How come it's socially acceptable to...

Post Reply New Topic

...to smoke in public but not bite your nails in public? A lot of smokers smoke when stressed or even nervous, and also it is a stupid, repulsive habit. But people don't judge smokers as they go by (considering they're smoking in a designated area). But when I was younger I was often told not to bite my nails in public because it makes me look nervous and also it's a bad habit and people will look.

So how come smoking is OK but biting one's nails isn't?

People judge and dislike what they aren't used to, generally.

I wouldn't like it if someone would bite their nails since it is unhygienic, but other than that i wouldn't mind.

I think smoking is stupid and should be banned.

Tolerance of smoking in public actually isnt all of that "socially acceptable", and its trending toward being even less so.

In the Fifties/early Sixties when ever my parents would go out to a public place like a restaurant the indoor air in the place would always be hazy blue from cigarette smoke. Not now. Smokers have to stand outside in the cold to do the deed now.

Imagine if someone in an office, or public place were to sit down, take off their shoes and socks, pull out some clippers, and then proceed to trim their toenails right in front of you. Probably would gross you out. Nail biting is kinda the same thing. Modifying a body part.

Personally I don't find biting nails socially unacceptable in the same places that you can smoke. Maybe biting your nails in a restaurant might be a social faux pas as it might put people off their food but apart from that I'm pretty relaxed about people biting their nails in public - I may not be the best judge of social etiquette though.

I think toe nail clipping is taking it to the next level and far worse than finger nail clipping but I think nail biting is a step down from nail clipping ( nail biting keeps the nail contained in your mouth , clipping can fire off the nail in any direction ).

The sound of a nail clipper is one of my hates and if anyone in the room starts to clip their nails I have to leave. I use a specific pair of scissors which are far quieter.

Many common social attitudes and opinions are stupid.

Unfortunately people don't think for themselves and don't know how to act when displaced from normal routines. The common response in such situations is to express shock, disgust or concern.

Perhaps it is a matter of degree... I would suggest that attending to one chipped or broken nail in public is acceptable while continuously gnawing at nails in a restaurant would draw attention and suggest to people that the gnawer may have behavioral problems; however I would be distracted if a fellow diner were to chew their toe nails at the table.

Personally I don't much care what people do so long as it does not impact on the health or freedom of others.

Well if you bite your nails too much you could damage them...but I don't think most people are really that concerned with if one chews their nails or not. As for smoking there are a lot more regulations about where you can smoke, like smoking inside isn't socially acceptable unless its your house, and you're supposed to stand a certain distance away from entrances of stores and such.

I smoke and if I do it in public I try do it somewhat away from people like stand off to the side, or go find an open spot far enough away from people that won't end up blowing it at them. Of course bars and such with patios and concerts having a smoking area set up is a bit different...there isn't much room to spread out.

Both are pretty disgusting habits.

Nail-biting can cause serious damage, not only to your nails, but to your teeth as well. Aggressive nail biting could result in broken teeth.

Im a nail biter which i unashamedly admit lol.

But yes i mostly do it in private, a good friend of mine often would say biting your nails is like eating a s**t sandwich lol, i used to justify saying but i clean my hands often and he would still say nope its bad lol.

Its true there is alot of nasty's under there. Its not really along the lines of nail biting but ive found nails can actually make really good ways to remove tartar from teeth just maybe scrub them extremely well first and do that sorta thing in the shower where your 'prob' safer from nasty's. As i have a dental tool kit dont really need too but sometimes its just more practical and easier. One reason we do need nails is for griping objects ive noticed it does help. I think we bite nails sometimes out of hunger but also stress very similar to smoking. Nails are comprised of alot of calcium? Maybe our body's are trying to tell us something 'calcium deficiency'

US states have been banning public smoking, California being the first and other states followed. I remember when Montana outlawed it in 2006 and my work got rid of their smoking rooms and the casino there shut down because they made less money since people could no longer smoke. Then Oregon outlawed in in 2009 I think and they got rid of their smoking room and made it all one room. People are not allowed to smoke within ten feet to the building so basically people can't smoke anywhere in public and they would have to do it in a park or parking lot. Some places do have a smoking area of course like the airport.

When I was a kid, restaurants had smoking areas and hotels had smoking rooms but other places still didn't allow smoking and neither did fast food restaurants. But there was no public smoking bans where people could stand right out the door and smoke or stand right by a building to smoke.

I personally would rather see someone biting their nails than smoking a cigarette when I'm sitting down in a public place, even if I'm standing outside the public place.