Bloggers Deserve to Die

So here's one of a series of ads run by the Lung Cancer Alliance. If you can't read the copy, it says:

IF THEY HAVE LUNG CANCER. Many people believe that if you have lung cancer you did something to deserve it. It sounds absurd, but it's true. Lung cancer doesn't discriminate and neither should you. Help put an end to the stigma and the disease at NoOneDeservesToDie.org.

Naturally, I have something to say about this.

Perhaps the ad is referring to the non-smokers of the world that have died of lung cancer, approximately 15% of all fatal cases. But I don't think so. I think the ad is aimed at debunking the thought that if you smoke you deserve to die.

I'm not wishing any general population dead. And I'm not making the statement that all smokers deserve to die. But if you make really stupid decisions with your health your whole life, and then want me to be sympathetic when you get sick, the answer is no.

If I sleep with a loaded pistol under my pillow every night, and one night I shoot myself in my sleep, will you feel bad for me? Probs not. You'll think, "Well, maybe you shouldn't have slept with a loaded pistol under your head... and then that loaded pistol wouldn't have gone off and shot you in the head."

DUH.

And it's not that the actual moment of death is any less impactful, it's more so that everyone that hears of said death will say, "Yeah... saw that comin."

Mayyybeee we should all start taking some responsibility for what we do to our own bodies. So we can avoid the blame game when we finally face consequences to the decisions we've made.

Smoking your whole life is a prolonged game of Russian Roulette. So don't be surprised when you reap what you've sown. And please don't ask me to pay for your healthcare.