4 ms·

> I'm fine if they want to sit in the corner and whine, but if they're going to use this whining to enact policies that don't work despite decades of trying, th

by umvi 6y ago

> I'm fine if they want to sit in the corner and whine, but if they're going to use this whining to enact policies that don't work despite decades of trying, then I'm going to push back, and yes, I'm going to be a little insulting This is a little problematic for me. You are basically saying people have a right to whine, but not a right to try to remedy the situation causing their whining. Say you live in a fictional country X. Country X has a problem called "Raw Water Fever" where people get these massive chronic migraines because they take untreated stream water and squirt it up their butts with a baster (this is called "basting" - and gives a nice euphoric effect due to some yet-undetermined combination of native bacteria in the water reacting with gut bacteria). Previous efforts to get people in country X to use treated water fail because they complain the treated water doesn't produce any euphoria. The country also tried outright banning basting, and that was also ineffective. So, the government decides that the right solution to this problem is to reach into your wallet to subsidize free per-use testing kits for the whole country. These testing kits would be able to tell you whether the water you are about to squirt up your butt has the Raw Water Fever bacteria present. If you protest, the government says that while are allowed to whine about them reaching into your wallet, that's about all you are allowed to do because they already attempted previously to ban basting and it was ineffective. Are you cool with this, or would it leave a bad taste in your mouth? Now, say that basting is not country X's only source of problems, it has lots of other problems stemming from behaviors you don't partake in. The government wants to reach into your wallet for each of those problems too. How are you feeling at this point? Are you glad to give up your hard earned money to help citizens of country X continue their favorite behaviors safely? Or does it leave a bad taste in your mouth and make you want to move to a different country where the citizens' behaviors align more with your own?

vict7 6y ago
Sex is something hardwired into people. Basting in this example? Not so much. Like just replace the word basting with the word sex in your example. "The government tried outright banning sex"--sounds pretty ludicrous! Has any government even tried such a thing in all of history? Personally, I welcome the prospect of my tax dollars being used to help people rather than kill and maim them. The amount each individual has to contribute for such a thing is likely incredibly low as well.
- umvi 6y ago
  Well, I was sort of thinking of drugs when I made the analogy, but the government policy response is similar (i.e. the government wants to reach into my wallet to subsidize free syringes, drug purity tests, etc.) > Sex is something hardwired into people This is an appeal to nature. We naturally want to do it, therefore we shouldn't try to resist it? There are many counter examples: violence, incest, tribalism, and other undesirable evolutionary behaviors are hardwired into people (and animals) too, yet our efforts to reduce/temper their influence and emergence can be quite effective (though not 100% effective). Why is sex any different? I think we could temper sexual activity with the right messaging (and more importantly, leading by example) to youth. Something like "sex is something that should be reserved for a committed relationship, not a recreational activity you should do casually - the latter leads to a lot of problems in society. Nevertheless, the choice is up to you and here are the risks and things you need to know either way..." Obviously "accidents" would still happen, but the idea would be to address the root cause of sex-related issues in society instead of throwing your hands into the air and deciding to just treat the symptoms.
  - emodendroket 6y ago
    I — and I’d guess most Americans — got such messaging in health class. Can’t say it had much influence on my actual behavior.
    - ahthat 6y ago
      Anecdotal evidence
      - emodendroket 6y ago
        Do you think I’m wrong to say that sex education courses, regardless of whether they’re abstinence-only or more modern, typically already include admonitions against promiscuous sex?
        ahthat 6y ago

by umvi 6y ago

vict7 6y ago

Sex is something hardwired into people. Basting in this example? Not so much. Like just replace the word basting with the word sex in your example. "The government tried outright banning sex"--sounds pretty ludicrous! Has any government even tried such a thing in all of history? Personally, I welcome the prospect of my tax dollars being used to help people rather than kill and maim them. The amount each individual has to contribute for such a thing is likely incredibly low as well.

umvi 6y ago
Well, I was sort of thinking of drugs when I made the analogy, but the government policy response is similar (i.e. the government wants to reach into my wallet to subsidize free syringes, drug purity tests, etc.) > Sex is something hardwired into people This is an appeal to nature. We naturally want to do it, therefore we shouldn't try to resist it? There are many counter examples: violence, incest, tribalism, and other undesirable evolutionary behaviors are hardwired into people (and animals) too, yet our efforts to reduce/temper their influence and emergence can be quite effective (though not 100% effective). Why is sex any different? I think we could temper sexual activity with the right messaging (and more importantly, leading by example) to youth. Something like "sex is something that should be reserved for a committed relationship, not a recreational activity you should do casually - the latter leads to a lot of problems in society. Nevertheless, the choice is up to you and here are the risks and things you need to know either way..." Obviously "accidents" would still happen, but the idea would be to address the root cause of sex-related issues in society instead of throwing your hands into the air and deciding to just treat the symptoms.
- emodendroket 6y ago
  I — and I’d guess most Americans — got such messaging in health class. Can’t say it had much influence on my actual behavior.
  - ahthat 6y ago
    Anecdotal evidence
    - emodendroket 6y ago
      Do you think I’m wrong to say that sex education courses, regardless of whether they’re abstinence-only or more modern, typically already include admonitions against promiscuous sex?
      - ahthat 6y ago