Just have a look at what is going on in England and especially the Netherlands to see how dangerous this is getting.
Ehmm, the Netherlands? How, what, where? All we've got is a screaming jackass that appeals to the Telegraaf-reading, SBS-6 watching part of the nation, and some politicians hopping on the bandwagon to get in the limelight a bit.
Yes, in theory, if a political party that wanted to integrate sharia law into dutch society were to get 2/3 of the total votes they'd be able to change the constitution. The odds of that happening are about the same as the odds of me being the prime minister at the time...
Ah, the good old clash between the real world and the way you(we?) think it should be.
Pointing out that people are wrong is a sensitive process. If you do it the wrong way, you provoke an emotional response that stops the person you're trying to convince from absorbing what you're trying to tell them.
It doesn't matter if you're right or wrong, if you convey your information in a way that is perceived as "being a dick" it will never reach its destination. That sucks, but it's just the way most human beings work. And I very much doubt that this is a root cause of "what is wrong with the world today", unless people getting pissed off because some know-it-all jackass is telling them they're a moron is a recent development.
Even then. Here in the netherlands pot is "legal" but growing it in amounts of more than 5 plants isn't. Problem is that home growing on a large scale requires a ton of electricity, resulting in all sorts of really hazardous setups, often combined with stealing the electricity from the grid.
Actually, if you have the right kind of exploratory mindset, finding things out can be fun in itself. Unfortunately for a lot of players the experience of flying into an area where there's no Concord(ingame police force) and getting blown up by bloodthirsty pirates is not something they truly appreciate. Which is a shame, since quite often those very same pirates are more than willing to then lead that very same player around a bit and show him where he went wrong (or right).
Would you care if the plane that crashes just kills you, your family, and any pets you may have? What if instead of crashing a plane, someone just kills you, your family, and your pet but save the hassle of air travelers? We'd save a whole aircraft too!
Or is it totally different when your survival is on the line?
My survival is on the line every time I leave the house. I go to work, with 1-2 ton metal contraptions barreling past me at 50 kilometers per hour 5 days a week. I come into contact with people that may be carrying diseases. I sleep with women and occasionally take their word for it that they have had themselves tested for STD's.
So unless you also intend to ban cars, enforce that anyone must wear a hazmat suit unless they're in a filtered environment inside, and must wear a full body condom during sex...
Which is why so many Australians (and, most likely, Europeans) find the healthcare debate in the US so incomprehensible: just go ahead and hand over your freedom; it's for your own good. This sounds perfectly reasonable to non American ears, not so much in the US.
Actually, as a European, the reason I find the debate so incomprehensible is the amount of disinformation/bullshit flying around. Based on footage of the various rallies, town hall meetings and sessions in congress I can only come to the following conclusions:
- There's a lot of people in the US that I can only classify as being so incredibly ignorant it's not even funny anymore. Either that, or they're simple batshit insane. - Having seen some of the folks in Congress speak, there are apparently entire states where being a total moron is a qualification for being elected. - It is simply impossible to have a rational debate on an issue like this in the US of A. Any and all rational voices are outscreamed by an army of pundits, lobbyists and politicans screaming about death camps (srsly, wtf?)
I mean, sure, we have television stations over here especially geared for the idiots that'll gobble up whatever pundit confirms their beliefs, no matter how irrational, but they're a minority.
You know what's REALLY funny is that I recently watched a documentary comparing modern life to that of peasants in the middle ages, and when you strip away the comforts we have because of modern technology (plentiful high calorie foods, great medical care, comfortable cheap living materials, etc), the average peasant spent less time working for his lord than we do working for the government (i.e. taxes). Most all peasants had their own plot of land to work and a house that was their own, and they were generally more free to do whatever they wanted compared to us today. They didn't have the comforts we have, but that is simply a technological difference.
We have far more distractions which help us ignore the fact that we are far more oppressed than those who lived in the fiefdoms of the past. That's sad, especially since we consider the average peasant of old to be a quite oppressed individual.
I hear you, man! Some girl down the block got married earlier this week and the local major was there exercising his droit de seigneur straight away! Oh, wait...
Heh, I remember doing that for the first time in a game called Zeliard. What's amazing is that there are apparently still people actualling playing it....now where did i leave my copy of dosbox?
Mention the communist's anti-religious campaigns and you're a troll...
