12-25-2015, 01:45 PM
I'll draw a parallel here. I think smoking is stupid. I think anyone who smokes should be 100% aware that he's going to be sick and/or dead from it. I think people should have the right to smoke. I think people who thought smoking was "ok for you" back before packages were forced to have health warnings on them were also stupid.
You shouldn't need a warning label to tell you that breathing in smoke is unhealthy any more than you need a neurologist to tell you banging your head against a wall is bad for your brain. However, I do find something inherently sleazy in tobacco companies hiding scientific findings about the dangers of their product, having doctors recommend their cigarettes, and saying they can calm nerves and/or help an upset stomach, etc.
Yes, people can make their own decisions but we are also talking about areas where no small amount of effort has been made to hide the dangers before people "knew" what they were getting into. If concussions aren't a big deal and players "know what they are getting into" why did the NFL try to hide their impact?
It's like me letting you borrow my car. I didn't tell you the brakes were out before you put your family in and started off, but hey, cars crash so you knew what you were getting into.
You shouldn't need a warning label to tell you that breathing in smoke is unhealthy any more than you need a neurologist to tell you banging your head against a wall is bad for your brain. However, I do find something inherently sleazy in tobacco companies hiding scientific findings about the dangers of their product, having doctors recommend their cigarettes, and saying they can calm nerves and/or help an upset stomach, etc.
Yes, people can make their own decisions but we are also talking about areas where no small amount of effort has been made to hide the dangers before people "knew" what they were getting into. If concussions aren't a big deal and players "know what they are getting into" why did the NFL try to hide their impact?
It's like me letting you borrow my car. I didn't tell you the brakes were out before you put your family in and started off, but hey, cars crash so you knew what you were getting into.