Posted by John Lambert on January 16, 2008 at 23:05:38 from 64.59.144.85 user Benedict.
In Reply to: Re: A refreshing take on personal safety posted by Rob Marshall on January 15, 2008 at 13:55:36:
This is a matter of interpretation, I suppose. The times when some people are really duffers gets into print. The times that ordinary people act sensibly is not news. A few days ago, a skier on one of our local mountains deliberately went into a marked danger area and was wiped out by an avalanche. The thousands of sensible skiers who stick to the trails never get into the news. While I agree with you that most of us have had dufferish moments, most of the time we use common sense. I still maintain that most people know what is sensible and what is just plain stupid. I did some incredibly stupid things when I used to drive a sports car, but with a little bit of luck and the grace of God, I scraped through. The only accidents I used to read about were caused by drunk driving. Now, that really is stupid. We still get accidents caused by that, which shows (to me, at any rate) that you can never cure terminal stupidity by legislation. Let the parents dedide whether or not to make their offspring wear bicycle helmets. When they get older, let them decide for themselves. What I'm really saying is that I object to the State deciding what is good for us, when that decision should be made ourselves. But then, you ask, what about car seat belts and smoking? Good point. When I've worked out those questions, I'll let you know!
John