Forum search & shortcuts

How much should we ...
 

How much should we protect people from their own stupidity?

 IHN
Posts: 20170
Full Member
Topic starter
 
[#13530024]

Related to this article on the Beeb

How dumb must you be to squirt something up your nose that will change the colour of your skin?


 
Posted : 16/05/2025 10:24 am
Posts: 3642
Full Member
 

If I was in a shop, I'd assume everything was safe to use.

I'm not looking for a tan, and I wouldn't be buying a tanning spray to insert inside myself, but I'd assume it was safe.

Maybe we ought to return to the days before regulation 

 

 

In 1858 a batch of sweets in Bradford, England, was accidentally adulterated with poisonous arsenic trioxide. About five pounds (two kilograms) of sweets were sold to the public, leading to around 20 deaths and over 200 people suffering the effects of arsenic poisoning.

 

In the Victorian era, arsenic was an ingredient in several household products, including medicines (for external and internal use), candles, wallpaper, soft furnishings and colourants for foods.[10] It was also used as a poison for murder. So many people died of arsenic poisoning—both deliberate and accidental—that legislation in the form of the Arsenic Act 1851 was introduced; it was the first piece of UK legislation to attempt to control the sale of a poisonous substance.[11] It stated that arsenic should only be sold to adults, the sale recorded in a book—signed by both seller and buyer—and that there should be a witness to the sale if the buyer was unknown to the seller. Any arsenic not to be used for medicinal purposes was to be coloured with soot or indigo to differentiate it from other white powders on sale.[1][12] There was no restriction on who could sell arsenic; no licence was required and any trader was able to sell it as long as they kept a record of the sale.[1]

Although the Act controlled the method of sale, it did not bring an end to arsenic-related problems or the widespread use of arsenic in household goods


 
Posted : 16/05/2025 10:45 am
 IHN
Posts: 20170
Full Member
Topic starter
 

Posted by: tall_martin

If I was in a shop, I'd assume everything was safe to use.

Yes, fair enough I guess. I was mainly drawn in by the people who'd bought them online, who therefore bought an unknown thing from an unknown source that does something that is clearly sketchy

I mean, clearly, regulation is a good thing and we do have a responsibilty to protect people from their own stupidity, but by Christ, some people are really stupid.


 
Posted : 16/05/2025 10:50 am
Posts: 21661
Full Member
 

I used to have a postcard (this was before the days of internet memes). 

The caption said, "I'm not suggesting we kill stupid people; we just remove the warning labels and let the problem take care of itself.'


 
Posted : 16/05/2025 10:56 am
Posts: 23384
Full Member
 

Was talking about this sort of thing with a colleague the other day after he brushed his teeth with mosquito repellent.


 
Posted : 16/05/2025 10:56 am
Posts: 13056
Free Member
 

Define stupid. Brain injury? Learning difficulties? Mental illness? A bit thick.

Is it any different to believing pro-v is a thing? "Science" sells many cosmetics products. 

Bike industry isn't immune... Bent cranks that make scientific claims about their improvements which defy the simplest mechanical principals.

Putting out a general warning seems like a pretty good idea to protect the wallies and more seriously the people who have absolutely no capacity to critically reason dubious claims.

 


 
Posted : 16/05/2025 11:00 am
Posts: 15692
Free Member
 

How dumb must you be to squirt something up your nose that will change the colour of your skin?

I don't think that is the problem. The question should be how dumb must you be to squirt something dangerous up your nose.

Because if it's harmless and it works I don't see the problem.


 
Posted : 16/05/2025 11:09 am
Posts: 2197
Free Member
 

I'm sure there are millions of people regularly snorting unknown chemicals up their noses in the pursuit of fun each weekend.


 


 
Posted : 16/05/2025 11:46 am
Posts: 3130
Full Member
 

Quite a few on STW buy bicycle parts from unknown suppliers of unknown quality. I wouldn’t do it myself but I wouldn’t call them stupid!


 
Posted : 16/05/2025 11:52 am
 feed
Posts: 938
Full Member
 

Posted by: Harry_the_Spider

Was talking about this sort of thing with a colleague the other day after he brushed his teeth with mosquito repellent.

Deet is the stupidest thing I've ever heard of someone doing. 

