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Originally Posted by potatobroth
Not that this is a statement that needs to be qualified to be discussed but why does cigarette smoking have to be compared to anything?
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Because smoking is disproportionately singled out as the target for more and more intrusive legislation despite the fact that there are plenty of other activities that just as many people regularly partake in which are equally as unhealthy.
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Originally Posted by potatobroth
Isn't it universally accepted at this point that smoking cigs is in all ways bad for you and in no ways good?
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Sure. But it's legal, and it's a personal choice, just like all the other personal choices people make every day that are bad for their health.
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Originally Posted by potatobroth
Eating a cheeseburger isn't bad for you. Eating them in excess is. Can the same be said about inhaling smoke?
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Yes. Smoking a single cigarette is no worse for you than eating a single burger. One cigarette will not give you lung cancer just as one burger will not give you a heart attack. But the obesity epidemic that's spreading across a good portion of the planet is clearly not the result of all these people only eating the occasional burger in an otherwise healthful diet. When I refer to eating a burger, or fried chicken, or a big-ass sausage and cheese quesadilla, I'm referring to an overall unhealthy diet, as the majority of Americans and Brits tend to have.
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Originally Posted by potatobroth
I look at all my friends that still smoke, and it seems that none of them really factor the 'its bad for me' side of things. The few that I'm friends with are still living in the 'it won't happen to me' stage that most 14 year olds shake. If I were to ask them (and by no means do I preach at them) why they don't quit I'd get the usual response of, "I don't smoke that much." We both know that is a lie. For my friends, smoking is a constant lie to themselves. I'm sure this varies greatly between smokers, but its how I see it in my circle. I even have one friend who was in the hospital because she couldn't breathe, was diagnosed asthmatic, and still wants to smoke. She is 29. I just don't get it.
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Well this is another issue altogether. I can't speak for your friends, but I can say that I believe the "it won't happen to me" mindset is pretty common in all aspects of life. People driving with a slight buzz because causing a drunk driving accident "won't happen to me", or people having horrible diets despite the risk of heart disease because a heart attack "won't happen to me". Your friend who had respiratory problems but then went back to smoking is no different to me than an obese person starting a diet and then going right off of it. They should both be allowed to work for Sarasota county.
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Originally Posted by potatobroth
Skydiving? Did you really just write skydiving? :P
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I did indeed.
