Are we taking it for granted, is playing water fights still acceptable?

Poll

When millions of people desperately need water is water fights acceptable?

it's obvious i didn't quite get my message across accurately and i can't change my poll to reflect on what i meant by wasting clean water. People on here have a different level of understanding about how water is purified, but this was enjoyable up to a certain extent.

(edited 11 years ago)

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Reply 1

Norton1

Ever waste food? Ever drive or use a car? Ever go to a school for free? Ever go to University? Inevitably if you live in a first world country you're going to be able to do things denied to those in other countries. Also, note that a waterfight doesn't diminish the people who don't have clean water in any way. Britain happens to be a fairly wet country. Just as Egypt won't run short of sand we won't run short of water. But if you didn't use the water for a waterfight it's not as if it would be bottled and sent over to Africa to help out.

Reply 2

purplesponge

Original post by Norton1

Well said

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

Reply 3

Casshern1456

Original post by Norton1

I'm talking specifically about water, clean water is a privilege for you and I but not for the millions who are unable to obtain clean water. Furthermore, it costs a hell of a lot to produce clean water which means as a first world country we add tremendously to the net carbon emission.

Reply 4

AdvanceAndVanquish

water doesn't work that way. it's not as if every country (or even every part of the same country) shares the same water reserves. There are reasons not to use water frivolously in the UK, but the plight of africans without clean drinking water is not one of them.

Reply 5

Bey Taco

You are hardly saving a life by not playing water fight. What you are saying makes no sense. We can either play water fight whilst people die of thirst or we can save the water whilst people die of thirst. Either way people are dieing mate. Unless we actually make some effort to take water to people who need it, how we use the water here makes no difference to them.

Reply 6

Hopple

Original post by Casshern1456

It's not as if we're taking water from Africa to do this. If you wanted to be really technical you could argue waterfights are releasing water back into the water cycle, where it could end up falling in Africa.

Reply 7

Bonged.

Um, did you know water evaporates?

Reply 8

internet tough guy

Original post by Casshern1456

I have no problem with it, the water we have over here could never be transported over to Africa anyway, so regardless of whether we 'waste' them away, it has absolutely no effect on some place thousands of miles away.

Reply 9

bigbottle

I fill the balloons up with urine, so it's OK. :smile:

Reply 10

M4LLY

Of course its still acceptable, its bloody good fun as well.

Reply 11

freedomyak

Original post by Casshern1456

So I was talking to this girl and she thinks it's okay to use water in this weather for waterfights. My question is, given the millions of people around the world and in African dying every year from Cholera and water-borne diseases from drinking contaminated water can we still afford to waste water.

[EDIT]
Perhaps my question was a bit ambiguous, new question: Are we taking water for granted when we should be conserving water for later uses. Vote: Yes, yes if you think it's acceptable to waste water, No, if you think it should be conserved.

Basic economic laws of supply and demand will solve this problem, there is no need to attach an emotional and frankly biased element to peoples opinions, as long as water is plentiful we can afford to use it (generally) how we like, the world is about 70% water and advancements in reverse osmosis and other technologies mean that purifying sea water will be cost effective in under a deacade.

Reply 12

Casshern1456

Hm, looking at the poll it has sprung quite a surprise to me, I guess people wasn't aware of the environmental costs to the planet of wasting water, please watch this for the people who voted YES. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yOb3ac5wH8&feature=related

Reply 13

Casshern1456

Original post by freedomyak

And the associated carbon footprint emission into the atmosphere in purifying water for our consumption just so we can wash our cars and take parts in water fights?

Reply 14

Akkuz

Water supplies are gradually beginning to dry up around the world. Forget oil. Forget climate change. The next big war will be over water. People can survive without oil, we can battle against rising temperatures and rising sea levels but without water were ****ed.

So in answer to the question, yes we should be preserving water.

Reply 15

faber niger

I think you're trying to ask a general question with a particular one: to what extent is it ethical to enjoy oneself in a world of suffering (and to what extent is the satisfaction of "sentient beings" predicated on the suffering of other such beings)? There's been lots written about that, so I won't add my cranial effluvium, but it's an interesting question.

EDIT: Now would be a great day for a waterfight though, shame the kids get all the fun.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 16

TheHansa

If you don't use the water in a fight will it go to the people without water? Developing technology to purify water is the answer and in fact using more of it could make developing the technology more lucrative.

Reply 17

madders94

I feel special :biggrin:

Reply 18

Casshern1456

Original post by TheHansa

But is it right to use waste water in water fights when we could be preserving it.

Reply 19

original_username

I think water fights in places where there is a hose pipe ban sort of defeats the object. That's the only reason I can think of to not let kids enjoy themselves having a water fight but otherwise I see no problem with. We over consume everything in the developed world, water for me isn't high on the agenda of what we should be cutting down on.