27 Jun 2006
'Involuntary smoking' never safe

Although I could dispute the "science" used by our esteemed Surgeon General, that's not what I want to comment on here: it's our seeming obsession with safety at any cost, and where it will eventually lead us ...

Riding a bicycle on a public highway is never perfectly safe. Neither is swimming, boating, or even hiking. Having a baby certainly isn't safe, and we all know the nasty diseases that sex (even the "protected" variety) can spread. And I must admit to giggling when I hear LA described as a "smoke free city" - take a look at that brown haze over the valley 24/7 and tell me again what "smoke free" means...

Will we eventually ban skydiving in the name of "safety"? Motorcycles? Mountaineering? Breathing? (Think of the germs spread through human breath itself, sans smoke!)

It goes well beyond our current fixation on tobacco - that's just an obvious symptom. Have you seen the kids these days riding bikes, all dressed out with more protective gear than a pro football lineman? By the gods, without it, they wouldn't be safe! They might even [gasp!] skin a knee!

No human activity is ever safe - nor should we desire absolute safety. What's at risk here is our very humanity itself: the life of every creature in nature demands risk. Only zoo animals are kept safe, and they're all behind bars. Is that really where we want to go?

Separate smoking sections don't cut it: Only smoke-free buildings and public places truly protect nonsmokers from the hazards of breathing in other people's tobacco smoke, says a long-awaited surgeon general's report.

(link) [CNN.com]

14:04 /Politics | 2 comments | permanent link