Buckyballs have been banned!

Danger

I'm not missing anything; I'm contending that your so-called "core issue" is a non-issue.

Chipped teeth, inhalation, possible heavy-metal poisoning, bacterial infection, acute embarrassment, appendicitis... That's off the top of my head, but I'm sure that I could come up with more if I do some research.

I notice by the linked article that Daisy, a few years back, refused to recall their BB guns. They should get together and sell the damned Buckyballs as ammo. They're clog up the barrels and nobody can get hurt.

DaveC426913

So you agree: a toy. Just confirming that.

Curious3141

Just like sex toys are toys, too. I suppose you don't think there's anything worrisome about a child having access to those either.

DaveC426913

Thank you. It does seem that my detractors are picky about which parts of my argument they refute, missing that it is a conflagration of conditions.

DaveC426913

1] Sex toys are not toys in the sense of the word toy. They have a specific purpose and a place, and it's not to be left out on the counter or desk for someone to pick up and play with for entertainment. That's enough to define their use as under reasonably controlled conditions.
And even if it isn't:
2] How many sex toys do you know that a child could easily accidentally swallow and give them life-threatening injuries?

You keep setting up these red herrings and I'll keep knockin' em down.


I can propose some likewise silly counter-examples. There should be no problem making toys out of lead. As long as they are properly labeled, it is the parent's responsibility to properly check out anything their kids play with. No corporation should be burdened with the responsibility of producing toys that are safe for kids.

Curious3141

You're completely missing the point here. You seem to be bent on scoring debating points by equating one type of "toy" with all others. I'm merely pointing out the ludicrousness of your stand.

I repeat: this is a desk "toy" *for adults*. It is not a children's toy, nor is it intended to be. It is as far from being a child's plaything as a dildo or a fleshlight would be. To let a child have access to this thing, let alone unfettered and unsupervised access to the point where they actually swallow the thing is parental irresponsibility. Noone to blame but the parents. End of story.

DaveC426913

Let's walk through it.

Why is it bad to let children have access to it? Humor me.

Curious3141

Because a parent should be aware of the risks posed if it's swallowed, for example. It's meant for adults to amuse themselves with and adorn their desk with. It's meant to be kept away from kids because it's not safe for kids to be playing with!

If a kid got hold of it and managed to swallow it with dire consequences, then it's very unfortunate, but the parent(s)/babysitter(s)/other responsible adult(s) are the ones to blame. Not the manufacturer, which has *never* tried to market this as a kid's product!

What are you finding so difficult about this?

Hurkyl

Good. Also, note the likelihood of the individual complications is important. Getting holes punched in your digestive system is not on the list.


You talk about people neglecting the dangers of a golf tee, but you don't realize that BuckyTees, due to an accident of its design, release a potent poison when in direct contact with blood. You laughed at your buddy getting stabbed from sitting on a golf tee he wasn't aware of. If it happened to be a BuckyTee, would you still find it a laughing matter?

DaveC426913

Like I said. Humor me. You are leaping to conclusions that I think are shaky.

And how would parents know this?

Magnets have been around for a century or more, and have never been a cause for life-threatening injuries, even if swallowed. As parents, we learn what is a danger and what is not. As I mentioned, we learn that every child who swallows a nickel does not get an ambulance ride to Emerg. Every child that eats dirt is not an idiot.

But.

Now something has changed. With little fanfare and little physical sign, magnets have become a device that can lead to life-threatening injuries.

How exactly are all parents (not just 90%, but all) supposed to know that something's changed? Do you think all parents have an account on ThinkGeek?

Responsible parents are simply not prepared for this change. The public needs to be made more aware of this (just like they did when microwave ovens first came out for example). Simply telling corporations they should put better labels on the packaging is not working. Corporations need to take some share of the responsibility. And threatening to ban a product is a good way (possibly the only way) to get a corporation to come to the table to solve this problem.

Nano-Passion

I have studied this in my English composition class. The two sides will not come to terms with each other, both opinions will be influenced by their personality traits and past experience. For example a conservative vs. a liberal mindset (I've did a research paper on this before).

Best that can happen is for the two sides to acknowledge that they are both right in their own respect. There shouldn't be any derogatory comments against the other side, we live in a complex subjective world.

If I remember the quote right, it goes by the saying that a fool is often so certain, while the wise is not completely certain about anything. With that said, both sides have very good points.

In most cases they should. In this case though it seems that the corporation gave a good effort in keeping it away from kids. But they can probably do better, such as an explicit warning on the box itself that might say something like "Warning, very dangerous if swallowed due to x,y,z."

Yep, that is often how the world works.

Monique

What part is not clear?

Warning Keep Away From All Children! Do not put in nose or mouth. Swallowed magnets stick to intestines causing serious injury or death. Seek immediate medical attention if magnets are swallowed or inhaled.

Nano-Passion

Is this located on the cover of the box or in a paper packet that nobody really reads?

Char. Limit

If you don't read the packet, that's kinda your fault.

Monique

Danger

Very mature of you; I answer your question and you change the rules to something totally in the realm of fantasy. As for the perforation, have you ever seen a ruptured appendix? My father was less than 10 minutes away from dying because his blew in the ambulance. One of your innocent little metal balls can cause that, whether or not you care to admit it.


Wrong on both counts. We don't learn any such thing; it's just your opinion with no basis in fact.

Quiet, you! This is no place for logic.

Monique

I see only 1 case reported by the CDC of a child dying by swallowed magnets since 2002.

Thousands of children die yearly by guns. Just sayin'..