But we do live is a world where "Stupid" seems to bubble to the very top in some countries.

 


 
Posted : 16/05/2025 1:16 pm
kelvin reacted
Posts: 8913
Full Member
 

squirt something up your nose that will change the colour of your skin?

Do they do one to match purple anodising?


 
Posted : 16/05/2025 1:42 pm
Posts: 57462
Full Member
 

When I was young and stupid I used to put all manner of substances up my nose that definitely hadn’t been medically tested 😃


 
Posted : 16/05/2025 1:48 pm
Posts: 15692
Free Member
 

St John's wort is probably best and easiest available substance to provide/enhance a suntan.

I wouldn't recommend squirting it up the nose though, taking it orally is fine.


 
Posted : 16/05/2025 2:09 pm
Posts: 13349
Free Member
 

If there's a significant effect on the general population then regulation is to be encouraged. Requiring the use of others to clean up the mess effects. If the only people affected are the user and their immediate family then crack on.

There are very few items that fit the latter category.


 
Posted : 16/05/2025 2:39 pm
Posts: 7518
Full Member
 

Posted by: IHN

we do have a responsibilty to protect people from their own stupidity, but by Christ, some people are really stupid.

Not heard of these tanning snorters, but I thought that when the programme started about people injecting themselves with slimming drugs cos they'd seen it on the socials. Ordering from unlicensed, unknown suppliers online. Turned the telly off.

Even regulation can only go so far.


 
Posted : 16/05/2025 3:00 pm
Posts: 78653
Full Member
 

In related "up the nose" news, I've had a camera up mine today.  I was treated to a widescreen view of my nasal passages and throat which honestly I could've lived without.  The last time I was at ENT she had the grace to lube up, today he went in dry. Ahem.

Apparently they've ruled out cancer, which came as reassuring news given that I had no idea they'd ruled it in in the first place.


 
Posted : 16/05/2025 3:11 pm
Posts: 12403
Full Member
Posts: 9656
Full Member
 

Leave 'em to it. Same with those injecting dodgy substances to give them duck lips. Or the 'instagrammers' who hike to the tops of mountains in skimpy clothes so they look 'good' - be farked if the weather closes in. 

 

Common sense seems to be a 'personal trait' in limited supply these days.

 


 
Posted : 16/05/2025 5:07 pm
Posts: 8427
Free Member
 

Not heard of these tanning snorters, but I thought that when the programme started about people injecting themselves with slimming drugs cos they'd seen it on the socials. Ordering from unlicensed, unknown suppliers online.

Isn't the next stage of the process to appear on local news demanding that regulations be tightened up to protect people from.....I'm not sure what? Their own daftness?


 
Posted : 16/05/2025 5:28 pm
Posts: 13056
Free Member
 

**** me some of you lot are smug knobs.

 


 
Posted : 16/05/2025 5:36 pm
olddog reacted
Posts: 33307
Full Member
 

MrsMC put ITV breakfast on this morning who were covering this story just as I was waking up. Took a while for me to figure out why people were using a spray to tan the inside of their nose.

Stupid comes in many forms...


 
Posted : 16/05/2025 5:41 pm
Posts: 12673
Free Member
 

**** me some of you lot are smug knobs.

Yep, it is always difficult for us that are more intelligent than the vast majority of people to not come across as a smug knobs


 
Posted : 16/05/2025 5:45 pm
Posts: 2651
Free Member
 

It's the numpties drinking red bull and uploading vids to you tube with huge crashes or really lucky escapes whilst on bikes

We all know how much it occasionally hurts when you fall off a bike but these massive leaps or the folk jumping off bridges must have a loose screw

Look at Eddy Kidd for example his was unfortunate but since the accident his life can't have been any fun for him or folks close 


 
Posted : 16/05/2025 6:02 pm
Posts: 3689
Free Member
 

Posted by: joshvegas

**** me some of you lot are smug knobs.

You can buy a tanning serum for that and all.

 


 
Posted : 16/05/2025 7:33 pm
Cougar reacted
Posts: 2591
Free Member
 

Posted by: wordnumb

Posted by: joshvegas

**** me some of you lot are smug knobs.

You can buy a tanning serum for that and all.

