Narz
keeping it real
Something I was thinking about today. It's all the same (you choose to ingest something for a desired outcome), why the active phrasing for illegal substances & passive one for legal ones?
Semantics Question - why do people DO drugs but TAKE medication?
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Gary Childress
Student for and of life
Not sure how true it is but I once saw a portion of a transcript of an interview with a former Nixon administration official who stated that the administration deliberately created the "war on drugs" for no others pragmatic purpose than to discredit those protesting the Vietnam War (the "hippies"). I've never taken illegal drugs myself but my understanding is that in the end people "do" illegal drugs for much the same reason people "take" various prescription drugs--in order to feel better.
With that said I do agree that some drugs are very dangerous both in terms of their effects and in terms of their addictive qualities and maybe ought to be regulated to whatever degree, but criminalizing people for drug use alone seems sort of wrong. I don't know for sure, though.
With that said I do agree that some drugs are very dangerous both in terms of their effects and in terms of their addictive qualities and maybe ought to be regulated to whatever degree, but criminalizing people for drug use alone seems sort of wrong. I don't know for sure, though.
Often you need to be little more active to break the law then to follow it (including the consequences).
civver_764
Deity
Maybe because doing drugs is more exciting than taking medication, which makes it like an activity, something to "do".
"Do" carries the implication of volition and choice, whereas taking medication places the ingester as more passive, the medication happening to them as a result of circumstance.
Consider also that we're probably less likely to describe someone suffering from substance abuse and dependency as "doing" that particular drug than we are someone who is doing so in a recreational manner.
Consider also that we're probably less likely to describe someone suffering from substance abuse and dependency as "doing" that particular drug than we are someone who is doing so in a recreational manner.
Perfection
The Great Head.
What's even weirder is nobody does or takes cheeseburgers, they eat them!
Berzerker
Deity
Do the Dew
now there's a drug, some guy recently died from what they believe was a caffeine induced cardiac arrest
he had a latte, a Mt Dew, and then a Monster drink all within a 2 hour span
now there's a drug, some guy recently died from what they believe was a caffeine induced cardiac arrest
he had a latte, a Mt Dew, and then a Monster drink all within a 2 hour span
It may have something to do with oral forms of administration. I've certainly heard of cases of "take" used in the context of illegal drugs. People are sometimes said to take (or drop) LSD or to take ecstasy. It seems less common with non-oral forms of administration: a person who snorts cocaine or injects heroin or smokes marijuana is usually said to be "doing" those drugs, but not "taking" them. But yeah, I think there is a slight negative connotation to "do" vis a vis "take" which is playing a role here.
I wonder if Happy Cat could be said to be a cheezburger addict.
Probably not, since he smiles and politely asks for them.
Perfection
The Great Head.
I always suspected you were secretly Mayor McCheese
shadowplay
your ad here
The one that bothers me the most is how it's "withdrawal" if it's an illegal drug, but "discontinuation symptoms" if it's a legal drug. The suffering is the same either way.
Lexicus
Deity
I smoke weed, drop acid and eat mescaline. I guess I pretty much always say "take" for prescription drugs though, like I "took" the painkillers, I "took" those antibiotics.
Hygro
soundcloud.com/hygro/
Take weed errday
Broken_Erika
Play with me.
Does that make "Mountain Dew" a drug? Do the Dew!
onejayhawk
Afflicted with reason
Why does coming up mean the same as going down?
How can flammable mean the same thing as inflammable?
Why is a slim chance the same as a fat chance?
How can dusting mean either adding or removing dust, see also seeding?
Is a sanction an approval or a penalty?
Does left mean remaining or departed?
The right Right right righted the right, right?
J
How can flammable mean the same thing as inflammable?
Why is a slim chance the same as a fat chance?
How can dusting mean either adding or removing dust, see also seeding?
Is a sanction an approval or a penalty?
Does left mean remaining or departed?
The right Right right righted the right, right?
J
warpus
In pork I trust
I mean marijuana is now legal in many places and you still "do" it and don't "take" it, even when it's for medicinal purposes.
It's not an illegal vs legal split. It's a linguistic one. It's just how English evolved.
It's not an illegal vs legal split. It's a linguistic one. It's just how English evolved.
Gori the Grey
The Poster
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- Jan 5, 2009
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A friend in college reported going to a Grateful Dead concert and walking by a group of people, one of whom he overheard say, "Hey, one of these days. we should do some food."
"Take" and "do" are both equally active, so that's not it. J's got the right answer. Language just doesn't make logical sense.
"Take" and "do" are both equally active, so that's not it. J's got the right answer. Language just doesn't make logical sense.
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