So I think if you've been reading enough of my posts, you've realized that this is mainly where I rant about stuff. So here, have another rant!

It was around today that it really hit home for me. Not all, but a surprising amount of my peers regurgitate the words of others almost verbatim and their conversational partner(s) seem to take that and regurgitate it again until they're basically saying the same opinion over and over again and pausing in between to laugh and agree with each other. It's a bit sad, to say the least.

This by no means is my discrediting using the opinions of others to strengthen your own opinion or formulate your own opinion, but using someone else's opinion without adding any of your own thoughts and then having your conversational partner basically parrot what you just said is NOT intelligent conversation. It disturbs me that people think they're having a legitimately, "deep" conversation through the rehashing of others' words.

Hopefully, college has less people like this. Or at least, more people not like this.

And also, my mother has this thing where she likes to periodically reassert her authority over me and although I love her with my entire being, it fricken pisses me off sometimes. Honestly, it only shows how childish she's willing to be to console herself when she feels down. And yeah, maybe I should make her feel better when she feels down, but she never lets me do anything when she gets pissy and so there's basically no way out of it. ARGH.

I also notice more and more that I'm getting less assertive in classroom discussions. Or, that is, I participate less even when I have something to say. It's strange and I can't really identify why I act this way now, but I do. So because I didn't get to fully assert my opinion in AP Econ today, I'll talk here.

So the premise of the situation is that the FDA can essentially make two errors: Type I and Type II. I will define them shortly.

Type I: They release a drug that may or may not be effective--resulting in the deaths of some people who have consumed it.

Type II: They take their sweet time testing and re-testing a drug before releasing it--resulting in the deaths of those waiting for the drug to be released.

As a logical person, I side with Type I. If there is a train filled to capacity heading for 4 people tied to a railroad track, would I change the tracks so the 4 people are spared and the entire train crashes into something, letting all the passengers perish? Or do I let the train run its course and kill the 4 people, sparing the 100-something people on board? It's a tough decision, especially since the value of life is entirely subjective. However. Based on numbers and a decision that HAS to be made, I'd choose the lives of 100-something to the 4 people on the tracks.

This applies to Type I and Type II. Type I may cause the deaths of those taking the drug, but this does not imply ALL of them will perish. What if it ends up being effective? There is a 50/50 chance of death, really (if not less, depending on the pharmacy). On the other hand, the Type II route leaves the patients with a 100% chance of death. They are ill and need medication that will not be released in their shortened life span. They are going to die.

So what now? Take the 50% risk of death/cure, or wait for the inevitable 100%? I think the choice is clear. Of course, this is a case-by-case type of thing. A patient shouldn't be forced to try experimental medication just as they shouldn't necessarily be forced to wait for medication that's been developed, but needs 2 more years to completely assure that it's effective.

If I were seriously ill and facing certain death under excruciating pain and circumstances, I'd take the 50% risk. If I had to make a choice, I'd rather have like 50 people die before the drug is shut down (because you know how quick the media would shut it down and tell people to stop taking it) than wait 2 years and have 2,500 die. Or what was the number in the article I read? 250,000?

250,000 patients die in a year in the USA. Just from waiting.

Just think about that objectively before you start spewing on about, "BUT OMG PEOPLE ARE GONNA DAAIIII" and, "OMG BUT WAT IF A MUTHR WAS PREGNAT AND DA BABY DIED 2", classmates. Because they will die either way. It's just a matter of logical choice. aksjhfjkasf