4 ms·
> Has anyone ever heard of anyone, in their childhood or adult life, who suffered problems from using cotton swabs to clean their ears? Punctured eardrum out of
by ardy42 6y ago
> Has anyone ever heard of anyone, in their childhood or adult life, who suffered problems from using cotton swabs to clean their ears? Punctured eardrum out of clumsiness is not a qualifying case.
> This warning always struck me as exaggerated caution, like telling kids to never ever touch a pair of scissors, just to avoid the possible risk of them running with scissors, which has a possible risk of them tripping onto scissors.
That's definitely a qualifying case.
It's quite valid to want to avoid rare but extreme outcomes. For instance: maybe most kids can run with scissors with only minor issues, but then there's that one kids who gives themselves a horrible injury one day in kindergarten that's traumatic to everyone (e.g. ends up stabbing themselves in the eye, possibly resulting in blindness or even brain damage).
- daneel_w 6y agoAnd your approach is to teach children to fear scissors instead of teaching them to use scissors carefully; to teach people that cotton swabs are "dangerous" and must never be used. This mindset is problematic and does not help one bit.
- ardy42 6y ago> And your approach is to teach children to fear scissors instead of teaching them to use scissors carefully; to teach people that cotton swabs are "dangerous" and must never be used. No, that's not my approach. Literally no one but you is saying that "cotton swabs are 'dangerous' and must never be used." What people are saying is to not jab them in your ear canal (e.g. avoid using them in risky ways akin to running with scissors). > This mindset is problematic and does not help one bit. The mindset of exaggerating everyone else's position into a straw man of hyperbole is problematic and does not help one bit.