How scared are we? Take a look at what people die from each year

Our government has kept us in a perpetual state of fear -- kept us in a continuous stampede of patriotic fervor -- with the cry of grave national emergency... always there has been some terrible evil to gobble us up if we did not blindly rally behind it by furnishing the exorbitant sums demanded. Yet, in retrospect, these disasters seem never to have happened, seem never to have been quite real.Douglas MacArthur

Smoking: 435,000
Poor Diet/Inactivity - 400,000
Alcohol - 85,000
Microbial Agents (flu, etc) - 75,000
Motor Vehicles - 43,000
Adverse Reaction to Prescription Drugs - 32,000
Sexual Behavior - 20,000
Illicit Drug Use - 17,000
Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (aspirin) - 7,600
Drowning - 7,000
Terrorism (4 year average) - 750
Bicycle Accidents - 730
Terrorism (10 year average) - 310
Lightning - 73
Tornados - 48

So, we've spent billions and billions of taxpayer dollars on fighting terrorism - yet in reality it's just not a big killer. We have much greater problems than this shadowy group of "evildoers" who are out to "get us and destroy our way of life" It may sound absurd, but in reality, we should be much more concerned with the makers of aspirin, which kills 7,600 people every year! We're not calling for a war on Bayer - just trying to keep things in perspective.

This is just a quick note to help keep some perspective during this election season - with the "republicrats" Kerry and Bush talking about "keeping us safe" from "terrorists" Why do they both want us to be afraid? For control. Simple as that. A frightened population equals power for "them"

Please pass this on to anyone you think may be interested in these basic facts. Please ask your friends to stay tuned with some real news that can be seen in our Current Events section. It's time to focus on the people, rather than war and war interests - follow the trail of who makes the money, and we'll know who's pushing for war. Only when the people are in power, can we stop this endless cycle of war and spending on war - the military-industrial complex.

From a newsletter I get in my email every month...
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[edit on 16-9-2004 by TrueLies]

Originally posted by TrueLies
Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (aspirin) - 7,600

Well there is a surprising one.

Originally posted by TrueLies
Smoking: 435,000

Crap

Poor Diet/Inactivity - 400,000

Crap

Alcohol - 85,000

Crap

Motor Vehicles - 43,000

Crap

Adverse Reaction to Prescription Drugs - 32,000

Crap

Sexual Behavior - 20,000

Crap

Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (aspirin) - 7,600

Crap

Bicycle Accidents - 730

Crap

Lightning - 73

Crap

Tornados - 48

Crap



Yeah so, I'm in some trouble. But for all of these things that are listed. We have some control over. With terrorism, we are trying to gain some assemblence of control. Does that mean I will work? Who knows, but its the attempt to limit it and make things worse.

[edit on 16-9-2004 by build319]

Originally posted by build319

Originally posted by TrueLies
Smoking: 435,000

Crap

Poor Diet/Inactivity - 400,000

Crap

Alcohol - 85,000

Crap

Motor Vehicles - 43,000

Crap

Adverse Reaction to Prescription Drugs - 32,000

Crap

Sexual Behavior - 20,000

Crap

Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (aspirin) - 7,600

Crap

Bicycle Accidents - 730

Crap

Lightning - 73

Crap

Tornados - 48

Crap

....DIDO.

Just curious, How is it crap?

I understand people have control over how they live their lives, the lightening thing just strikes me as odd... I can see how people can self medicate if they have fear instilled in them... If that was the point the article was trying to make...

Originally posted by TrueLies
Just curious, How is it crap?

I think he ment to say: Oh Crap! As in he would go under those categories.

Sorry for the delayed response. I'm not saying that its crap as I mean "Oh Crap!" which Jonna pointed out.

I think that is a powerful insight into human psyche. Indeed, scores of people die in car accidents each year, which could be prevented, and better medical care could have saved the victims of aspirin (!?). However, we are fixated on terrorism and such.

That just shows that humans are in fact programs. There is no such thing as common sense, for most part. There is a preprogrammed reaction.

