Personally, I think I’ve been banned for supporting a politician that the mods don’t like, and their policies. What does Ye Power Trippin’ Bastards think? My Mod logs: https://lemmy.world/modlog?page=1&userId=10495266.
Personally, I think I’ve been banned for supporting a politician that the mods don’t like, and their policies. What does Ye Power Trippin’ Bastards think? My Mod logs: https://lemmy.world/modlog?page=1&userId=10495266.
Great analysis. I agree with all of this, as I had already read the study. Yes, I already know that fluoride in high concentration is the core issue, but I’m still not onboard with the idea of putting it in the water supply. I have trust issues with the US government. You don’t need fluoride in your water supply to have healthy teeth. You can still have good dental hygiene without having to drink fluoride-laced water for your entire life.
I know people who’ve spent most of their lives drinking bottled water without fluoride and using fluoride free toothpaste who would probably disagree with you on that, as it has been both scientifically and anecdotally in their cases been proven to be beneficial to dental health. The affects of not having it may not be detrimental but it does result in weaker teeth more prone to damage and decay.
That doesn’t mean your teeth will rot out of your head if you don’t get enough of it, but it does mean that early stages of decay which might be reversed by re-mineralization provided in part by healthy levels of fluoride will likely not be reversed, and may instead progress. Which isn’t ideal.
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.
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.