 

 

😆 😆 😆 

 


 
Posted : 16/05/2025 7:57 pm
 MSP
Posts: 15842
Free Member
 

The warning signs are out there.

 

image.png

Although rumour has it he snorted tango, should have stuck to fanta, that's the nazi drink of choice.


 
Posted : 16/05/2025 8:18 pm
Posts: 25946
Full Member
 

Posted by: ernielynch

St John's wort is probably best and easiest available substance to provide/enhance a suntan.

I wouldn't recommend squirting it up the nose though, taking it orally is fine

I didn't know that photodermatitis was a popular look.  Still, fits in with the general principle of the thread, I guess

StJW also interacts "interestingly" with quite a lot of prescription and likely recreational drugs


 
Posted : 16/05/2025 8:19 pm
Posts: 78653
Full Member
 

Posted by: MSP

Although rumour has it he snorted tango, should have stuck to fanta, that's the nazi drink of choice.

I dunno, seems he's been living in Fantasy land for years.


 
Posted : 16/05/2025 10:14 pm
Marko reacted
Posts: 738
Free Member
 

In a world where you can pay to have one of nature's most toxic substances (botulinum toxin) injected into your face for cosmetic reasons, it isn't hard to see how some people could be this daft.

 

Individuals can be unbelievably stupid in their own right, but some of the things we now accept as everyday are equally as stupid when looked at objectively.


 
Posted : 16/05/2025 10:52 pm
Posts: 9239
Free Member
 

Posted by: Harry_the_Spider

Was talking about this sort of thing with a colleague the other day after he brushed his teeth with mosquito repellent.

 

But was the inside of his mouth clear of mosquitos afterwards? 🤣 

 


 
Posted : 16/05/2025 11:20 pm
crewlie reacted
Posts: 34016
Full Member
 

Posted by: tall_martin

arsenic was an ingredient in several household products, including medicines (for external and internal use), candles, wallpaper, soft furnishings

Any wallpaper which had green colouring had arsenic in it during the 1800’s. I got shown around a house which was undergoing a complete renovation and restoration, and in one room of the old house, (the rest was a former brewery), there was some really old wallpaper which had green print on it. I mentioned how cool it was, having all the original wallpaper, as a lot of the old brewery structure had been retained, and the bloke, who I think was project manager or Forman, laughed and said no, it’s an exact copy. 
I discovered later who the owner was/is, and he’s a very well known British actor seen regularly on TV. Not short of a Bob or two to get that level of quality and attention to detail.


 
Posted : 17/05/2025 2:48 am
Posts: 34016
Full Member
 

Posted by: IHN

but by Christ, some people are really stupid.

Just think of it as evolution in action. That the way I look at it. If humans are going to do stuff that’s actually putting them at direct risk of terminal harm, why should I stand in their way? See also: climbing over barriers at very high places/very hot places in order to get that really cool selfie… 


 
Posted : 17/05/2025 2:56 am
Posts: 34016
Full Member
 

Posted by: kerley

**** me some of you lot are smug knobs.

Yep, it is always difficult for us that are more intelligent than the vast majority of people to not come across as a smug knobs

Yup. And so far I’ve managed to reach nearly 71 years of age without managing to become yet another casualty through an act of crass stupidity, like standing on the edge of a precipice with my back to a 500 foot drop, and stepping back to frame myself better.

Anything else you want to say?


 
Posted : 17/05/2025 3:03 am
Posts: 13056
Free Member
 

Congratulations on reaching 71 without developing a bit of concern for others. 👍 

 


 
Posted : 17/05/2025 6:33 am
boriselbrus reacted
Posts: 9305
Full Member
 

Posted by: CountZero

And so far I’ve managed to reach nearly 71 years of age without managing to become yet another casualty through an act of crass stupidity

Still time 😉

 

The only reason I'm still here is down to an incredible stroke of luck, and a small jack russell

 


 
Posted : 17/05/2025 6:55 am
Posts: 738
Free Member
 

Congratulations on reaching 71 without developing a bit of concern for others. 

You're going to need to show your workings for this conclusion...

 


 
Posted : 17/05/2025 8:02 am
Posts: 1748
Full Member
 

Rather than focusing on people being stupid / daft / hard of thinking. 

