# Should unsafe traditions be upheld? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 9, 2013, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-unsafe-traditions-be-upheld/660531 "2013-06-09T06:35:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-unsafe-traditions-be-upheld/660531/41 "2013-06-20T16:41:10Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I’ll just address this idea: why should the age of the tradition have any effect on what we do currently? If something is a stupid atrocity of an idea, the fact that it’s an ancient stupid atrocity is irrelevant. Similarly, if an event’s awesomeness outweighs its public dangers, the fact that the event is only a few years old is irrelevant. It takes time to weigh the true awesomality of a tradition. Chasing cheese down a hill has stood the test of time in a way that say, van surfing, has not. > [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > That said, Europe also has less of a safety culture than the US, by my impression. Liability concerns would stamp out that nonsense in the US way before the local constable got involved. . “Kinder Surprise” comes to mind. Americans do crazy things, but we don’t give our children chocolate-covered toys. ---
**Author:** ![MostlyUseless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MostlyUseless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MostlyUseless)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-unsafe-traditions-be-upheld/660531/42 "2013-06-20T19:47:43Z")
I swear that we are all turning into a bunch of Mrs Kravitz’s. Too many people have decided that rather than butting out, they have every right to question everything that anyone does. Take this basic attitude far enough and you get to the Taliban. How long before the fun police arrive? ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-unsafe-traditions-be-upheld/660531/43 "2013-06-20T20:43:56Z")
It all depends on how unsafe. I have a huge problem when people claim religious or cultural protection over harmful practices affecting children or women because even though they say its voluntary, there’s a lot of brainwashing going on with women (to accept polygamy, for instance) and children don’t have the power to say no Cheese roll chasing, however, is done exclusively by adult males who like to get injured. I see no evidence anyone’s forcing participation. Even if dangerous, the harm only usually lasts a little while, or however long it takes bones to heal. Let them keep it ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-unsafe-traditions-be-upheld/660531/44 "2013-06-20T22:36:31Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > I have a huge problem when people claim religious or cultural protection over harmful practices affecting children … and children don’t have the power to say no Circumcision Arguable whether it’s ‘harmful’, but it’s not helpful and no baby consents to it. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-unsafe-traditions-be-upheld/660531/45 "2013-06-21T02:20:49Z")
> [@aNewLeaf](#): > > Circumcision > > Arguable whether it’s ‘harmful’, but it’s not helpful and no baby consents to it. Its helpful in preventing the spread of disease. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-unsafe-traditions-be-upheld/660531/46 "2013-06-21T02:26:42Z")
There was a story some years ago about a tradition (in India, I believe) of throwing babies from a high tower, to be caught in a big blanket. For luck. The tradition had been going on for 300 years, and there were no reported injuries from it. This led to some interesting debates over the definition of “danger.” Some held that tossing babies from a high tower into a blanket is intrinsically dangerous. Others held that, experimentally, it isn’t dangerous, if it’s been done thousands of times with no injuries. Some people tried to compare it to shaking of babies, which is known to be dangerous and harmful, because it is definitely known to lead to spine and brain injuries. But since the tower tossing doesn’t lead to spine and brain injuries, the physical motions involved would seem to be different than those in shaking. Some people wanted the practice banned, solely because it appears dangerous. But…is it? If no injuries are involved, how is the danger specifically defined? ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-unsafe-traditions-be-upheld/660531/47 "2013-06-21T02:52:39Z")
> [@aNewLeaf](#): > > Circumcision > > Arguable whether it’s ‘harmful’, but it’s not helpful and no baby consents to it. I’m against circumcision ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-unsafe-traditions-be-upheld/660531/48 "2013-06-21T04:37:14Z")
