Why isn't pain enough?

[Master of Ossus]

One guy said that he had to keep smoking for his health. After picking up my jaw from the floor I asked him what the fuck he was talking about, and he said that it would be stressful to quit, and he's heard that stress is really bad for your health, so he figures it's healthier to keep smoking. He feared death as much as anyone else, but he just couldn't figure out how to weigh the risks.

Yeah, I've heard people talk about how they shouldn't wear seatbelts because that way they'll be thrown out of their vehicles in crashes, and thus be safe. There are some complete idiots out there when it comes to risk assessment. Your case, though, is particularly interesting because most of the smokers I've talked to have complained of noticeable problems breathing while exercising or otherwise exerting themselves, so it's very surprising that someone wouldn't notice such symptoms and conclude that smoking was bad for them.

[Darth Servo]

Yeah, I've heard people talk about how they shouldn't wear seatbelts because that way they'll be thrown out of their vehicles in crashes, and thus be safe.

yeah, I've heard such stupidity too. Funny thing is these idiots can't seem to explain why flying through a place of glass will help them be safe.

[Master of Ossus]

yeah, I've heard such stupidity too. Funny thing is these idiots can't seem to explain why flying through a [piece] of glass will help them be safe.

That's always the question I want to ask, too. I wonder if it's related to Hollywood phenomena relating car crashes with massive, fiery explosions and burning vehicles.

[Broomstick]

Yeah, I've heard people talk about how they shouldn't wear seatbelts because that way they'll be thrown out of their vehicles in crashes, and thus be safe. There are some complete idiots out there when it comes to risk assessment.

No, there are a LOT of idiots out there when it comes to risk assessment.

The "I'd rather be thrown clear than wear a seatbelt" crowd is clueless about the physical forces involved in a crash. They're physics-ignorant.

In a lot of cases it comes down to "fucking stupid"

And yeah, Hollywood takes some of the blame - but if people had a better education in physics they'd understand how impossible some of the Hollywood shit is and likely things would change. Rather like how Star Trek originally had space scenes silent but the 1960's audience would stand for it. Now, not only are silent space scenes tolerated (Firefly, Batllestar Galactica), some fans demand them

[Broomstick]

Another thought occured to me (guess the morning caffeine finally kicked in...)

People only plan long term if they think there will be a long term.

You get fatalistic if you think your lifespan will be a short one. Thus, during wartime you might see behavior self-destructive longterm, but if the grunts conclude (rightly or wrongly) that they likely won't live to see peacetime.... well, might as well have fun while you can, right?

Likewise, someone in danger of dying of starvation by the end of the year is not going to be worrying about cancer 30 or 40 years down the line.

Or, you get someplace like where my in-laws live where deaths from black lung used to be commonplace, not to mention bullet holes and excess moonshine, and life expectancy was in the mid-40's. Alzheimer's just isn't a worry, ya know? People smoked and chewed tobacco and usually died of something other than tobacco-related causes. So tobacco was not perceived as a problem, and to some degree still isn't. The amount of fatalism among those sorts is still amazing to me. Not to mention the bizarreness of someone 50 declaring "I didn't expect to live to be this old". No wonder they start having babies in their teens - if they waited until 30 like my family usually does they wouldn't live long enough to raise 'em. Anyhow, that's gotta be a factor, too. Also accounts for why they usually don't make provisions for retirement - they honestly don't expect to live long enough to retire and collect pensions or social security payments.

[Darth Wong]

One guy said that he had to keep smoking for his health. After picking up my jaw from the floor I asked him what the fuck he was talking about, and he said that it would be stressful to quit, and he's heard that stress is really bad for your health, so he figures it's healthier to keep smoking. He feared death as much as anyone else, but he just couldn't figure out how to weigh the risks.

Yeah, I've heard people talk about how they shouldn't wear seatbelts because that way they'll be thrown out of their vehicles in crashes, and thus be safe. There are some complete idiots out there when it comes to risk assessment. Your case, though, is particularly interesting because most of the smokers I've talked to have complained of noticeable problems breathing while exercising or otherwise exerting themselves, so it's very surprising that someone wouldn't notice such symptoms and conclude that smoking was bad for them.

They blame the deterioration of their lung capacity on age and weight. You have to remember that it creeps up on you; it's not as if smoking turns you into a half-lung overnight. So it's easy for someone to tell himself that it's just the normal effect of getting older, especially when his entire peer group seems to have lungs which "age" in a similar manner. That's the scary thing about communities where smoking is so widespread; it becomes the norm, so nobody takes note of these side effects.

[Darth Servo]

They blame the deterioration of their lung capacity on age and weight. You have to remember that it creeps up on you; it's not as if smoking turns you into a half-lung overnight. So it's easy for someone to tell himself that it's just the normal effect of getting older, especially when his entire peer group seems to have lungs which "age" in a similar manner. That's the scary thing about communities where smoking is so widespread; it becomes the norm, so nobody takes note of these side effects.

Just point them to this guy.

91 years old and still a hot shot at water skiing.