Nah, it's just that there's no moderation option for -1: Ignorant Moron
Atheism is not a religion. Neither is science. For all intents and purposes I'm an atheist, but I don't give a flying fuck what you believe in, so long as you're not interfering in politics or the education of my children based on those beliefs.
Ehmm, how about the good old "I don't believe in god because there's not a single shred of evidence that supports his existence"?
Not to mention that there is, in my opinion anyway, a difference between believing in something and actually worshipping it.
I mean, I might believe in the existence of a supreme/superior being if he showed up in front of me and pulled some awesome moves. Whether I would then start to venerate said being is a different story.
When I read this, the first thought I had was: Who the hell would want to play this game?
If you are given the choice between: 1. A game that heckles you for your appearance. 2. A game that doesn't heckle you for your appearance.
Which game would you chose to play?
Dunno, proper motivation uses both a carrot and a stick, and you're only comparing the stick parts. What if the game that heckles you for your appearance also conjures your own personal $incredibly_hot_celebrity clone out of thin air once you've beaten the final boss and reached $target_weight?
In any case, this particular concept seems to be aimed at parents and not so much at their kids. Think of it as a "no more halo 3 for you till you've done 10 laps around the block you fat fart!". Electronic parenting ftw?
That is one of the dillemas of the Internet. So perhaps localized vendors need to come to grips with the problem of advertising on global media. This was not much of a problem when newspapers were essentially local, exceptions being the WSJ etc.
Boo-fucking-woo. When I watch The Daily Show on comedy central's website i get ads for a dutch isp. So apparently someone figured out how to work it.
I'm not sure why all the anti-American angst in these threads are directed towards the US. No question that it's a ridiculous perversion of our system, from the viewpoint of an american. But why aren't you angry at the various countries who cave to the ridiculous whims of these American-based corporations and the courts/legal system they leverage?
Oh, but we are. Heck, it's only a matter of time before somewhere in a western country a politician will get elected based on a platform that consists solely of "fuck the americans".
The big question is what is going to happen once you guys have squandered the pitiful remainder of the credibility you have left and your corps keep applying more pressure on other countries.
In EVE Online we had a female Fleet Commander for a while. Great tactical thinker and, ooh boy, could she chew someone out when they fucked things up. Strangely enough there was very little of the "hitting on the only girl" going on, probably because she would blow the crap out of them if they even thought about it.
Plenty of competent female gamers out there, but I can imagine it's hard for them to find a guild/corp/group where they can just hang out and be themselves without getting hit on all the time:/
Indeed. My girlfriend and I would drag our asses to bed at 6 am. Looking back, I'd never believe the effort I had to undertake to get her to even try playing a MMO... shortly there after, she wanted her own PC.
Lucky bastard, that implies you still got to use your own...I had to build *myself* my "own" pc...
I was gonna say something about how the Slashdotter in question would have to be around 150 kilogram to compensate for the lack of mass in the doll...and then I remembered which website this was again.
The trick is to realize that the clock starts as soon as you go down on her. 25 minutes of oral + 5 minutes of intercourse counts as a 30 minute session.
25 minutes of oral? One of us is doing something wrong...
And how will AGW proponents respond to this in the media? With appeals to authority, ad hominem attacks, and bluster.
The media and the scientists who have become the public faces of AGW in the media have taken the position that the public is too stupid to understand AGW, and must be convinced by multimedia slideshows, appeals to authority, and bluster. They do not seek to convey an understanding of the data, methods, and conclusions. Instead, they seek to replace one belief with another. When this is how you approach your audience, it doesn't matter whether what you teach is true or false, it is indoctrination, not education.
How should they handle it in the media? They should spend 4 hours in primetime, instead of Dances with Fucktards, walk the public through the data, walk the public through the methods, examine the claim being made here, and explain its impact or irrelevance to the conclusions. You know. EDUCATE. Not pontificate. Not intimidate.
And what difference will that make? The ignorant will remain ignorant, the faithful will keep believing, the pundits will scream, and Sean Hannity says it snowed in Houston.
Slashdot Mirror
Just have a look at what is going on in England and especially the Netherlands to see how dangerous this is getting.
Ehmm, the Netherlands? How, what, where? All we've got is a screaming jackass that appeals to the Telegraaf-reading, SBS-6 watching part of the nation, and some politicians hopping on the bandwagon to get in the limelight a bit.
Yes, in theory, if a political party that wanted to integrate sharia law into dutch society were to get 2/3 of the total votes they'd be able to change the constitution. The odds of that happening are about the same as the odds of me being the prime minister at the time...
