Quote:
Originally Posted by Cynthetiq
Again, egotistical. You want it for YOUR posterity. I don't plan on having kids, so my opinion doesn't count? I have asthma too, I don't want to inflict it upon anyone. It doesn't mean that I don't want to have the CHOICE to sit in a smokey jazz or blues bar and listen to some deep music with a drink in one hand and a cigarette in another.
My wife? She doesn't like to sit in smokey bars. That's not her thing. When I used to come home smelling like an ashtray even after I quit smoking, I'd have to shower before going to bed at 5AM. It was my choice and my consequences I had to deal with.
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You're arguing for your right to poison people, though. I don't get to choose not to breathe air. Cigarette smoke really only effects the smoker and the immediate area around the smoker. The cumulative effect of automobiles, power plants, manufacturing facilities, etc. all contribute to a toxic environment that's substantially large. Entire metropolitan areas often are accompanied by moderate to severe air pollution. Even moving out of major metro areas, one is still exposed to metro pollution and pollution from more local sources. The north San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys get pollution blown in from the Bay Area. Mojave gets pollution from LA.
Is it egotistical for me to take action to demonstrate that there are alternatives to our polluting ways that could be just as useful but wouldn't put anyone at risk for asthma (or climate change, for that matter)?
That's how I go about doing what I do, usually. I've found that most people don't have the same Christ-complex I have, they need further motivation than "it will help the world". When I talk about replacing light bulbs, I talk about the money people will save. When I talk about alternative fuel cars, I tout "150 miles per gallon". When I talk about solar, I explain "we won't run out of sun power for billions of years". There are more altruistic explanations for each of these, of course, but many people are a little self centered when it comes to decisions in their life. I'm not going to berate them for it, just factor it in when I make my pitch. It's really not even my place to judge them, unless they're actively hurting others or themselves (which isn't the case).
Language like "egotistical" isn't pragmatic because people tend to stop listening when you insult them. It's just a part of being a sympathetic, social species, I guess.