Of course, for many, money and power are the primary motivation, public health be damned, but I think there are a lot of complex motives behind this sort of reaction.
Maybe for some ex- and non-smokers it comes down to feeling superior. People love to find an insignificant reason to look down their nose at someone else. It's just another form of bigotry. I mean, what else do you think the Michelin Woman has to feel superior about?
For others it's fear based; people don't like new and different things. This is why the ringleaders of this movement love to fan the flames with scare tactics (i.e. the "Think of the Children!" argument and references to antifreeze). This also adds to the feeling of superiority; it's easy to feel better than someone who uses something that's dangerous and not "FDA approved." I mean, who doesn't feel a little superior to, say, a ...... addict? Never mind that nicotine is far less harmful to us or to society in general, lets treat them the same.
Racism, classism, religious intolerance, and the Anti mentality. Not really all that different, at face value. Now, "Go away, change what you're doing, or DIE!!"
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