5 ms·
No it is not. The choice is freedom. Giving up freedom for perceived safety is never worth it.
by aterris 14y ago
No it is not. The choice is freedom. Giving up freedom for perceived safety is never worth it.
- marcamillion 14y agoHave to agree with this. Sacrificing liberty in chasing security achieves neither.
- tptacek 14y agoGroan. The debate isn't whether you should be free to own these things. The debate is whether companies should be free to market them as toys in the retail channel.
- marcamillion 14y agoOr maybe the debate is whether an "adult's toy" is the same thing as a "kids toy"....and therefore deserves the same regulation. Or rather, how does one treat the sale of adult toys.
- chc 14y agoWhat an impractical thing to say. We could have no laws at all if we followed that philosophy to its logical conclusion. We can't forbid theft, because that impinges on our natural freedom to obtain the things we want. We can't forbid public urination, because that means giving up our freedom to relieve ourselves wherever we like. And so on and so forth. Living in civilization is all about giving up our freedom to do certain things in exchange for the protection and comfort that society offers.
- aterris 14y agoI completely disagree. Living in a civilization is about joining a social contract to not infringe on each others rights. (theft, rape, murder, etc infringe on the victims rights, where as buying Bucky Balls does not affect anyone but the purchaser)
- tptacek 14y agoWhen you sell tiny metal balls to teenagers on the auspices that those teenagers will scrupulously prevent them from being made available to toddlers, or else those toddlers might die, it's probably easy to argue that you're affecting people besides the immediate purchasers.
- jack-r-abbit 14y agowell.. the same thing could be said about allowing teenagers to drive a car on the auspices that they will not drive too fast, or text, or do any number of other stupid things... or else people might die. At some point you have to make people take responsibility for their actions.
- tptacek 14y agoYes? Very yes? I say this not just as the terrified parent of a 13 year old: we are entirely too casual about letting teenagers get behind the wheels of motor vehicles.
- jack-r-abbit 14y agoSo do we go after the car makers because irresponsible parents let irresponsible teens do stupid stuff while driving and some old lady got killed? Not so far.