The Great Helmet Debate is Everlasting

[JohnnyG]

Thanks for posting this in the Humor forum! I'd hate to think someone wanted to pass laws that govern YouTube stunts!

 

[supton]

If we're talking about medical expenses, consider the top causes of disease, death and medical expenses: type II diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and other conditions that are all lifestyle related. If the argument is that the state has the right to force motorcyclists to wear helmets because others have to pay their medical expenses, then that argument also says the state has the right to force people to eat more vegetables, less meat, drink less sugary drinks and alcohol, and exercise daily. That would save us (society) FAR more than whatever injured motorcyclists are costing us.

I don't disagree. I didn't want to go down that slope, but it's right there. We like to think our actions don't impact others--but it sure seems like, at an increasing amount, that they do. What doesn't seem to be easily figured out is how much our actions are allowed to impact others, like where the line is at.

C. S. Lewis has a great quote:

“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.”​

 

[SuperSalad]

I regret trying to bring any kind of joy into this place.

 

[MRC01]

Well if your society is rational then you should be fine! You should make sure your local school board is funded half decently! Realistically a society does place reasonable restrictions on individual freedoms.
You should be thankful you live in a democracy, so your reasonable restrictions are pretty much inline with what the majority of voters accept. If you don't like it, you still have the freedom to try to change the laws or leave atleast! A helmet law has no significant loss of freedom IMO, anymore than a speed limit or vehicle registration.

Without limitations and protections for individual liberty and civil rights, Democracy can become mob rule, or 2 wolves and sheep voting on what's for dinner. That's why we limit government power, setting aside some things as too important or too sacred for any majority to vote on, then use democracy to vote on other stuff. As Federalist #51 said, if men were angels we wouldn't need government. If angels ruled over men, we wouldn't need limited government.

One simple and principled way to set that limit, is to define the purpose of government as protecting people from others -- not from themselves. So we can set speed limits and force you to drive slower, because driving too fast poses a direct risk to others. But we cannot force you to wear a seat belt or helmet (or to force you to eat broccoli or exercise daily) because failing to do doesn't hurt anyone but yourself.

I regret trying to bring any kind of joy into this place.

You did bring some joy into this place with that video.

 

[SuperSalad]

You did bring some joy into this place with that video.

Yes, but at what cost.......?

 

[IndyIan]

Yes, but at what cost.......?

I think we will be OK, only a few bytes of data got shot across the web!
What's kind of funny is I bounced my head/face off the ground doing some small jumps with the kids mountain biking this morning. Thankfully I was wearing my bucket so my nose didn't get smashed or have a minor concussion.

 

[ecotourist]

The video is very funny. Thanks for that.

I was a young physician when helmet laws were introduced locally. We suddenly saw a lot more injured motorcyclists. How could that be? Simple, they were now surviving the crashes.

People should deal with a few head injuries before deciding not to wear a helmet. These cases are among the saddest things you'll ever see.