11.12.2007

A SMELLY SITUATION IN CALGARY

Here's an interesting post about the consequences of too much perfume worn on public transportation. As you can see from the comments, people are divided. That's not surprising, but it IS surprising how many people agree that something must be done to protect those of us who can't tolerate it. An upset Canadian had this to say: "I don't blame the bus driver in Calgary for not allowing Natalie Kuhn on his bus. I applaud him. If cigarette smoke can be banned because of second hand smoke related disease, even in our own homes and cars and outside, why can't perfume also be banned? Seems only right to me. Fair is fair. I am sure that the bus driver in Calgary and I are not the only 2 people in Canada that perfume affects and upsets." The story and debate continued in the Gauntlet, The University of Calgary Undergraduate Students' Newsletter.
It took a long time for laws to come about that banned smoking in public places and there certainly were plenty of outraged smokers. Now we need to address the issue of perfume and other fragrance-loaded products. The bottom line was and is: Do not inflict your ignorance on others. Period.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm generally very much against laws aimed at controlling individuals' personal choices, but that presupposes that people will usually be considerate of others.

The stench of various fragrances in theaters, planes, trains, and at work indicates that leaving it up to individuals to be thoughtful of others is not going to work.

Add to that the actual danger from these unregulated manufacturers using harmful additives without regard to human safety, and it is obvious that legal action must be taken.

Self-righteous said...

Some work and school environments in Canada are "fragrance-free" and they have the support of the government. It took a while for smoking to be outlawed in this country but eventually it happened. I personally was furious as I was a smoker at the time. But I could also see that people who didn't want to have smoke in their environment had to have a say. It's the same with perfume.

Anonymous said...

I cannot stand the smell of those certain people who just bathe in perfume or cologne!?! You have to wonder if they have some kind of brain deficiency that has made them lose their sense of smell or perhaps they have very poor hygiene and just mask the odour!?! Either way it's not good! I cannot help but hold my nose when they walk by! I don't mean to be rude but I have a very strong sense of smell and swear I end up tasting it!! They give me nasty looks even though they're making my eyes water!?! They need to control themselves for the sake of people, especially asthmatics!! I remember in school we had a no scent rule and it was never enforced even though some people could have a horrific asthma attack!?! I think it's strange! Asthma could cause death! If you went into a school with a peanut the entire school would go into lock-down and the bomb squad called in!?! I think if someone has enough perfume or cologne on to trigger asthma attacks or even enough to be bothersome they should be denied access to public places services and so on! IT COULD CAUSE DEATH!!!