to their beliefs. I don't know what sort of confrontations people are having here but we obviously want to avoid those. However, if our attempts to educate fail, we have the option of backing down and giving in if we wish, with no harm done.

I guess when I think it through, this is the conclusion I come to...

It seems to me that anyone that would tell you no when you ask permission is almost certainly someone who would ask you to stop if you did not ask permission first. Again, we are only talking owners/managers/staff of establishments here. So the end result is going to be the same when dealing with a person who feels that way. But if you ask first, then you have the opportunity to educate a person who may not know what they are, and get them on your side, as opposed to them seeing you doing it and having a visceral reaction that causes them to form a negative opinion.

 

[sailorman]

Respectfull of what? Your not smoking. Your not emitting anything harmfull. This is the perfect example of the mindset we need to change. If we as a community cant even hold our heads high, how can we expect the uninitiated to ever see things our way when it comes time to vote or decide on vaping bans. VAPING not smoking. We need to be educating the general public as to what it is we have and what were doing not hiding and acting like were doing something wrong.

Exactly. Too many of us become non-smokers for months or years before we are convinced of it in our minds.
We have spent years or decades being marginalized, shamed, ostracized, discriminated against and otherwise psychically beaten to a pulp.
Now, suddenly, we are no longer smokers, but many of us haven't wrapped our minds around it yet.
So we continue to act as if we are doing something that could be offensive to reasonable people.
We keep on acting like we are smoking and other people have a right to be offended.
In the vast majority of cases, they don't.
Do you think you have the right to demand someone go bathe if they are wearing a cologne that offends you?
I doubt it. But we grant any random stranger that right because we are still smokers and outcasts in our own minds.

We are like the fat person who loses 100 pounds in a week. For years, he looks in the mirror and still sees a fat person.
We're like the elephant that spent his whole life staked to a peg in the ground. Take the shackle off and he still stands in the same spot.
We've been trained by society, just like that elephant was trained by its keeper.
We are not smokers anymore. We need to wrap our heads around it and let it soak in.
We don't need to act like smokers, hide like smokers or be submissive to the sensibilities of the unreasonable.
No person with any dignity or self-respect begs for the permission of strangers to engage in a behavior that cannot be reasonably interpreted as offensive or dangerous to others.

 

[lettucehead]

I work in healthcare and definitely don't vape anywhere that a patient might see me.
That being said, I vape in my office, the stairwell, the bathroom, empty patient rooms, etc, etc....

I also vape at any outdoor event and have even snuck a vape or two in a grocery store or Walmart.
I gotta say I probably wouldn't vape in a restaurant or similar crowded area.

Of course, one of the reasons I feel that I have to sneak vape when out is that I live in Indiana which just lumped vaping in with cigarettes in terms of an encompassing ban.

Wah!

 

[kingcobra]

Well people shoudn't vape whenever they feel uncomfortable doing so, but they also owe it to themselves to think this all through. If they, presumably one who is educated about vaping, don't bother to do the proper amount of thinking here, then the uneducated surely won't be doing it for them.

I want to know why people think that it's inappropriate to vape in any situation. Is it because they are afraid of people's confused thoughts of them? I hear the word respect a lot but honestly if someone is confused about what I'm doing, and have an issue with it, it seems more reasonable to look to explain then to look to hide.

If any establishment has a problem with me vaping there after I've explained it all to them then they can simply kiss my ...

I would breathe vapor on someone's open heart in an operating room and feel completely confident that I would be doing no harm. On the contrary, the nic might get the heart beating better

 

[kwalka]

I guess when I think it through, this is the conclusion I come to...

It seems to me that anyone that would tell you no when you ask permission is almost certainly someone who would ask you to stop if you did not ask permission first. Again, we are only talking owners/managers/staff of establishments here. So the end result is going to be the same when dealing with a person who feels that way. But if you ask first, then you have the opportunity to educate a person who may not know what they are, and get them on your side, as opposed to them seeing you doing it and having a visceral reaction that causes them to form a negative opinion.

But thats kind of my point. Mgrs, staff etc cant and wont argue with me or even say stop once they hear that the people in the general vicinity are ok w it. So by that situation just playing out those mgrs have just been given something to think about for the next time it comes up. Whereas if I had asked in the first place and got the template no nothing would of been accompolished.

 

[sailorman]

I guess when I think it through, this is the conclusion I come to...

It seems to me that anyone that would tell you no when you ask permission is almost certainly someone who would ask you to stop if you did not ask permission first. Again, we are only talking owners/managers/staff of establishments here. So the end result is going to be the same when dealing with a person who feels that way. But if you ask first, then you have the opportunity to educate a person who may not know what they are, and get them on your side, as opposed to them seeing you doing it and having a visceral reaction that causes them to form a negative opinion.

I've thought this over a lot. Here's my take on it and what I do:

In a restaurant, for example. They either have a policy of no vaping, vaping, or no policy at all.

If their policy is no-vaping, I'll comply if it's posted, just like I complied with no-smoking signs that were posted before the a blanket law made them unnecessary. Absent a law banning vaping indoors, it's their obligation to make any prohibition known to me before I order my meal. Otherwise, they have lured me there under false pretenses and failed to inform me of the conditions of my visit.
Absent any indication that vaping isn't allowed, I will assume it is. If I'm informed after I've started vaping, I'll leave and let them know why.

If they have a policy allowing vaping, it does no good to ask permission, so it's a moot point.