Why don't we focus on those that are preying on others.

With the right marketing and persuasive techniques I'm pretty sure all of us could be persuadedcto to part with our money.

Apart from me obviously. 


 
Posted : 17/05/2025 8:57 am
Posts: 13056
Free Member
 

Posted by: Oakwood

Congratulations on reaching 71 without developing a bit of concern for others. 

You're going to need to show your workings for this conclusion...

 

"I am clever enough to not get caught out by scams etc that might catch other people. Therefore let them find out for themselves by trial and error"

Ie "don't give a shit as it doesn't affect me"

Let's remember here the question was should people be protected from themselves.

The underlying story was the government putting out a warning. We aren't talking about fitting a oneway nasal valve to everyone STW thinks are beneath them, just a simple communication saying "don't get caught out".

And some people are happy outing themselves

Jamie is the first person to actually point out the people who really deserve contempt. 

 


 
Posted : 17/05/2025 9:10 am
Posts: 15692
Free Member
 

But surely there is nothing new in STW's contempt for the great unwashed?


 
Posted : 17/05/2025 9:22 am
Posts: 13056
Free Member
 

Not new, never not disappointing.


 
Posted : 17/05/2025 10:05 am
Posts: 738
Free Member
 

But you've still not demonstrated that he hasn't developed any concern for others. I would suggest that he would be concerned for someone injured in a car accident that wasn't their fault. Probably still some concern if they were at fault, but not quite as much.

 

The fact that he may be more callous than most when talking about scam victims doesn't necessarily follow on to him not having any concern for others.

 

IMO what is going on here is one person with a chip on their shoulder is getting wound up by someone else with a corresponding amount of arrogance.

 

🤷‍♂️


 
Posted : 17/05/2025 1:47 pm
Posts: 3130
Full Member
 

I’m just happy that you’re all using paragraphs, it makes for a much more lucid argument…


 
Posted : 17/05/2025 1:53 pm
Posts: 9010
Free Member
 

But surely there is nothing new in STW's contempt for the great unwashed?

Of all the people to equate intellect with cleanliness! You should know better... perhaps have a shower?

See also 'halo effect' - and no, not related to the game.


 
Posted : 17/05/2025 2:22 pm
Posts: 2370
Full Member
 

On the whole I think we should do what we can to protect people.

I work for a Cultural organisation which employs a number of very clever, very highly educated people but they struggle with things most of us would take for granted.  I head up the operations Team and we regularly get calls from professors who for example know everything there is to know about for example medieval stone masonry but can't understand why the shelf he put up in his office made from cardboard and held up with blutac didn't work.

Another one isn't allowed a computer as he would probably wipe the internet in half an hour and would certainly fall for every scam email going but is an internationally respected expert on ancient Egypt.  The best chance we have of getting him to understand an evacuation procedure would be to translate it into Egyptian hieroglyphics.

I can't see any of them buying nasal tanning products - in most cases their personal appearance it utterly irrelevant to them, but I can see some of them buying other snake oil things that are obviously "stupid" to most of us.

These people are genuinely brilliant in their own fields but absolutely need protecting from some aspects of modern society. I love working with them - they make me feel really clever when I do something very simple like stopping their office door from squeaking!


 
Posted : 17/05/2025 2:24 pm
Posts: 5884
Full Member
 

Ooow good old Melanotan II, I was on holiday in Benidorm and one of the guests had literally turned black overnight.

I did manage to hear him explain it as genetics to some other guests but tbh being into bodybuilding back in the day and hanging around body builders you get to see/hear all the exciting missuse of pharma and he wasn’t full natty.

The tanning method of choice then was an injectable 🙂
(I’m thinking he’d injected a few days before the holiday, but I think he’d arsed the dose)

I suppose delivering by nasal spray makes sense as normally people don’t like injecting* but unlicensed backstreet lab stuff is by its nature a bit iffy. You don’t really know what you’ve got, how clean the production was and the potency of it.

(*)I do find it weird that people are now buying the slimming jabs off of Facebook as opposed to going thru the usual channels .

TBH in answer to the question yes, the issue is that these things are being hawked thru the influencers and we need to make them more accountable.

 

 

 


 
Posted : 17/05/2025 4:53 pm
Page 1 / 2