Its all a matter of control. I don't want to get hit by lightenting so I don't go running out in the rain waving a steel pole in the air. I don't want lung cancer, I don't smoke and try to stay away from it. We all are selfish people though, we worry about these things becasue A) we are exposed to them and B) we are worried about it affecting our own lives.

We live in an innumerate society. And it drives me crazy. Your numbers tell the story quite nicely - thanks for sharing the perspective.


Now, I've got to share a fun little activity with you...

I noticed the fear tactics of 'media death numbers' awhile ago, and thought that my gift to society should be to give people some perspective on these numbers in my own little way. One night while knocking back a few in a local watering hole, I did a rough calculation in my head of the number of people, on average, that die every day.

World Population: ~6 Billion
Average Lifespan: ~70 years
Number of days in a year: ~365

Assuming that the same number of people die and are born each day (and we know it tips more in the birth direction, btw)...6 Billion divided by 70*365 equals 234,834. About a quarter million.

Now, I took this approximate figure (one quarter million) and struck up conversations with perfect strangers in the bar. After some pleasantries, I would say, "Do you realize that almost quarter of a million people died today?" Their faces would immediately turn sour and they'd say, "What do you mean? What happened?" When I explained to them population statistics and average lifespans, they generally told me I was 'sick'. But they went home with a little more perspective!

People don't like to talk about, or face, death. We'd be a much calmer, and in my estimation peaceful, society if people viewed it as just another part of life and didn't pretend like it doesn't happen.


[edit on 9/17/2004 by HoonieSkoba]

I tend to think there is a difference between �lighting� and Terrorism�

When you have foreign Islamic extremist coming to your country, and killing your citizens, you�re going to have an issue!! C�mon, this is ridiculous. Since only a few thousand people died a few years ago, just ignore it! Let�s claim a war on smoking instead! In fact, let�s just cut our homeland security budget, and put it towards �tornadoes.� Let�s wait for a nuclear dirty bomb to kill 1 million citizens. Now that is an acceptable number of deaths to pay attention too, now isn�t it?

Sheesh

Originally posted by build319
Its all a matter of control. I don't want to get hit by lightenting so I don't go running out in the rain waving a steel pole in the air. I don't want lung cancer, I don't smoke and try to stay away from it. We all are selfish people though, we worry about these things becasue A) we are exposed to them and B) we are worried about it affecting our own lives.

Same with Terrorism...If we don't want it, why do we keep setting ourselves up for it? Terrorism is a matter of control. For it to work two or more groups must be involved, and its usually started because one of those groups feels they are threatened or wrong has been done to them. In order to exact revenge they create Terrorism in the hope that their views will be quickly expressed to those involved. If the USA had not done something wrong there would be no reason to exact revenge over us because for Terrorism to work it takes a sort of "cooperation" between two or more subjects.

You say, "I don't want to get hit by lightenting so I don't go running out in the rain waving a steel pole in the air." Well, I dont want Terrorism so I don't go waving a gun in the air proclaiming we should kill all that disagree with us.

PS- Thanks for the statistics. As per death in the US we can clearly see how little Terrorism actually effects us compared to the other killers, and you are right...our biggest death factors aside from natural causes are not being dealt with as much as Terrorism. Why? For the simple fact that car crashes, lightning, tobacco, alcohol, et al don't have as big a political influence as the fear of an onslaught of Terrorism.

I tend to think there is a difference between �lighting� and Terrorism�

i disagree, in the terrorist eyes they are messengers of god. lightning falls under the same catagory.

Smoking: 435,000
Poor Diet/Inactivity - 400,000
Alcohol - 85,000
Microbial Agents (flu, etc) - 75,000
Motor Vehicles - 43,000
Adverse Reaction to Prescription Drugs - 32,000
Sexual Behavior - 20,000
Illicit Drug Use - 17,000
Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (aspirin) - 7,600
Drowning - 7,000
Terrorism (4 year average) - 750
Bicycle Accidents - 730
Terrorism (10 year average) - 310
Lightning - 73
Tornados - 48

there are great steps being taking by the government to combat all of these hazards. as well as corpurations who want to make money off of your fear. a large percentage of smoking tax, goes to those anti smoking commercials you see on TV. coorperations are constantly trying to sell you solutions to these problems, when in fact the solutions comes from you and you alone. if you have the right mind set you shouldnt be affected by any of these problems. however terrorism is the only one that is completely uncontrolable, no matter what you do if there is guy that is standing next to you with C-4 strapped under his coat, your f***ed. even though theres nothing you can do, there is no point living in fear, because the chances of that happening are slim to none.

