• @ThePerfectLink@lemmy.world
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    29 days ago

    I don’t think they’d disagree with anything you said there. Their problem, I realize, has nothing to do with flouride. It has to do with the duty of government. They clearly realize that flouride is good for teeth. Maybe they don’t quite understand the sheer amount of flouride required for it to be dangerous, but w/e. The problem is, for them, is that they’re not entirely convinced that governments should be trying to protect their citizens. There’s a belief at work here that an individual shouldn’t need assistance with their wellbeing. Or at least not from a large body that doesn’t have any personal relation to the individual. So the paternalism that is assumed to be good for most people because it has a very high likelihood of doing good, a good that vastly outweighs any potential likely con, is assumed to be bad. This is because that’s a liberty and a responsibility that the government has over the public that could be exploited or neglected, and they believe that a vast body like the government suffers so little influence from the public that should something go wrong, the people would be powerless to stop it.

    • Draconic NEO
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      29 days ago

      I think their biggest problem, the reason they don’t understand, is that they believe a conspiracy theory about the government trying to hurt people with fluoride. Despite the evidence that shows how high the unsafe levels for fluoride are, and that they are nowhere near that, as well as the fact that its proven to be safe and beneficial at lower levels. They believe that it is being forced upon them by having it in tap water, which it absolutely is not, as highlighted by the fact that I know people who haven’t gotten enough either from drinking bottled or distilled water.

      I really don’t see the logic of pushing back against something like this when it doesn’t hurt you and the small benefits will benefit you greatly years later, as well as the fact that it’s done for you at no extra cost, which you can’t say for any of the alternatives. Really they’re complaining about getting something beneficial essentially for free without having to pay extra or do work for it.