Why is minor self-mutilation worse than smoking cigarettes?!
Question: Cigarettes can eventually kill you, and they are used by many people to relieve stress, and they are not only a mental addiction but also a physical one.
Self-mutilation, when done lightly doesn't even leave scars, and if done in a clean environment isn't likely to cause an infection of any kind.
Are they equally bad? Why is self-mutilation still perceived as horrible while smoking is just whatever?
Answers: Cigarettes can eventually kill you, and they are used by many people to relieve stress, and they are not only a mental addiction but also a physical one.
Self-mutilation, when done lightly doesn't even leave scars, and if done in a clean environment isn't likely to cause an infection of any kind.
Are they equally bad? Why is self-mutilation still perceived as horrible while smoking is just whatever?
Because cigarettes don't have short term bad effects other than cigarette breath (which some people actually like). You enjoy it now, and later you get yellow teeth, various cancers, spend thousands and thousands of dollars and so on. But the key is "later", and many people only think about now when making any decision.
Self-mutilation, you bleed now, you feel pain now. That's what the difference is - society believes it's ok to have fun now even if the pain comes later. That's why people binge-drink, overspend, have unsafe sex and all these other things, because society as a whole doesn't care about what happens in 5 years time or 10 years time or 50 years time. From society's standpoint, it's illogical to harm yourself now, but doing something that will harm you later is nowhere near as bad.
I don't smoke, but if I did, the "it'll kill you later" reason wouldn't faze me. People like to say "each cigarette you smoke is 5 minutes off your life" - yeah, but if you'll pardon the pun, it's 5 minutes off the butt-end. So I miss out on a whole 5 minutes of sitting in my rocking chair on the porch of a nursing home grumbling about the state of the world? Not exactly a deterrent, really. I think that many people have the same point of view, and that's why cigarettes aren't seen as especially deadly, because they're only deadly -eventually-.
why would you cut yourself?!?! are you crazy? take your anger out on somebody else. ciggarettes are bad but chopping yourself up is way worse, and it makes you look like a nut
blood is so much grosser than cigarette smoke
If you smoke cigarettes there's no risk of you leaking your potentially infected blood onto other people.
Realisitically, at least not smoking will prevent those around you from being damaged by your actions. As to why self mutilation is bad? ehm. "Oh #$&@! I slipped!" ....get the point? (Sorry, I couldnt help the pun.)
its actually an intersting point. i would say that self mutilation you are more directly hurting yourself. but they are both bad addictions. cigarettes are more mental. its just the results after years that can be physcial that can kill you. self mutilation you are phsycially hurting youself every time you do it. i have to say that even though i think self mutilation is much worse, i think you made a good point. maybe we all think its just much worse bc there are more people who smoke cigarettes than who cut themselves or at least that we know of. whatever people are more used to seeing they think are more acceptable. i still think that cigarettes are a choice, a bad choice, but still a choice and cutting yourself is a mental problem.
Neither one is really considered worse, both are seen as bad.
You've already pointed out the major problem with cigarettes, so I don't see the need to continue with that.
Self-mutilation (cutting) isn't really seen as bad so much as a sign that there may be a serious problem mentally. It may signify depression or maybe a mental disorder of some type. It may be the first step on the way to eventual suicide; and is definitely a sign of inner pain that usually isn't showing in other ways. In essence, the cutter is attempting to get rid of inner pain but in a way that requires they hide from others who may be able to help.
And when people want to stop someone from self-mutilation, it generally isn't the symptom they want to stop. They want to stop the "disease," such as depression. But the stopping of cutting is a sign that the disease that caused it is gone, so doctors and parents and so on want the cutting stopped for that reason.
your asking a question that to me seems crazy.
but I wouldnt know I am a smoker, not a cutter.......
Because self mutilation is a symptom of a larger mental problem - low self esteem, depression, etc.
Smokers are not hurting themselves for the sake of pain and it's not a sign of mental illness.
Lots of things are bad for us but we do them anyway. It may be a sign of weakness, but not necessarily an illness.
You really owe it to yourself to get some help.
I have to make this comment, I just read all answers so far and have to say totaly agree with "the camels" comments.
i don't even know that person at all and i hope that it gets best answer, well deserved! Couldn't agree more.
I think your state of mind is issue here, I mean physically they are both hurting your body.
one will definitely kill you and one can kill you- one affects your lungs - one you can get a bad infection from - both are psychological problems what if the item you use to cut yourself was not clean You need to see a therapist/ or someone and talk to them about what you are doing