Ah, the good old clash between the real world and the way you(we?) think it should be.
Pointing out that people are wrong is a sensitive process. If you do it the wrong way, you provoke an emotional response that stops the person you're trying to convince from absorbing what you're trying to tell them.
It doesn't matter if you're right or wrong, if you convey your information in a way that is perceived as "being a dick" it will never reach its destination. That sucks, but it's just the way most human beings work. And I very much doubt that this is a root cause of "what is wrong with the world today", unless people getting pissed off because some know-it-all jackass is telling them they're a moron is a recent development.
Oi, some of us use Facebook to keep track of our ex-gf's you insensitive clod!
No, I'm not kidding.
Even then. Here in the netherlands pot is "legal" but growing it in amounts of more than 5 plants isn't. Problem is that home growing on a large scale requires a ton of electricity, resulting in all sorts of really hazardous setups, often combined with stealing the electricity from the grid.
Actually, if you have the right kind of exploratory mindset, finding things out can be fun in itself. Unfortunately for a lot of players the experience of flying into an area where there's no Concord(ingame police force) and getting blown up by bloodthirsty pirates is not something they truly appreciate. Which is a shame, since quite often those very same pirates are more than willing to then lead that very same player around a bit and show him where he went wrong (or right).
50 is the normal speed in the netherlands for cars within the city proper.
Still more than enough to break quite a few bones if it hits you from the side and you're on a bicycle though(yes, speaking from experience).
Would you care if the plane that crashes just kills you, your family, and any pets you may have? What if instead of crashing a plane, someone just kills you, your family, and your pet but save the hassle of air travelers? We'd save a whole aircraft too!
Or is it totally different when your survival is on the line?
My survival is on the line every time I leave the house. I go to work, with 1-2 ton metal contraptions barreling past me at 50 kilometers per hour 5 days a week. I come into contact with people that may be carrying diseases. I sleep with women and occasionally take their word for it that they have had themselves tested for STD's.
So unless you also intend to ban cars, enforce that anyone must wear a hazmat suit unless they're in a filtered environment inside, and must wear a full body condom during sex...
Which is why so many Australians (and, most likely, Europeans) find the healthcare debate in the US so incomprehensible: just go ahead and hand over your freedom; it's for your own good. This sounds perfectly reasonable to non American ears, not so much in the US.
Actually, as a European, the reason I find the debate so incomprehensible is the amount of disinformation/bullshit flying around. Based on footage of the various rallies, town hall meetings and sessions in congress I can only come to the following conclusions:
- There's a lot of people in the US that I can only classify as being so incredibly ignorant it's not even funny anymore. Either that, or they're simple batshit insane.
- Having seen some of the folks in Congress speak, there are apparently entire states where being a total moron is a qualification for being elected.
- It is simply impossible to have a rational debate on an issue like this in the US of A. Any and all rational voices are outscreamed by an army of pundits, lobbyists and politicans screaming about death camps (srsly, wtf?)
I mean, sure, we have television stations over here especially geared for the idiots that'll gobble up whatever pundit confirms their beliefs, no matter how irrational, but they're a minority.
Heck, I liked Showgirls for the same reason.
I don't recall the movie the GP is referencing actually touching the whole citizenship business though, but it's been a while since I last saw it.
Next step: SLOL (saying LOL out loud)
Maybe a shaped charge and some general aiming by the would-be assassin?
Taking "farting in your general direction" to a whole new level.
You know what's REALLY funny is that I recently watched a documentary comparing modern life to that of peasants in the middle ages, and when you strip away the comforts we have because of modern technology (plentiful high calorie foods, great medical care, comfortable cheap living materials, etc), the average peasant spent less time working for his lord than we do working for the government (i.e. taxes). Most all peasants had their own plot of land to work and a house that was their own, and they were generally more free to do whatever they wanted compared to us today. They didn't have the comforts we have, but that is simply a technological difference.
We have far more distractions which help us ignore the fact that we are far more oppressed than those who lived in the fiefdoms of the past. That's sad, especially since we consider the average peasant of old to be a quite oppressed individual.
I hear you, man! Some girl down the block got married earlier this week and the local major was there exercising his droit de seigneur straight away! Oh, wait...
Heh, I remember doing that for the first time in a game called Zeliard. What's amazing is that there are apparently still people actualling playing it....now where did i leave my copy of dosbox?
