Re: interesting...

Posted by Diarmuid on July 24, 2001 at 14:47:55:

In Reply to: interesting... posted by isaac on July 24, 2001 at 13:36:18:

I think it's only fives who give a damn about logical consistency. The vast majority of people hold opinions which cancel each other out. Orwell called it doublethink. But I reckon it's the natural state of most of humanity, the non-fives. Hell, people don't like to think, period.

: that's an interesting theory. this has been such a paradox for me. from what i've read in various polls done on the subject, you're right. generally abvout 60-75% oppose legalizing marijuana. (more or less in some circumstances, given the sample, of course, but 60-75 is common for a good cross section of the us.) however, usually in the same polls, about 70-80% of the population answers yes to "i either smoke marijuana, or dont' care if others do." so, it seems to me, if you do'nt care if others do, but you don't want the stuff legalized, how does that work? do they just not care if people break laws? perhaps they just don't want it sold openly in stores and whatnot, want to deny its existence. that would kinda fit with the whole pissing in the straw thing. it's just so astronomically stupid for drugs to be illegal in teh us. we're so committed to personal freedom (so long as it doesn't hurt OTHERS.) but whatever. america will never listen to me.

: isaac

:
: : I've been meaning to post about this in depth, but I have work to do...

: : I have a theory about why 70% of people oppose marijuana legalisation.

: : For everybody except some Ones, this opposition is based on hatred, not concern, for those who smoke marijuana.

: : Basically, this 70% are people who would LIKE to have the option of being marijuana smokers, but feel that, for reasons NOT directly connected to dope's illegality, they cannot.

: : I'm thinking people who work long hours, maybe more than one job, with long commutes, alimony and child support to deal with. People for whom life leaves little or no real "leisure time" in which they could light up a joint and chill for few hours, if they were so inclined. This could be true for men married to fervently anti-drug wives, who won't smoke for fear of her discovering it (American Beauty situation).

: : Maybe you've heard of the dog in the manger. The manger contains straw for the cattle to eat. The dog is hungry, but he can't eat straw. So he gets into the manger and urinates all over the straw. If the dog can't eat, neither will the cattle.

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