I think I hear where you're coming from; a point of view un-defended is probably not worth defending. However, there is another factor I think you should consider: Time is a finite/scarce resource. Often, the timid do not share their views because they are afraid of ridicule, but more because they lack the skill to shoe-horn their words into an already crowded debate that must conclude on a certain schedule.
Granted, in the real world, it's necessary to have that skill of speech where you can assert yourself in a group, and be heard. However, what if there were a communication device that allowed groups to examine more points of view in less time than it takes to express them verbally? Would this not aid the group in examining the issue and arriving at the correct (most correct) conclusion?
The Clicker may not be the perfect answer, but it is a step toward a scenario where groups can vet all positions of its members without having to be so tedious as to wait for each member to have their time on the floor; they each can instead text a reply to a common bank where the remaining members can read the responses (ala IRC).
Specifically, group members can flag their responses to reflect agreement with or opposition to a given position, so that members can see at a glance where the consensus is, and who are the holdouts.
It might even encourage normally timid memebers to vocalize their dissent, because they can be confident of having their entire argument aired, rather than risk being cut-off.
But, any system that forces anonymity (except for specific instances) would be useless. I agree that if you are going to dissent, have the balls to stand up for what you believe.
"C: Who is going to spend $$$ suing a telco over a breach of a service agreement?"
Unfortuneately, (here in the states at least) we have an oversupply of lawyers, some of whom for reasons either out of desparation, or just plain being evil, will take a frivolous law suit at the drop of a hat, hoping to get a juicy settlement out of a company with pockets deep enough to view that as the path of least resistance.
Legal associations lobby hard to keep any kind of tort law reform from passing in congress so that the status quo remains, and all the lawyers can keep their jobs at the expense of John Q. Public (either via taxes paid to keep more judges employed, or via increased costs to the consumer from big businesses compensating for the loss).
All of the following entities benefit from feeding off the broken systems (legal and business) in our society, and are essentially adversaries to any one not part of their specific group:
It sounds like the concept would have a dual application in space exploration, wouldn't it?
Sustainable City would in essence be a closed environment/eco-system. May hap the Chinese are really looking to get ahead in terms of colonizing somewhere besides our third rock from the sun...
OK, should I be forced to have a.xxx domain and have my entire website filtered out by Utah because there is this one picture out of 1,000?
Yeah, actually, you should.
That pic, while funny, is still adult content. Even if you're ok with your kids looking at that stuff, I'd wager most parents are not. What would be so difficult about putting that somewhere where kids would be less likely to see it?
To put it another way, how comfortable would you be with a huge billboard of that pic mounted to the roof of your house so the whole neighborhood and passers-by could easily see it? You have it in just as public, and just as easily accessible location, only in digital format.
Plus, with tools like Google, a pic like that will most likely rise to the top of the popularity list on images.google.com, where it will get disproportionately more attention than the rest of the pics on your site (assuming they're all more tame).
How about this for a standard of "adult" content. For starters, any site that requires a paid subscription or any other form of payment, should go on the.xxx domain.
This won't get all, or even most of the pr0n restricted from minors, but it would be a good start, and maybe a more agreeable method of regulating that content to a majority of citizens.
Your average 13 year old understands that the violence they see on screen is a fantasy, and do not view it as a scenario they would attempt to re-create in their own life.
However, the same 13 year old sees sex on screen, and feels a rush of hormones dump into their system, thus fueling a powerful urge to explore this with someone else.
Since most movies don't do a very accurate portrayal of the consequences of sexual activity, there's little or no reason for the youth to feel inhibited or take precautions.
Sex is a much more complex issue for adolescents than violence, due to the differences in their predilection to engage, and their misunderstanding of the consequences involved.
Due to all the retarded behavior that our fellow citizens exhibit on a daily basis I am never surprised when I see people falling for direct parody.
I've met a few of the Execs who work for Wal-Mart, some of whom are not much brighter than the people they exploi^H^H^H^H^H^H employ. My guess is that they're genuinely concerned that a great many folks who go looking for Wal-Mart on the web would completely miss the joke of this guy's site and take it as legit.
Just as Aurthur C. Clarke said: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." The same principle applies to literature and art...Any sufficiently advanced form of comedy is indistinguishable from the nightly news.
Slashdot Mirror
Yeah, ok, sure.
Cool? Not always.
I think I hear where you're coming from; a point of view un-defended is probably not worth defending. However, there is another factor I think you should consider: Time is a finite/scarce resource. Often, the timid do not share their views because they are afraid of ridicule, but more because they lack the skill to shoe-horn their words into an already crowded debate that must conclude on a certain schedule.
Granted, in the real world, it's necessary to have that skill of speech where you can assert yourself in a group, and be heard. However, what if there were a communication device that allowed groups to examine more points of view in less time than it takes to express them verbally? Would this not aid the group in examining the issue and arriving at the correct (most correct) conclusion?
The Clicker may not be the perfect answer, but it is a step toward a scenario where groups can vet all positions of its members without having to be so tedious as to wait for each member to have their time on the floor; they each can instead text a reply to a common bank where the remaining members can read the responses (ala IRC).