Mention the communist's anti-religious campaigns and you're a troll...
Nah, it's just that there's no moderation option for -1: Ignorant Moron
Atheism is not a religion. Neither is science. For all intents and purposes I'm an atheist, but I don't give a flying fuck what you believe in, so long as you're not interfering in politics or the education of my children based on those beliefs.
Ehmm, how about the good old "I don't believe in god because there's not a single shred of evidence that supports his existence"?
Not to mention that there is, in my opinion anyway, a difference between believing in something and actually worshipping it.
I mean, I might believe in the existence of a supreme/superior being if he showed up in front of me and pulled some awesome moves. Whether I would then start to venerate said being is a different story.
Imagine that clearly enough and you'll see why no one who could arrange that is inclined to let it happen.
Said no one who could arrange that being the electorate of your county/state/country?
When I read this, the first thought I had was: Who the hell would want to play this game?
If you are given the choice between:
1. A game that heckles you for your appearance.
2. A game that doesn't heckle you for your appearance.
Which game would you chose to play?
Dunno, proper motivation uses both a carrot and a stick, and you're only comparing the stick parts. What if the game that heckles you for your appearance also conjures your own personal $incredibly_hot_celebrity clone out of thin air once you've beaten the final boss and reached $target_weight?
In any case, this particular concept seems to be aimed at parents and not so much at their kids. Think of it as a "no more halo 3 for you till you've done 10 laps around the block you fat fart!". Electronic parenting ftw?
That is one of the dillemas of the Internet. So perhaps localized vendors need to come to grips with the problem of advertising on global media. This was not much of a problem when newspapers were essentially local, exceptions being the WSJ etc.
Boo-fucking-woo. When I watch The Daily Show on comedy central's website i get ads for a dutch isp. So apparently someone figured out how to work it.
I'm not sure why all the anti-American angst in these threads are directed towards the US. No question that it's a ridiculous perversion of our system, from the viewpoint of an american. But why aren't you angry at the various countries who cave to the ridiculous whims of these American-based corporations and the courts/legal system they leverage?
Oh, but we are. Heck, it's only a matter of time before somewhere in a western country a politician will get elected based on a platform that consists solely of "fuck the americans".
The big question is what is going to happen once you guys have squandered the pitiful remainder of the credibility you have left and your corps keep applying more pressure on other countries.
So...what does that make "normal" people (is there such a thing) who play EVE? Closet nerds squared?
Now if you'll excuse me, I have spreadsheets to work on.
In EVE Online we had a female Fleet Commander for a while. Great tactical thinker and, ooh boy, could she chew someone out when they fucked things up. Strangely enough there was very little of the "hitting on the only girl" going on, probably because she would blow the crap out of them if they even thought about it.
Plenty of competent female gamers out there, but I can imagine it's hard for them to find a guild/corp/group where they can just hang out and be themselves without getting hit on all the time :/
Indeed. My girlfriend and I would drag our asses to bed at 6 am. Looking back, I'd never believe the effort I had to undertake to get her to even try playing a MMO... shortly there after, she wanted her own PC.
Lucky bastard, that implies you still got to use your own...I had to build *myself* my "own" pc...
I was gonna say something about how the Slashdotter in question would have to be around 150 kilogram to compensate for the lack of mass in the doll...and then I remembered which website this was again.
Carry on!
The trick is to realize that the clock starts as soon as you go down on her. 25 minutes of oral + 5 minutes of intercourse counts as a 30 minute session.
25 minutes of oral? One of us is doing something wrong...
And how will AGW proponents respond to this in the media? With appeals to authority, ad hominem attacks, and bluster.
The media and the scientists who have become the public faces of AGW in the media have taken the position that the public is too stupid to understand AGW, and must be convinced by multimedia slideshows, appeals to authority, and bluster. They do not seek to convey an understanding of the data, methods, and conclusions. Instead, they seek to replace one belief with another. When this is how you approach your audience, it doesn't matter whether what you teach is true or false, it is indoctrination, not education.
How should they handle it in the media? They should spend 4 hours in primetime, instead of Dances with Fucktards, walk the public through the data, walk the public through the methods, examine the claim being made here, and explain its impact or irrelevance to the conclusions. You know. EDUCATE. Not pontificate. Not intimidate.
And what difference will that make? The ignorant will remain ignorant, the faithful will keep believing, the pundits will scream, and Sean Hannity says it snowed in Houston.