3 ms·

We shouldn’t try to fix obesity, smoking, enforce seatbelts, gangs, local pollution, etc because all those are personal choices to live near or partake in?

by mint2 5y ago

civilized 5y ago
Try to help as you wish, but describe the problem accurately. And understand that the people you are trying to help may resist you because you are interfering in their choices. Some people passionately want to keep drugs like fentanyl out of the country. Others think it's impractical and efforts have done more harm than good. Still others say "hand them a clean needle". Messing with the choices people make that you think are bad for them isn't easy.
- mint2 5y ago
  I think you meant: > Messing with the choices people make that scientists, sociologists, and 9 out of 10 dentists think are bad for them and society as a whole isn't easy. I guess that my more appropriate and more relevant corrected version of the statement didnt sound like it supported the point so the original was phrased as if it’s my own non expert opinion that smoking causes cancer. fentanyl? Are you saying that should be unregulated and freely purchasable at the local 7/11 or are you saying it should be regulated even although some people choose to do it? Either way I’m not really sure how that supports the older points about people technically but not practically having the option to avoid misinformation means society should ignore misinformation as it’s “a personal choice”
  - civilized 5y ago
    You seem to think I'm making every possible point but the one I'm actually making. I'm not saying it's good for people to have fentanyl or misinformation. I'm not saying personal choices are above criticism or regulation. I'm just saying it's hard. You're going to be intruding into how people run their lives. Many of them won't like it. My personal take is that social media can be awfully like a drug, and we're probably going to need detox programs and support groups. Misinformation is just one small aspect of how today's social media degrades the human mind and spirit. On the other hand, social media isn't heroin, it's human interaction. Regulating a material thing with no legitimate uses is a lot more straightforward. And to be honest, I am very skeptical of central authorities arbitrating what is truth. Historically this is a cure worse than the disease.
    - mint2 5y ago
      Oops I didn’t realize you agreed with the overall point because I thought it would be, I can’t think of a more political term, being pedantic by trying to correct the higher comment to say that it’s actually not hard to find different viewpoints from a technical standpoint just immensely difficult and challenging considering psychology and human nature such that it’s unrealistic for the majority of people to do. I didn’t really see what the point of making that observation was unless it was to argue against the main point.
      - civilized 5y ago
        It's very important to distinguish things people can't do from things they don't want to do. I can't see how this is mere pedantry. Thinking that mushes together a clear view of the situation and what we should do about it has a poor chance of success in my experience.

We shouldn’t try to fix obesity, smoking, enforce seatbelts, gangs, local pollution, etc because all those are personal choices to live near or partake in?

by mint2 5y ago

We shouldn’t try to fix obesity, smoking, enforce seatbelts, gangs, local pollution, etc because all those are personal choices to live near or partake in?

civilized 5y ago

Try to help as you wish, but describe the problem accurately. And understand that the people you are trying to help may resist you because you are interfering in their choices. Some people passionately want to keep drugs like fentanyl out of the country. Others think it's impractical and efforts have done more harm than good. Still others say "hand them a clean needle". Messing with the choices people make that you think are bad for them isn't easy.

mint2 5y ago
I think you meant: > Messing with the choices people make that scientists, sociologists, and 9 out of 10 dentists think are bad for them and society as a whole isn't easy. I guess that my more appropriate and more relevant corrected version of the statement didnt sound like it supported the point so the original was phrased as if it’s my own non expert opinion that smoking causes cancer. fentanyl? Are you saying that should be unregulated and freely purchasable at the local 7/11 or are you saying it should be regulated even although some people choose to do it? Either way I’m not really sure how that supports the older points about people technically but not practically having the option to avoid misinformation means society should ignore misinformation as it’s “a personal choice”
- civilized 5y ago
  You seem to think I'm making every possible point but the one I'm actually making. I'm not saying it's good for people to have fentanyl or misinformation. I'm not saying personal choices are above criticism or regulation. I'm just saying it's hard. You're going to be intruding into how people run their lives. Many of them won't like it. My personal take is that social media can be awfully like a drug, and we're probably going to need detox programs and support groups. Misinformation is just one small aspect of how today's social media degrades the human mind and spirit. On the other hand, social media isn't heroin, it's human interaction. Regulating a material thing with no legitimate uses is a lot more straightforward. And to be honest, I am very skeptical of central authorities arbitrating what is truth. Historically this is a cure worse than the disease.
  - mint2 5y ago
    Oops I didn’t realize you agreed with the overall point because I thought it would be, I can’t think of a more political term, being pedantic by trying to correct the higher comment to say that it’s actually not hard to find different viewpoints from a technical standpoint just immensely difficult and challenging considering psychology and human nature such that it’s unrealistic for the majority of people to do. I didn’t really see what the point of making that observation was unless it was to argue against the main point.
    - civilized 5y ago
      It's very important to distinguish things people can't do from things they don't want to do. I can't see how this is mere pedantry. Thinking that mushes together a clear view of the situation and what we should do about it has a poor chance of success in my experience.