Subject:
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Re: Curious, if true
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Tue, 5 Mar 2002 12:40:40 GMT
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Viewed:
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379 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Pedro Silva writes:
> In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Christopher L. Weeks writes:
> > You mean when I step on one at the beach?
> >
> > Or do you mean I'm supposed to care if junkies contract AIDS? I mean,
> > hypothetically, I do care. But at the same time, that's a risk they are
> > balancing as they make their decisions. It's not exactly any of my business.
>
> I meant both. And it is our business as well, to take care of those who
> can't take care of themselves.
Who can't? What about those who can (~99.99% of the population) but choose not
to? Should they not have that right? If not, I find the world that you want
to live in creepy. I even accept on some philosophic level that I have a
responsibility to help those around me. And sometimes I do. But for the most
part, I don't know how without doing stuff that I think is wrong...like
legislating heroine use.
> I entered my college's bar (smokey!); after a
> couple of weeks I did not feel anything.
I'm sure If I spent a couple weeks in a bar I wouldn't be feeling much either.
Man, you Portuguese know how to party! ;-)
Seriously though, I wouldn't get used to it like that. You should take into
consideration that the level of discomfort people experience given the same
stimulus varies.
> C'mon, after one gets an addict you no longer care? That is mighty selfish.
It's not that I don't care. And it really has nothing to do with them being an
addict. I sort of figure we're all heroine addicts (waiting to find
ourselves), so I don't feel better than somone else who happens to be actively
addicted. I just don't see how it's my business to fix their problems. Are
they even asking for help?
> An addict is a sick person, and must be treated. Not ignored. They don't
> automatically become human waste!
Not all sick people need to be treated. And frankly, I'm not comfortable with
you determining who is sick and should receive involuntary psychiatric
treatment. Am I sick because I don't want to help junkies?
> > Maybe the solution to that is a $5 deposit on each complete syringe. Big
> > brother should like that too for being able to track use.
>
> Or syringe trade; we've had that for 6 years or so and results were
> satisfactory. At least the disease transmission rate has slowed down a bit
> through this vector.
Cool! I was just making the idea up, but if it's working out, that's great.
> I used to find needles in the railway tracks, in dark alleys, in gardens...
> then the syringe-trade program begun and it became a lot better.
I guess needle usage is much greater in your neck of the woods. I understand
that fairly close to me -- near the docks in Philadelphia, I can find a sea of
junkies and needles, so I suppose it's not that isolated for me either.
> Smoke is a problem, OK; but one I feel less threatened by.
There's the crux of it. _You_ feel less threatened by smoke than needles. _I_
feel less threatened by needles than smoke. That perfectly describes our
stances on this.
> Now, I get the impression you are referring to the dangers of both sorts of
> drugs *to you*; I meant *for the users*, initially. I am sorry if I lead you
> the wrong way here.
It probably stems from the fact that I'm less likely than you to try to solve
the problems of others. It is basic to my world view that they have the
ability to solve them if things are fair. (Of course, the fact that things
aren't changes stuff, but that's a whole other book.)
Chris
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Curious, if true
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| (...) And by choosing that, are you not "taking care of yourself"? ;-) (...) By "taking care" I do not mean legislate or coerce. Sometimes a simple "WAKE UP!" scream is what's missing so that someone realizes there may be something wrong. Just the (...) (23 years ago, 5-Mar-02, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Curious, if true
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| (...) I meant both. And it is our business as well, to take care of those who can't take care of themselves. (...) Depends on your level of tolerance; I lived in a smoke free environment and was shocked the first time I entered my college's bar (...) (23 years ago, 4-Mar-02, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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