Wait, are you saying that New Yorkers are assholes? Now that's just preposterous.
Smokers here are. Smokers, as I've found in my experience, are pretty-much the same everywhere. Cigarette butts all over the beach in Wildwood, all over the streets in Baltimore and Boston and Seattle. Every day, I see dozens of commuters at the train station in Beacon throw their spent butts onto the tracks, or onto the street. The sheer amount of smoking-related litter, compared to the small number of smokers, is telling. I have also, never in my entire life, been asked by a smoker if it was all right before they lit up in my presence. Never once. (The MTA is mulling a smoking ban on all train platforms due to the increased litter and increasing complaints by riders).
Man sitting on a park bench smoking a pipe = good. Asshole blowing smoke in Rym's face as he walks by = bad. Both are illegal, but the cops shouldn't bother the first guy.
The former isn't illegal yet. But, enough people here are bothered enough by it to fight strongly for it being illegal. Almost every politician on both sides here is vocally in favor of the expanded ban, simply because it's such a popular initiative.
New York, by and large, dislikes smokers and smoke.
This actually came up a short while ago. My train was stuck for an indefinite time at one of the local stations. The opened the doors in case we wanted to leave, and the smokers rushed outside to light one up. The smoke started coming back in through the doors, and the complaints were enough to convince the conductor to call them back in and shut the doors straight away.
The train was grumbling more about the smokers than it was the accident.
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New York, by and large, dislikes smokers and smoke.
I'm not that familiar with NY smokers. I guess people are nicer in CA (at least San Francisco/East Bay areas). I find that people there are courteous.
Oh, and smoking bans on train platforms make sense, in my opinion.
The train was grumbling more about the smokers than it was the accident.