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Smokers need to take responsibility for health

We have only recently come to accept that American society is sue happy.

Everybody is looking for a scapegoat to answer and compensate them for their own choices and actions when the ends are undesirable. As time goes on, people never cease to amaze me in the idiocy of their claims.

There is a plethora of stories we have all heard, from a friend of a friend who read it online, that seem to be void of common sense and rationality.

Take, for example, the tale of the older woman who tried to dry her dog by putting it in the microwave. Needless to say, the story concluded in a tragically gruesome ending.

She then allegedly sued the manufacturer of her fine machine for pain and suffering. That is, supposedly, the reason why microwaves come with a warning against putting children and small animals inside.

Whether or not this story is true, I can’t say. Either way, there have been a few recent instances of similar mislaid blame.

Within the past couple of years one case has become an ideal example of this blatant lack of reason, while ironically becoming the possible catalyst for a health craze.

A mother sued McDonald’s because her son was experiencing health problems after eating their food. Later, it was revealed that the boy was eating the food almost daily for an extended period of time and had become overweight.

No one can honestly plead ignorance to the fact that junk food is bad for people’s health, irrespective of whether or not there is a nutrition chart dictating it as fact. We may all still eat it, but we do so with the knowledge that it is not good for us.

One would be hard-pressed to find someone who completely believed or thought that fast food is a healthy choice in diet, furthermore, to ingest such food on a daily basis. Even still, this mother found validation in her suit against McDonald’s.

This trend came to my attention with the recent Supreme Court decision to overturn an Oregon court ruling. Phillip Morris was to pay $79.5 million in punitive damages to the widowed Mayola Williams.

Jesse Williams, her husband, had been a Marlboro smoker for 45 years, smoking two packs a day. Williams died of cancer after which his wife sued the tobacco company.

The Supreme Court overturned the decision with the reasoning that the jurors might have been trying to punish Phillip Morris, due to the nature of its industry, by miscalculating the monetary figure.

I agree with the Supreme court decision, not because of its reasoning, but instead because I find little to no validation to Williams’ claim.

Although I am sympathetic to Mayola Williams’ loss, I still find the notion that she would sue absolutely ridiculous. Her husband smoked out of his own will, and at some point he must have realized the possible health consequences of his actions.

I am a smoker, as are many people that I know. We are aware of the health hazards of smoking, they are printed on each pack of cigarettes we purchase and have been extensively expressed to us by teachers, friends and family alike.

Considering all the warnings, we continue to partake in a habit we know is harmful to our health. We, as responsible adults, are morally bound to recognize our decision to continue such a habit and the potential consequences as a fault of our own.

It is unthinkable to me to demand compensation from a corporation for the choices that I have made, for my negligence of my own health and the consequences such action (or lack thereof) has resulted in.

We know certain things such as fast food and tobacco compromise our health and the future quality of life, however, we still make the choice to indulge in them. For that, no one should be held accountable for the possible damages but ourselves. We, as well as those around us, must lay blame where it is due.

Sarah Al-Mulla is a junior journalism major.

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