Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Buckyballs

I saw an article today on Gizmodo about Buckyballs being banned by the Feds (linked to story while it lasts). I've never purchased or used Buckyballs. I've seen the little cubes holding them and thought, "Cool, I'd like to buy those just because," and then I'd see the price and think, "I'm not paying that much for a whimsical item."

However, banning this product because it poses a hazard to children is over-the-top freaking ridiculous! I fully understand the hazards, somewhat severe, these could pose to children, hell even some adults, but that's not a valid enough reason to just ban Buckyballs.

If they ban shit on the potential hazards it poses to stupid, uneducated, ill-raised, irresponsible children, then they should ban other products that are "adult only" like:
  • Spray paint—18 or older to purchase but it doesn't stop children from using, playing with, spraying in own eyes or inhaling. BAN IT!
  • Super glue—Most places require you to be 18 or over purchase because of the inhalant factor kids like to use it for. I've seen stories and have had similar incidents myself with super gluing fingers, hands, lips and clothing as a kid. BAN IT!
  • Guns—Purchased by "responsible" adults based on background checks and how many accidental deaths have occurred with children finding the guns and shooting themselves, their sibling or their friends? BAN IT!
I think you get the ridiculousness I'm trying to share.

My final thoughts are it's Nature's way of thinning the herd and survival of the fittest. The kids will either die from their stupidity or learn from it. Either way, we are all better off with either outcome! Some would say I'd think different if it were my kids. Maybe or maybe not. I'd be worried and hope they lived to learn from it. I would think that my kid was a dumb ass for doing it but every kid does something stupid more than once throughout their childhood. It'd also be kind of funny. But in the end, they lived; they learned; and we could laugh about it after the fact.

Again, I know doing stupid things way more than the average male growing up and I've survived. I don't look back and think it was a product's fault. I knew better and just didn't listen to my parents or the label warnings (after being able to read). It's human nature to be a dumb ass every now and then. It's not the manufacturer's, company's, or product's fault. But we get no money when we, ourselves, accept the blame.

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