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jrq

Are toys in cereal boxes gambling? Are fortune cookies gambling? Are mystery flavor candy gambling?

I find this a mind boggling decision

Disclaimer: I don't know jack shit about Belgian legislature history

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> Are toys in cereal boxes gambling? Are fortune cookies gambling? Are mystery flavor candy gambling?

Do the surprises have varying value? Are some worth 50c/trash while other 50USD/premium? Do they develop an addiction? Do you pay for the cereal or for an empty box with a toy inside? Are kids spending lots of money on them in the hopes of getting that special toy, or that specific fortune message?

Don't pretend like there's no difference.

I'd argue loot boxes are more similar to magic the gathering booster packs, but that's another discussion.

It is unfortunate that you have been down-voted. It seems that thinking is a luxury these days. Prohibition supposedly works even though a pile of empirical evidence suggests otherwise, and the Government supposedly has good intentions. All they have to do is claim it's (whatever the heck they want) for the safety of you, your kids, and vulnerable people, and they can do virtually anything. They are doing just exactly that. It's OK though, in this case they give you the illusion of safety at the cost of other people without said other people even realizing it, and you can shift the blame: you no longer have to admit to yourself that you are a horrible parent and keep continuing the terrible parenting.

I wonder if the same people who have down-voted you and I also spoke out against Facebook and its anti-privacy issues.

EDIT: my friend just bought a bag of chips assuming it will taste good but it really doesn't. I guess if he's not allowed to taste it before buying, then it's gambling! Did you know that eating chips could contribute to numerous health and financial issues? Ban chips effective immediately! Think about the children!

> Did you know that eating chips could contribute to numerous health and financial issues? Ban chips effective immediately!

Not sure about wherever you are from, but in Europe there is an expectation that food you can buy in stores is reasonably safe (milk is pasteurized, etc). It wouldn't be much of a stretch to regulate unhealthy ingredients. In fact, they do regulate stuff like this, it just takes time, see trans-fats.

Not the point. The point is that it's not banned merely because it could contribute to health and financial issues. According to many people here, it should. I'm merely mocking their idiocy to prove a point, hence why my karma went from 20 to 4 within hours.

I'll let you in on a little secret: regulations and expectations don't always reflect reality, and in many cases you'd be surprised what's in your food and how your food has been handled. Ignorance is bliss, and thinking that regulations and expectations have significant effects are naive to say the least. Let me ask you, and any further down-voter, do you live under a rock?

Albeit it's about pollution, it's still worth reading: https://mises.org/library/libertarian-manifesto-pollution

Regulate the amount of calories people can consume to prevent or treat obesity! Enforce it! Don't ever stop!

But some people prefer what used to be called "Green Top" Milk i.e. raw milk) which had very strict rules on what H&S measures the Farmers had to take.

Would the world function more logically without appeals to morality and virtue? Probably. Pointing that out is really just an ego serving truth. Go ahead and violate the unwritten rules of your society just make sure you cash out before the reckoning comes (facebook, Shkreli, lootboxes, etc).

Hmm? I don't see how it is related to anything I've said. I'm pretty much against social media, but I don't want them to be regulated or banned. If you don't like them, then stop using them, and at the same time I don't care if someone else uses them. I am not going to dictate how they should live their lives. It's not the government's job to prevent you from your own stupidity. It can't. For example saying "wah wah wah I can't control myself, I am fat because of the industry, Almighty Government, please help me!" is your own fault in case of overeating, you lack self-control. You are responsible for your behavior and the consequences of it, just as how you are responsible for your child. If a parent can't make an intelligent informed decision and look after their children, then they shouldn't give them these games, credit cards, etc. and the parents perhaps shouldn't even have children. If you can't feed your potential future offspring, then don't have one! If you don't like lootboxes, don't buy them. They are not inherently harmful to children and most of the games aren't rated for children, and even then you need a card to procure the items, that of which children do not have.

Building sites are dangerous for children and need to be banned because parents might take them to one and stop watching them while they jump off of a skyscraper.

Why should anyone take responsibility for what other people do? If I produce bleach and someone drinks it, why am I responsible for that? There are warnings everywhere, it's not my fault you ignore them or you are not cautious enough. We are heading towards the direction of abandoning all responsibility and shifting the blame to anyone but ourselves.

For people who think they won't be able to function without the State: https://mises.org/library/rothbard-and-nature-state

You're talking to someone who has been openly and aggressively pro-facebook on this site so you're preaching to the choir.

What I'm saying is that society is made up of people who make knee jerk reactions and moral outrage thrives. You can play the "above it all" card but that doesn't change the fact that our laws and society actually run on those perceptions.

Telling people to take personal responsibility doesn't matter at all except to inflate one's ego through social shaming. If enough people complain about something reality will reflect that from the bottom up.

You're working against your own interests by saying things like "take personal responsibility" / pull yourself up by your bootstraps, etc. Your narrative comes off as self serving and I'm almost certain you know it does. You've become addicted to how people react to you giving them the "uncomfortable truth." Good for the ego not much else.

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