Specifically, group members can flag their responses to reflect agreement with or opposition to a given position, so that members can see at a glance where the consensus is, and who are the holdouts.
It might even encourage normally timid memebers to vocalize their dissent, because they can be confident of having their entire argument aired, rather than risk being cut-off.
But, any system that forces anonymity (except for specific instances) would be useless. I agree that if you are going to dissent, have the balls to stand up for what you believe.
Son of a B!
More Like Remote Controlled Inebriation :-)
Sorry, thetan, but I don't see anything at all contrarian about the desire to preserve innocent life, and terminate a sufficiently guilty one.
:-)
One might call that process "Evolution".
...or are Apple FanBoys not into that sort of thing?
;-P
Unfortuneately, (here in the states at least) we have an oversupply of lawyers, some of whom for reasons either out of desparation, or just plain being evil, will take a frivolous law suit at the drop of a hat, hoping to get a juicy settlement out of a company with pockets deep enough to view that as the path of least resistance.
Legal associations lobby hard to keep any kind of tort law reform from passing in congress so that the status quo remains, and all the lawyers can keep their jobs at the expense of John Q. Public (either via taxes paid to keep more judges employed, or via increased costs to the consumer from big businesses compensating for the loss).
All of the following entities benefit from feeding off the broken systems (legal and business) in our society, and are essentially adversaries to any one not part of their specific group:
"Stupid nerdseses! It ruinses the grits! It ruinses it! It pours it downs its pantseses, not it stupid mouths!"
We love them!
It sounds like the concept would have a dual application in space exploration, wouldn't it?
Sustainable City would in essence be a closed environment/eco-system. May hap the Chinese are really looking to get ahead in terms of colonizing somewhere besides our third rock from the sun...
I'd use it to make a suit like this guy's.
And, I'd want my car covered in it, so I could evade the police easier.
"To drill down" is a well-established idiom.
... in the oil exploration industry.
... as well as in the adult entertainment industry!
[indian geek apple fan boy voice]"I am sporting a serious woody right now..."
OK, should I be forced to have a .xxx domain and have my entire website filtered out by Utah because there is this one picture out of 1,000?
.xxx domain.
Yeah, actually, you should.
That pic, while funny, is still adult content. Even if you're ok with your kids looking at that stuff, I'd wager most parents are not. What would be so difficult about putting that somewhere where kids would be less likely to see it?
To put it another way, how comfortable would you be with a huge billboard of that pic mounted to the roof of your house so the whole neighborhood and passers-by could easily see it? You have it in just as public, and just as easily accessible location, only in digital format.
Plus, with tools like Google, a pic like that will most likely rise to the top of the popularity list on images.google.com, where it will get disproportionately more attention than the rest of the pics on your site (assuming they're all more tame).
How about this for a standard of "adult" content. For starters, any site that requires a paid subscription or any other form of payment, should go on the
This won't get all, or even most of the pr0n restricted from minors, but it would be a good start, and maybe a more agreeable method of regulating that content to a majority of citizens.
I'll believe that when the Red Sox win the World Series!
Yeah, right -- that's about as likely as finding out who Deep Throat is.
Or finding out that our millitary is actually under the control of an evil emperor!
...not what you know.
Novell kicks ass, but it still takes good connections to get even great products sold into large enterprises.
Novell > Utah > (former)Gov. Mike Leavitt > Now Secretary of HHS.
They both said it.
Woody first, when Buzz 'flew' around the room on the celing fan.
Buzz said it near the end of the movie when the were gliding down to Andy in the car after the rocket exploded.
Oh, I thought it was a reference to this wacky thing...
:-)
this guy, by chance? :-)
LOL!
Heh, back then, she was actually *worth* seeing nekid! :-)
Your post is a troll, and here's why:
Your average 13 year old understands that the violence they see on screen is a fantasy, and do not view it as a scenario they would attempt to re-create in their own life.
However, the same 13 year old sees sex on screen, and feels a rush of hormones dump into their system, thus fueling a powerful urge to explore this with someone else.
Since most movies don't do a very accurate portrayal of the consequences of sexual activity, there's little or no reason for the youth to feel inhibited or take precautions.
Sex is a much more complex issue for adolescents than violence, due to the differences in their predilection to engage, and their misunderstanding of the consequences involved.
Due to all the retarded behavior that our fellow citizens exhibit on a daily basis I am never surprised when I see people falling for direct parody.
I've met a few of the Execs who work for Wal-Mart, some of whom are not much brighter than the people they exploi^H^H^H^H^H^H employ. My guess is that they're genuinely concerned that a great many folks who go looking for Wal-Mart on the web would completely miss the joke of this guy's site and take it as legit.
Just as Aurthur C. Clarke said: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." The same principle applies to literature and art...Any sufficiently advanced form of comedy is indistinguishable from the nightly news.
(See The Daily Show with Jon Stewart)
"I'm Just a Bill" would be my guess to the specific inspirational clip for this one.
Gotta love (Old-)Schoolhouse Rock!
...that is not a small number!