Unfortunately lawsuits like this have already gone to court and people have won money. (Cigarette anyone?) We are officially the generation of "It's not my fault."
I can’t help feeling you’re all going too far the other way. Of course, you live in the land of litigation and I don’t, but playing devil’s advocate...
Cigarette companies lied for years about the addictiveness (?) and danger of their product. I think lying to the public has to come with some kind of penalty. Nicotine (unlike an Oreo) is physically addictive too, which means people don’t have the same simple choice to make.
I think people wouldn’t care so much if the companies involved (esp. McDonalds) would just stop trying to prove their products are healthy and actually sold them on the basis that they were unhealthy and naughty. Hell, sales might even go up.
Well, not to hijack Arafel's post too much more (sorry!) but I guess we disagree on this one. While cigarettes and cookies are a bit different the reason people are trying to sue these companies are the same. $$$$$
Also, I used to smoke, about 12-13 years ago, and I quit when I got married. Decided I had better things to do with my money and a reason to stick around longer. And go ask any of your friends that smoke if they know whether or not cigarettes are bad for you. I would bet that everyone that you asked would say yes. They have been putting those warnings on the packages for years and years now. So, if you know something is bad for you and it is possible (though maybe a bit difficult) to quit doing it whose fault is it that you don't? And whose fault is it that you get sick from doing it? Sorry, but I say it is the persons fault.
Well I too gave up smoking many, many years ago, but I still know quite a few people who smoke and as much as it pisses me off I know that it is not a rational act, so I’m not quite as quick to condemn. I just remind them from time to time that I won’t be that interested in visiting them when they’re in the iron lung. :)
I’m not saying I think people don’t have to take responsibility for their own actions. I’m just saying that the people who peddle the stuff in highly organized and nefarious ways aren’t blameless and should be held to account. I’d hope that there are still cases where litigation serves a public interest as well as personal greed, but even if it didn’t I think I’d rather see the millions in the hands of someone dying of cancer (for whatever reason) than being used to sell more misery. After all, if the dangers are so well known, surely they are even better known to the people who produce the stuff.
*sticks nose in* I have to say that there is a difference in my mind between cigarettes, which contain a known addictive substance, and Oreos. I don't doubt that it is in a company's best interest to obfuscate the truth in the interest of profit, but I do believe in personal responsibility. I choose to eat Oreos only rarely because I know that they contain many empty calories and aren't good for the rear end. Kraft didn't tell me about the particulars of their product for me to make that decision. As I said in another reply, trans-fats are present in a lot more than Oreos, and somehow we've survived as a people. Any solid fat, including that trim on your steak, has a trans-fat in it, and that's the way it goes.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2003-05-13 11:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-05-13 01:02 pm (UTC)Cigarette companies lied for years about the addictiveness (?) and danger of their product. I think lying to the public has to come with some kind of penalty. Nicotine (unlike an Oreo) is physically addictive too, which means people don’t have the same simple choice to make.
I think people wouldn’t care so much if the companies involved (esp. McDonalds) would just stop trying to prove their products are healthy and actually sold them on the basis that they were unhealthy and naughty. Hell, sales might even go up.
no subject
Date: 2003-05-13 01:15 pm (UTC)Also, I used to smoke, about 12-13 years ago, and I quit when I got married. Decided I had better things to do with my money and a reason to stick around longer. And go ask any of your friends that smoke if they know whether or not cigarettes are bad for you. I would bet that everyone that you asked would say yes. They have been putting those warnings on the packages for years and years now. So, if you know something is bad for you and it is possible (though maybe a bit difficult) to quit doing it whose fault is it that you don't? And whose fault is it that you get sick from doing it? Sorry, but I say it is the persons fault.
/rant off/
Re:
Date: 2003-05-13 01:35 pm (UTC)I’m not saying I think people don’t have to take responsibility for their own actions. I’m just saying that the people who peddle the stuff in highly organized and nefarious ways aren’t blameless and should be held to account. I’d hope that there are still cases where litigation serves a public interest as well as personal greed, but even if it didn’t I think I’d rather see the millions in the hands of someone dying of cancer (for whatever reason) than being used to sell more misery. After all, if the dangers are so well known, surely they are even better known to the people who produce the stuff.
no subject
Date: 2003-05-13 07:10 pm (UTC)