[deletefb]

Yeah, why don’t opioid addicts just stop? And why don’t fat people just lose weight and eat healthy? And why don’t poor people just stop being poor? Clearly every issue in society is a result of a lack of personal responsibility.

[felipeko]

I'm all for people helping, looking for help or education.

I'm against someone deciding that I cannot do something because it can be bad for me.

[barrkel]

I'm against someone deciding that I cannot do something because it can be bad for me.

You don't live in a vacuum or a state with a population of one. If your actions have consequences - and most do, even if it's only through the socialized pooling effect of insurance - then there is a moral argument for society to regulate them.

Personally I'm more of a fan of utilitarian thinking that takes into account second and third order effects. It's not enough to regulate X because X is bad; you need to look at what X is currently displacing, black market effects, underlying demand. But it's just silly to deny the moral legitimacy of regulation in itself - we all live in a society and it's childishly selfish to think you can just do as you please. It's prohibitively expensive to capture all the externalities of our actions, so we regulate instead.

[intended]

like not wearing seat belts?

[jasonkostempski]

Of all those issues, only opioids are regulated and there seems to be some evidence that drug regulations themselves are part of rise in addictions. I'm not seeing much evidence these days that new laws and giving government more control is a good fix for anything.

[herbst]

Wait. No.

Poor people don't have a direct choice. Fat people don't complain about beeing fat. And opiod addicts can get help easily.

Nothing even remotely similar to just not using Facebook.

[deletefb]

Sure, just stop using Facebook. I mean, you’ll miss your little cousin growing up, your sister’s wedding photos, invitations to fun events, and being able to easily communicate with most people you know, but yeah, it’s so easy to just stop. Network effects don’t exist at all. And hey, stop using your cell phone too. I mean, you have a choice. Don’t like your job? Might as well just quit. There certainly is no way to dislike your situation but continue in it anyway because you have to or it’s all you know.

[herbst]

In fact I quit my job when I found it sucked and just did my own thing. Same with Facebook. I see your arguments but I don't think they are valid. If you want to. There is always a way. Obviously you simply don't want to.

I also don't miss events or pictures. Facebook is not everything. Never was. There is this thing called communication which works pretty well when you quit facebook

[deletefb]

You’re kidding, right? This is grade A trolling. “There is always a way.” Ah yes, millions of low-wage workers hate their jobs, but it’s onvioisly some kind of personal, moral failing that they don’t pull themselves up by their bootstraps.

Don’t play with a ouija board so much because I think you’re possessed by the ghost of Ayn Rand.

[herbst]

I could ask the same. You still make it sound like some magical force forces you to use Facebook or keep your job.

If you like Facebook just keep using it. Nobody will mind.