If they have no policy and no indication one way or the other, I generally won't ask. If it's crowded, I may not vape at all. Or, I'll ask a manager/owner, NEVER staff. There's no upside for a server if they give permission, only a downside if management disagrees with that decision. Staff doesn't formulate policy and will likely take the safe route and say no. So, I will either ask someone in a position of authority, or I will vape openly, but not flagrantly. I will ensure that the server sees me vaping. They are then free to ignore it if no other customer complains. If it turns out that the management is against it, their ... is covered. They didn't say I could vape.

Unless you are in a position to influence the creation of a policy where none existed before, there is no upside to asking permission. There is no upside to asking permission from staff in any event. If there are complaints from other customers or management, staff won't go to bat to defend their decision. It's provisional anyway and how long it lasts depends on if anyone else in the building complains.

 

[sailorman]

I work in healthcare and definitely don't vape anywhere that a patient might see me.
That being said, I vape in my office, the stairwell, the bathroom, empty patient rooms, etc, etc...
......

Of course, one of the reasons I feel that I have to sneak vape when out is that I live in Indiana which just lumped vaping in with cigarettes in terms of an encompassing ban.

That's interesting because many hospitals allow patients and visitors to vape in hospital rooms and even maternity areas. I can see why a nurse or staff may not be allowed, for professional appearance. But evidently, at least some hospitals have no problem with indoor vaping, per se.

Didn't someone just post that Indiana was "less progressive" than their own Illinois? I'm not surprised. Utah, Indiana.. I guess my own Florida will be next in that lineup of backward and regressive states.

BTW, I appreciate your use of the term "sneak vape" instead of sugarcoating it by using the term "stealth vape". It shows a certain honesty. It should be called what it is, sneaking. If you have to sneak, recognize it and admit it. Calling it "stealth vaping" makes it sound like something to be proud of, not something you're forced to do under duress.

 

[Eduardo]

Vaping or not in public, seems that is a personal question, since that is no law prohibiting the use, for the time being, so I respect the public space. I ask if can in restaurant, letting know what vape is. When they know what that vapor is, it's all right.
The better way to make people lose their natural resistance against new things is information. Always explain the same thing is boring, but is the safe way to win people.

 

[lotsoffish]

I think it would be an AWFUL disservice to other SMOKERS if we all closet vaped.

The more folks that smoke analogs see US using PV's the more likely they are to actually check into them on their own OR simply ask US how effective they are as a tool to quit tobacco.

Isn't that what this is REALLY all about anyway?

I mean who here has started vaping just for the fun of it? We ALL vape because we DON'T want to smoke.

I say vape everywhere cuz it saves lives if smokers see we are now OFF THE cigarettes.

 

[DreamingButterfly81]

I'm also in Indiana, I sneak vape inside most the time. I still vape publically sometimes in Walmart etc. And in no smoking zones. I fully expect to eventually encounter a problem, but thus far I've had store managers, police, etc pass me right by. When I'm told to stop I respectfully will, of course. But until then, I vape on.

 

[V8inDamma]

I was in my Drs office and was gonna go outside to vape and they told me to go ahead and vape. I was totally surprised but my Dr supports the ecig all the way. I do vape in Wal-mart but I try and sneak it. I wear my ego on a landyard. I do get asked about it. My favorite time is when someone that is still smoking analogs ask me about it. I than tell them I was a smoker for almost 40yrs at 2-3 pks a day and the day I got my ecig was the last time I touched an analog

 

[lotsoffish]

My favorite time is when someone that is still smoking analogs ask me about it. I than tell them I was a smoker for almost 40yrs at 2-3 pks a day and the day I got my ecig was the last time I touched an analog

That's why, in my opinion, we ought not be too "stealthy" with our vaping. There is no telling how many peoples lives are saved just by seeing us out in public doing our thing openly.

 

[V8inDamma]

That's why, in my opinion, we ought not be too "stealthy" with our vaping. There is no telling how many peoples lives are saved just by seeing us out in public doing our thing openly.

Yes I know what your saying. The only time I am stealthy about it is in a store when I take a hit off it.Otherwise I walk around with my ego around my neck proudly

 

[base234]

I vape in public a lot. Not bashful about it at all. See my sig. I've converted some folks and intend to keep doing so.

 

[fbdugan]

I have a second home in Mexico, so I fly regularly and always vape in my seat and in the restroom. I used to explain to the flight attendants and had no problems, but now just do it. I do follow a semi-stealth mode so as not to raise clouds of vapor. Many times I have been questioned about it and have explained that the device is a personal vaporizer, utilizing a heating coil to vaporize a liquid consisting of glycerine, water and medication to improve my health. Almost all of the questioners accept that; if someone insists I politely put my EGO away until they leave or are out of sight. I have been told that "the airlines" or "the airports" haved outlawed e-cig use, but have never been confronted by employees of those institutions/organizations confirming such allegations.

 

[sailorman]

Some months ago, the FAA prohibited vaping on airplanes. I don't know if the regulation only applies to domestic flights or airlines and how it's enforced, who is responsible or how strictly it's enforced. I imagine it varies by airline. Technically, though, it's prohibited on domestic flights at least.

I've used the "medical device" excuse a couple times when I was questioned by someone who I judged to be a "hostile". It contains medication that helps me to keep from snapping your head off.
Usually though, I just explain it while avoiding the term e-cigarette. I call it a vaporizer or an atomizer.

 

[kwalka]

Hands down the worst thing about this product is the damn name.