Men can get away with smoking and be with girls, women can't - Page 2

I wish feminists would stop fighting over stupid things like smoking and drinking which are harmful to the body, and actually focus their attention on more important things like fighting for women's basic rights, which are still lacking in India.

But what people do with their body and health is not my business. They can do what they want. In fact, thank you for smoking. Tobacco tax keeps other taxes lower.

The only time I judge smoking is when people smoke around young kids or are inconsiderate to other people around them.

If I see people mocking/taunting/judging a woman for smoking and/or drinking. And they see her as less of a human/woman for that. Especially, when it is men who actually smoke and drink.

Should I

a) Educate them about her right to do what she wants.

b) Ignore it. I donated to an NGO for women's rights. My work is done.

I already said that judging/mocking any person for what they do shouldn't be done as long as they're not harming other people. In the case of smoking/drinking, it's a gray area when 1) they're smoking in public, because secondhand smoke is harmful to others and 2) when they drink and drive, in which case they pose a danger to those on the road. Also, a pregnant woman should not be smoking regardless of her choice as her child will be born with a birth defect 98% of the time, and neither should a man be smoking around his pregnant wife or family member, for the same reason.

I judge both men and women who smoke/drink under those circumstances, because it's intolerable for me when people 'choose' to harm others, either directly or indirectly.

So yes, if I saw a woman being mocked at for smoking/drinking, I would definitely try and educate those who are mocking her, but I would also educate the woman to make healthier choices, for her sake and others. What I'm trying to say is, in the process of protecting a woman's right to smoke/drink, I would not want to glorify it either and make it into some symbol of feminism, because it's not. I've actually met some women who think they're being feminist by smoking, drinking and doing what 'men' do just because they can, and while I respect their right to live the life they want, I do not respect them if they harm others in the process, just as I have zero respect or empathy for men who smoke/drink.