> [@MostlyUseless](#): > > Take this basic attitude far enough and you get to the Taliban. Great slogan: the applications are endless, as endless as a slippery slope. I’m wondering what its opposite is. “Take this basic attitude far enough and you get San Francisco.” Nah, too homophobic. “Take this basic attitude far enough and you get Van Surfing.” Too tragic. “Take this basic attitude far enough and you get glue sniffing.” Too war-on-drugs. “Take this basic attitude far enough and you get that guy from Hogan’s Heros.” Too pathetic. “Take this basic attitude far enough and you get Cheese Rolling.” Hm, maybe we are on to something. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-unsafe-traditions-be-upheld/660531/49 "2013-06-21T10:47:20Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Its [circumcision] helpful in preventing the spread of disease. If you mean AIDS, that study covered a very specific situation. For most males in the modern world circumcision has no medical value. Anybody interested can google up far more argument than I can type, so I’m going to just leave it at that. Didn’t really mean to start a threadjack, and this could really become one. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-unsafe-traditions-be-upheld/660531/50 "2013-06-21T10:59:22Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > the real problem is how flimsy human beings are, and there’s nothing the law can do to legislate that away. Mandatory power armour, 24/7. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-unsafe-traditions-be-upheld/660531/51 "2013-06-21T11:30:49Z")
> [@aNewLeaf](#): > > It takes time to weigh the true awesomality of a tradition. > Chasing cheese down a hill has stood the test of time in a way that say, van surfing, has not. 0If there’s one thing we’ve learned from history, it’s that people are willing to do horrible stupid shit for thousands of years before they stop. History is not remotely a good guide to awesomeness. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-unsafe-traditions-be-upheld/660531/52 "2013-06-21T15:16:38Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > 0If there’s one thing we’ve learned from history, it’s that people are willing to do horrible stupid shit for thousands of years before they stop. History is not remotely a good guide to awesomeness. Disagree. Easter Island _moai_ were horribly stupid, yet completely awesome. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-unsafe-traditions-be-upheld/660531/53 "2013-06-21T16:38:07Z")
If people weren’t allowed to take risks, the world would be an incredibly boring place, and IMO society itself would stagnate. But the risks taken should be voluntary for the individual, not as a result of say peer pressure, or custom. And also there should be a differentiation between idiots who go hillwalking with no idea about map reading, hypothermia, weather changes etc Or putting to sea in home made boats, with no nautical training , and people who take calculated risks, the people who know the dangers, and who are trained in what to do if things DO go wrong. As a result of the litigation culture the Brit government and the insurance companies are going way over the top in restricting adrenaline fuelled activities . And our lives will be the poorer for it. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-unsafe-traditions-be-upheld/660531/54 "2013-06-21T16:52:48Z")
Your litigation culture has a way to go to catch up with ours. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-unsafe-traditions-be-upheld/660531/55 "2013-06-21T18:16:12Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > In Gloucester in the UK, they apparently have this thing where they roll cheese down a hill and chase it. Holy cow! I read about this in Thomas Pynchon’s _Mason & Dixon_ yonks ago, and found it so hilarious that my username for a while in certain locations (not here) was\*\* Octuple Gloucester\*\*. However, I completely thought Pynchon had made the whole thing up. I guess I should have known better, though, as the stuff you think Pynchon have up made up often turn out to be real, and vice versa. Although I suspect the grandioseness of Pynchon’s Octuple Gloucester is still exaggerated a bit compared to the real thing: > [@](#): > > …a giant cheese, the largest known in the Region, perhaps in the Kingdom. Some considered it an example of Reason run amok, – an unreflective Vicar, worshiping at the wrong Altar, having convinced local Cheesemen to pool their efforts in accomplishing the feat. Scaled up from the dimensions of the classic Single Gloucester, not only in Thickness, but actually octupled in all dimensions, making it more like a 512-fold or Quincentenariduodecimal Gloucester, – running to nearly four tons in weight when green, and even after shrinkage towering ten feet high by the time it emerged from the giant Shed built at the outskirts of town especially for this unprecedented Caseifaction… (By the way, the news story in the OP’s link totally needs posting in the “headlines you don’t see every day” thread.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-unsafe-traditions-be-upheld/660531.md?page=2)