Isn't it amazing, we run a better chance of dying from the medical establishment (prescription drugs) than we do from terrorists.
I wonder where medical malpractice deaths ranks???

[edit on 17-9-2004 by DontTreadOnMe]

I thought more than 2000 people died during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

*Wonders about the the validity of all the other claims too.*

This information could make a pretty good tylenol commercial. Number of deaths per year due to aspirin 7600. Tylenol, next to nothing.

I think you may have left one biggie off the list but it doesn't happen too often. Asteroid/comet or meteorite impacts. Let's say a big one hits every 100,000 years but kills off 99.9999% of the population. In other words 6 billion divided by 100,000. That would result in an average yearly death toll of 60,000 per year. hmmm, maybe autos do kill more than asteroids.

Whenever I see numbers like this I think of special interest groups that use flawed logic and junk science to validate their claims. It also seems like the worst offenders are mother's against something. When you use the guise of "for the kids" to support your arguments you immediately gain moral high ground. Many special interest groups like this aid to that "climate of fear" to get what they want.

This is an interesting article on MADD and it's tactics.

Snippet from article: Unfortunately, Mothers Against Drunk Driving often uses junk science to promote its agenda. For example, a very brief three-page study by MADD vice president Ralph Hingson asserts that a national definition of drunk driving set at .08 would save 500-600 lives per year. Although the U.S. Department of transporation has been unable to establish such a conclusion after 15 years of careful research, and although the General Accounting Office issued a report to Congress insisting that the Hingson claim is "unfounded," MADD continues to quote the unsubstantiated estimate as scientific fact. 11 And the MADD vice president continues to churn out junk science reports used by the organization and other anti-alcohol groups. 12

A MADD ad campaign against underage drinking included purported "facts" linking alcohol to weight gain, rape and sexually transmitted diseases that weren't based on good evidence, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Reduction of consumption leaders James Mosher and Robert Reynolds criticized MADD's misuse of statistics. After reviewing MADD's ads, Reynolds informed MADD that "this is really sloppy, inadequate and embarrassing.... It imperils the integrity" of MADD and other groups in the field.

MADD's assertion that underage drinkers are 50 times more likely to use coc aine than abstainers made James Mosher "cringe," according to the Wall Street Journal. Mosher stressed that there is no research "that shows there's a cause and effect and that's being implied" by MADD. 12a

When pioneering researcher Dr. Laurence Ross reported that increasing the severity of punishments for drunk driving has only a short-term impact on drunk driving, MADD turned on him with a vengeance usually reserved for drunk drivers themselves. It even accused Dr.Ross, an independent scholar with proven integrity, of being the drunk driver's best friend. 13 Actually, Dr. Ross is a strong foe of drunk driving who began studying the problem long before the existence of MADD. He has identified research-based evidence of what policies are most effective in reducing drunk driving. 14 Unfortunately for him, they are not always consistent with MADD's ideological and emotional agenda.

Originally posted by surfup
I thought more than 2000 people died during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

*Wonders about the the validity of all the other claims too.*

It plainly says right after the number that the death's are four and ten year averages.

And that's just the USA alone. Imagine the world figures.

It plainly says right after the number that the death's are four and ten year averages.

*Embarrassed laugh.*

I knew that I was just testing how many people.....uh..uh...saw that.

Adverse Reaction to Prescription Drugs - 32,000
Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (aspirin) - 7,600

legal drug use - 39,600
Illicit Drug Use - 17,000

Fascinating. You can even throw in sexual behavior along with illicit drug use and you're still better off. And you get rock 'n' roll for free.