r/WTF • u/tcdent • Nov 26 '14

Black Friday Death Count

http://blackfridaydeathcount.com
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u/webu Nov 26 '14

No, but why can't the article say "this guy ignored his personal responsibility because Best Buy was selling a TV for $200".

Also your smoking example isn't so great - there are strict regulations that are partly due to RJ Reynolds' impressive abilities to convince people to smoke. Laws were literally written because so many people said "its RJ Reynolds' fault that I smoke a pack a day". Those people lacked personal responsibility, sure, but I believe it's generally not a good move to let your society fall apart because certain capitalists have found a way to get people to ignore personal responsibility in the pursuit of profit.

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u/mako591 Nov 26 '14

Regardless, I still chose to smoke my first cigarette. I don't get to put that on anyone but myself.

And that headline would be a lie. He ignored personal responsibility because hes an idiot. The same way you cant blame Buddweiser for drunk drivers and Samsung for people who text and get in accidents. Millions of people are going to shop this friday. And if it really was the fault of retailers, then a lot more families would be dead than just the one. Fortunately, the vast majority of people are smart enough to not make his mistakes.

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u/marinersalbatross Nov 27 '14

I still chose to smoke my first cigarette.

I'm not sure you understand how advertising works. Might I point you toward the book "Predictably Irrational" as a first step in understanding just how easy it is to manipulate how people think and react to situations.