2008 Woodie Awards
Stossel talks about chance
Kathryn Mayer
Issue date: 2/8/05 Section: News
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John Stossel, co-anchor of ABC's 20/20, discussed capitalism and chance last week at a lecture he gave in Davis Auditorium of Sturm Hall.
Governmental control was the focus of his talk, as he posed the question "How much government do we need?"
He also discussed political tendencies in the media, saying a conservative has little or no chance of getting a job in the media. "I think drugs should be legal, prostitutes should be legal and homosexuality is perfectly natural, yet they call me a conservative because I believe in free market," Stossel said. Because of his libertarian beliefs and his criticism of liberal media, he said he has not been well liked among colleagues and viewers. "The other day some lady came up to me and asked 'Are you John Stossel?' 'Yes.' 'I hope you die.'"
When he did a segment called "Are We Scaring Ourselves to Death?" he spent half a year compiling information debunking myths about dying. Since terrorism has been a recurring fear since 9/11, he focused on that compared to more realistic circumstances that cause death. He found that even if 9/11 happened every three years, it only takes four days off a human life, compared to murder, which takes 93 days off your life. Driving takes 182 days off your life, and smoking almost 2,000 days. In general, he found that "wealthier is much healthier." People with a low income die seven to 10 years sooner than people who have a more regular income.
Stossel said that he is a fan of risk-taking, but thinks that people are just too afraid to take any chances. If people knew the risks of swimming pools, they wouldn't be so popular, he said. "What would people say if someone said, 'I want to put big tanks of water in people's backyards! It would kill 800 kids a year.' Would this be approved today?"
He asked "Why have we become such wimps? Why do we let government decide yes or no?" The media, he explained, is using the scare tactic about everything: radiation, pesticides, exploding BIC lighters and poisonous lawn chemicals, to name a few. Trial lawyers benefit by bringing scare stories into courtrooms, trying to gain money and reputation. They make us scared of the technology that has increased our life span 30 years.
Governmental control was the focus of his talk, as he posed the question "How much government do we need?"
He also discussed political tendencies in the media, saying a conservative has little or no chance of getting a job in the media. "I think drugs should be legal, prostitutes should be legal and homosexuality is perfectly natural, yet they call me a conservative because I believe in free market," Stossel said. Because of his libertarian beliefs and his criticism of liberal media, he said he has not been well liked among colleagues and viewers. "The other day some lady came up to me and asked 'Are you John Stossel?' 'Yes.' 'I hope you die.'"
When he did a segment called "Are We Scaring Ourselves to Death?" he spent half a year compiling information debunking myths about dying. Since terrorism has been a recurring fear since 9/11, he focused on that compared to more realistic circumstances that cause death. He found that even if 9/11 happened every three years, it only takes four days off a human life, compared to murder, which takes 93 days off your life. Driving takes 182 days off your life, and smoking almost 2,000 days. In general, he found that "wealthier is much healthier." People with a low income die seven to 10 years sooner than people who have a more regular income.
Stossel said that he is a fan of risk-taking, but thinks that people are just too afraid to take any chances. If people knew the risks of swimming pools, they wouldn't be so popular, he said. "What would people say if someone said, 'I want to put big tanks of water in people's backyards! It would kill 800 kids a year.' Would this be approved today?"
He asked "Why have we become such wimps? Why do we let government decide yes or no?" The media, he explained, is using the scare tactic about everything: radiation, pesticides, exploding BIC lighters and poisonous lawn chemicals, to name a few. Trial lawyers benefit by bringing scare stories into courtrooms, trying to gain money and reputation. They make us scared of the technology that has increased our life span 30 years.