Friday 30 April 2010

The Breakdown Of Society If You Are Elderly

Frank Davis has an article on the smoking ban and one of the comments is worthy of mention, from an anonymous lady.

"I am getting too old to stand outside pubs or restaurants. Plus I was taught that it was only 'ladies of the night' that stood in the street smoking. I have been 3 years away from any social contact other than the odd hello with neighbours. Being a widow with no family it was always going to be hard to get back into some semblance of normality with regard to socialising, but I didn't think that it would be this bad. I used to meet up in a cafeteria with some lady friends, but now that has stopped as a few of the ladies were smokers and didn't want to stand in the street to have a cigarette. I went to a quiz night at the local pub as there were quite a few elderly 'singles' there. That has stopped. I also playe bingo once a week and that too has stopped as there is no pleasure in having a drink there with no cigarette. I am now on anti depressants and wish that I had the courage to kill myself and join my dear husband. Thank you politicians for making my life not worth living after working from age 14 until 68. I am now 74 and have lost my soul and will to live in this lonely place."

This typifies the plight of the elderly today, where most of that age group do smoke. Yet it is not just the elderly who suffer as there must be many younger who are single and depend on the pub, bingo, dances etc as their means of socialising. It is also worth bearing in mind that the present government, along with those politicians who voted for the complete ban, have dictated to people running a business how that business should be run. Yet when the people try and query the politicians as to how they should run the country, the people are ignored and told they are bigots, nutters and fruitcakes.

That demonstrates that there is indeed one rule for them and one rule for us. More importantly, what does it say for our politicians whereby they have created a society in which people feel they have to commit suicide?
 

H/T: Muffled Vociferation for the article.

5 comments:

subrosa said...

I can empathize with her as I see it often. In my group of friends only 2 of us smoke and the others tolerate it well - same as we tolerate their drinking habits. :)

It's a disgrace the way this country has made smokers lepers.

Time they started on those people who call themselves parents yet couldn't parent a hedgehog. They cost the country billions and lots of aggravation to others.

Don't get me going WFW.

Frank Davis said...

Thanks for picking up that comment and giving it further publicity.

I'm asking for further testimonies from excluded elderly smokers.

Anonymous said...

My wife has not been to a pub for near 3 years. In her mind ,to lean
against pub walls at night is little more than being reduced to the level of a slut.The elderly on our sink estate used to enjoy the
Sing a longs,whist nights,and the occasional trip to the seaside organised by the landlord. The pub
had been their social centre,source
of friendship,communal point after
baptisms,weddings and funerals.
It is now shuttered up, dead,
dirty,rat infested after 150 years
unbroken service to the local poor.The old,the widows, the disabled are now stuck in their
flats,isolated,forgoten by the
holier than thou ,pontificating
righteous elite.They wait for us,
yes ,us, the strong,the young,
the rebellious,the chatterere to get this land back to normal.
Do we continue with this stupidity,treating our vulnerable
like filth.

Time to stand up or shut up

Dun Talking

Anonymous said...

You forgot to mention that the politicians also call us flat-earthers if we dare challenge their global warming rip-off.

Cheers Chris

Witterings from Witney said...

Sr, Why not? Long time since I got a lady going!

A, quite agree and see it first hand, ie the effect on the elderly

FD, my pleasure. As a smoker, elderly as I said to A, I see the effects on the elderly who remain shut in their flats all day.