4 ms·
> If we haven't figured out that something was bad after at least 500 years, then it probably isn't that bad. If we've been eating a food for less than 500 yea
by chimeracoder 3y ago
> If we haven't figured out that something was bad after at least 500 years, then it probably isn't that bad. If we've been eating a food for less than 500 years, then it should be considered suspect.
While I agree with the spirit of this, I'll point out that tobacco was brought to Europe over 500 years ago, and only recently discovered to be one of the most unhealthy products available. Not to mention that it was widely used in the Americas for long before that.
In fact, 450 years after Columbian contact, the medical consensus was that tobacco was good for health.
- jjoonathan 3y agoTobacco is an all-natural plant product backed by longstanding tradition! How could it possibly be bad for your health? Ugh, if we hadn't banned them from advertising they would absolutely be using this angle and it would absolutely be working.
- saalweachter 3y agoIsn't this essentially part of the not-quite-marketing for marijuana? It's not highly processed like tobacco cigarettes, it's just natural?
- taeric 3y agoWell, it is more than a little insane how much worse cigarettes were from the things that were added to it. Even more crazy, to me, to consider how nicotine is by and large not what made them bad. Such that I'm honestly not clear on why there aren't more uses of that.