Do you have the same sympathy towards two 65 yr olds with lung cancer?
Person A - worked as a carpenter 50hrs a week for 45 years to support his family, sometime coming into contact with carcinogenic materials (ex. asbestos) Person B - a person who worked an office job but smoked 3 packs of cigarettes a day for 45 yrs Do you have any different feelings about them in general?
Gender Studies - 15 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Of course. The second could have prevented his (foreseeable) consequences.
2 :
My grandmother died of lung cancer from smoking, and I sobbed my heart out at her funeral. It was horrible seeing her deteriorate and then die. Not once did I think "it served her right". We all have to go sometime, and something is going to get us in the end.
3 :
i have sympathy for person A as they never intended to get lung cancer, but smoking on purpose is asking for it. its like who would you have sympathy for, someone who got stabbed....or someone who stabbed themselves
4 :
Yes. Just like there's a difference between getting killed by a stray bullet or being killed in a gang fight. Person A was a victim of poor working conditions and person B did it to themselves.
5 :
No. I wouldn't judge the second one if that's what you mean. I would feel awful for both of them. Judging takes too much energy and would compromise my fave quality in people and myself which is *compassion* If someone jumped off a bridge or fell off the same bridge the end result is the same: save them if you can.
6 :
I don't feel any less sympathy for the cigarette smoker simply because most of us have some vice that increases the likelihood of having disease. Consider the case with obesity. We know that obesity increases the risk of getting certain cancers, but I don't have any less sympathy for people who eat chocolate cake and get fat, likewise I don't feel any less sympathy for the smoker who gets lung cancer. Small cell lung cancer is a miserable thing, and I have profound sympathy for anyone afflicted with this disease and for their families.
7 :
Yes. Person A got his illness by accident. Person B brought it upon himself (herself).
8 :
Assuming I know neither one, I have equal sympathy. Lung cancer is a hard and painful death. It's stupid to start smoking and quitting is the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life.
9 :
Well it depends on their situations. I tend to think that the carpenter was poor and struggling to provide for his family, so he might not have had any choice but to work in places where he had to come in contact with carcinogenic materials. On the other hand, we don't know Person B's situation. Maybe their life was miserable through no fault of their own and they used smoking as an escape. Not the best escape, but some people do use it for that. My gut instinct is to say I feel more sorry for Person A, but it all depends on the situation.
10 :
Yes, I have the same sympathy. When you get to an age that you've actually been around death a fair bit, it's hard to be as judgmental as you invite us to be. Most of us don't have perfect health habits and if a person really wants to avoid carcinogens, they can avoid asbestos as well as cigarettes, the sun, and so much more. Most of us don't do everything we can, a very significant proportion of lung cancer occurs in non-smokers who haven't been exposed to asbestos, and medically speaking, you can't even tell if smoking or asbestos caused either cancer. So the bottom line to me is sympathy for those who are ill. Is there some analogy here about gender issues?
11 :
yes I pitty both their life styles! over worked is person a and over stressed is person b but what about the person who never smoked and was never around asbestos who ended up with lung cancer?
12 :
I have sympathy towards the carpenter, because it is not his fault he worked in dangerous conditions. The second guy is a moron who could have prevented his health problems
13 :
Person B brought that on themselves knowing what would happen if they didn't stop smoking. Carpenters usually wear masks, so not only are they trying to prevent lung cancer and taking precautions, it's their job.
14 :
Yes, I feel the same amount of sympathy for both. The one who didn't smoke but accidentally came in contact with carcinogenic materials is unfortunate. But I used to smoke myself, so I can't fault someone for smoking. That would be hypocritical. So yes, I feel the same for both.
15 :
My grandparents both died from smoking related health problems, and I had a lot of sympathy. They started smoking when they were kids, and didn't understand as well as people do now what cigarettes can do to a person, and by the time they were adults, they were powerfully hooked. They just never managed to both quit. Even today, most smokers started when they were young teenagers. So, while I think people shouldn't start smoking, and ought to try to quit if they are already smokers, I have a lot of sympathy for people who started when they were young and impulsive, and could never kick the habit. I did a lot of stupid things when I was a teenager, though smoking wasn't one of them, and I suspect most other people did as well. That said, maybe I do have a little extra sympathy for person A, but I have a lot of sympathy for both of them.
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